The Story of Our Journey

The beginning

2008 AD

Could have been 1008 AD.

A group of Afghan college students from different conflicting racial groups volunteered to test the difficult question of humanity.

Are humane relationships possible in the depth of conflict and global self-interest? Is civility possible?

Can we smile?

It has been a tough journey. It’s hard to see some of us leave.

But terrible darkness calls for a tough light, and in-human hate hopes for a humane love.

We wish to smile.

Join and follow our journey in 2009.

We hope to gather Afghan college students from all over the hurting country of Afghanistan, to build friendships, to grieve together and to recover our smile. Humanity’s smile.

On 21st September 2009, for the International Peace Day celebrations, we invite you to the Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan , built and destroyed by fellow humans.

Would you, one from every nation of the world, join us in asking those sad but hopeful questions, in encouraging wide scale humane relationships and in raising the possibility of love?

MY JOURNEY TO SMILE WITH NAJIB

Najib was a Pushtoon refugee I befriended at the Afghan border. He was orphaned by the war and fled with his aged grandmother. I remember his sad, empty eyes.

He collected and sold rubbish to survive. On many evenings after work, he would look for me, for some safety in our friendship.

When I invited Najib and his grandma to come share some fruit, I washed his dirtied hands and bare feet and then posed for this picture. I asked Najib to smile.

His grandma said in a rather indignant tone,’ Why? Why are you asking Najib to smile? He has no reason to smile…..he has no reason to smile.’

I miss the occasions when Najib smiled, at me and his fellow rubbish-collecting friend Faisal.

One day, he came to tell me he was leaving because life was difficult. And he cried. I wish I could have continued my journey to smile with Najib.

MY JOURNEY TO SMILE WITH KHAMAD

About 9 years ago, Khamad’s family of 8 dispersed separately across the Hindu Kush mountains, away from the fighting. When Khamad finally returned to his village, he found that his father had been killed.

His mother says that since then, Khamad has been chronically depressed and wonders if she should call upon the ‘magician’ to cast out the ‘depressed spirit’ that makes him stare and frown.

Khamad has become my brother and friend. I enjoy relating with him through an arduous but simple life, in building a potato chips business, in finding purpose and dignity.

Very occasionally, when he sings a quiet tune or breaks out into a smile, I take delight that love can lighten our souls and change our faces.

I am continuing my journey with Khamad, even when failure greets us or life disappoints us.

Because our smiles will journey in our hearts.