Jill Young paced back and forth, setting the rhythm—the sharp sound of her footsteps rang out, crisp and clear. Though not loud, for some reason, it cut through the air so distinctly that everyone could hear it. Jill looked at the crowd before her and spoke: "I'm not much of a talker. From the very beginning, I never understood, nor did I want to learn, all that political posturing and putting on airs. Today, with so many of you kneeling before me—this is the first time that's ever happened. But here's what I think: I don't need you to kneel!"
Jill pointed one hand to the sky and the other to the ground, shouting, "The sky is vast, the earth is wide—we were born to walk upright between them! The first thing I'll tell you is this: Kneecaps are for standing tall!"
Kneecaps are for standing tall. As everyone heard this, their eyes widened—this idea was so fresh, so new, they didn't quite know how to react. But with Jill's footsteps echoing, the crowd kept moving, their steps growing stronger, and strangely enough, their hearts did too.
"Those people who are always demanding others kneel—they want servants, they want slaves. Sure, I could use servants and slaves too, but you want to be my crew, and my crew can't be servants or slaves!" Jill's voice grew more passionate, her steps pounding harder. She raised her right hand and jabbed a finger at the ground: "In my crew, there are no weaklings!"
In my crew, there are no weaklings.
A hundred people marched in step, and suddenly Lily (Xiao Lian) called out nervously, "Just now, you said that we—we're all weak. Does that mean you don't want us?"
"No. Being small and being weak aren't the same thing." Jill stomped down, sending up a ring of dust, and shouted, "In this vast, endless world, everyone is small. But even if we're small, we can still choose to be strong!"
Even if we're small, we can still choose to be strong?
"Do you know what makes someone weak? It's those who stay stuck, never try to improve! The ones who give up, accept their fate, and never fight back! The people who only know how to push others down, but when trouble comes, they've got all this strength and don't even dare to throw a punch—those are the real weaklings!" Jill's eyes seemed to shine as she clenched her fist, her whole being burning with fierce emotion. "Look up—the sky is huge. There's always something bigger out there, so under this sky, we have to stay humble! But when the sky comes crashing down, the true strong ones—" Boom! With a heavy crash, Jill punched skyward and roared, "—are the ones who dare to throw a punch at the sky!!"
Throw a punch at the sky!