Snazzified
Email me at: snazzified at gmail dot com
Posts tagged Peace
KONY 2012 (by invisiblechildreninc)
It’s really inspiring to be part of a generation that is tech and social media savvy enough to put together something like this. This video speaks to our need as compassionate citizens of this world to act in whatever capacity we can when facing this kind of evil. All children should grow up in safe, loving environments without fear of being abducted and forced to work as sex slaves or soldiers.
Via GOOD (Iraq War Veterans Fill Iraqi Restaurant After Hate Crime)
What a peaceful, positivity-filled response to an act of ignorance and hate. After an anonymous hater threw a 20 lb rock through an Iraqi restaurant’s window in an act of hate, a group of more than 100 veterans reacted by staging an eat-in. They filled the restaurant, ate wonderfully, and sent the message that hate would not be tolerated in Lowell, NH.
Stories like these give me hope.
Side note: They also make me hungry.
It seemed appropriate to watch this film on the eve of September 11th. Beyond Belief was the perfect way to reflect on the events of 9/11/01, in that it didn’t require me to watch the towers fall over and over again, and it re-instilled a sense of hope within me.
Susan Retik and Peggi Quigley both lost their husbands on 9/11. Both were pregnant. Both had reasons to be angry. Yet both chose a route that few are able to in the face of overwhelming grief. They decided to turn this tragic event into an opportunity to better the world.
Especially today when we’re continuing to figure out the chaos that is Afghanistan and hearing about crazy pastors wanting to burn Korans, it is increasingly important that we reflect on peace and how we can achieve a state of existence that is mutually beneficial.
After learning about the long history of war and poverty in Afghanistan, Retik and Quigley decided to raise money for widows in Afghanistan. They recognized that the widow status there came with far more hardship then what they were experiencing in the U.S. Instead of only lamenting what they lost, they recognized what they had been blessed with, and gave of themselves as part of their grieving process.
Retik and Quigley end up visiting Afghanistan to see firsthand what their money was going towards and what more they could do to help. Speaking through interpreters, they learned about the Afghan widows’ lives and their own personal tragedies. They saw common ground in their experiences, but also drastic differences in access to basic human needs.
What is most impressive about these two women is that they could have easily become embittered and angry. Heck, they had good reason to be! But even after losing their husbands, they rose above to find a constructive way of coping with tragedy.
I believe it was Quigley that talks about post-traumatic growth at one point. She talks about the obvious post-traumatic stress, but that she was entering into a phase of growth. I really liked how she put that and was amazed by the strength and conviction that both women expressed.
For more information and to support the cause, visit the website for Beyond the 11th, the organization started by Retik and Quigley. Also check out this Op-Ed piece by Nicholas Kristof on these remarkable women.
