Afghan youth in operation TOGETHER against violence
February 8, 2010 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers saddened by Operation Moshtarak ‘ TOGETHER ’
Please watch them speak clearly to the world, against militarism and violence
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kIjfLz-Si0
together in non-violence
Please, do not fight anymore.
We should stand TOGETHER in non-violence
No one wins in war, neither men nor women
together in kindness
We should stand TOGETHER to stop our world’s militarism
We the people of Afghanistan are tired of war & don’t want this war
together in humanity
We are not willing for the Taliban, or international & Afghan soldiers or Afghan civilians to be killed
We the youth of Afg say to Obama, Gordon Brown & the world, let’s be TOGETHER in the way of humane-ness & non-violence ‘cos love is how we’ll ask for peace.
together in love
Love is how we’ll ask for peace.
The Afghan youth peace volunteers
‘Their flesh is my flesh, their blood is my blood, their pain is my pain, their SMILE is my SMILE.’ Henri Nouwen
International peace volunteers in Olympia USA & across the globe. ‘Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.’ Mother Teresa
The picture with our peace message Reconciliation of Civil Hearts for the Nobel Peace Laureate President Obama.
We have hope that love has a value which overcomes even death.
We know that we’re not alone.
We’re waiting historically with the rest of the world.
Love is how we’ll ask for peace
.
Peace must arise from the ordinary ; love can change the strategies of war & peace
December 8, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Please hear 13 year old Abdul Ali sing and speak of war and peace
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38RBMMFyBR0
Abdul ali with Zekerullah
From the hills I play my flute…
I wish for peace & reconciliation
When will the world ever understand?
We thank those who pray that we’ll have peace
But prayers won’t suffice if one by one, war takes us away from life
Peace for the ordinary billions must be loved into passionate existence
by a billion ordinary hearts
From Afghanistan, we thank every individual who is now journeying with us in this heart-storm of love, befriending us at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Youth-Peace-Volunteers/206186386153?v=wall or youthpeacevolunteers@gmail.com or
Thank you, our friends, brothers and sisters!
the Afghan peace vigilers
Text of video
Is your wish for peace a special or ordinary wish?
Our wish for peace is ordinary because everyone wishes for peace
Who is responsible for bringing peace?
We ourselves are responsible for bringing peace.
If war breaks out, whose fault is it?
It is our fault because we ourselves should make peace.
If governments wage war, we should also temper that.
We the people should temper governments? How?
Yes, that we make peace, as war is futile.
Should we wait for elders & leaders to bring peace?
No, we shouldn’t wait…we ordinary people should arise from our own places to bring peace.
An Afghan leader had said that he wanted to turn Afg into a river of blood
We the people of Afghanistan want a river of peace
We ordinary people should take the course of peace
We should arise from our homes, from the mountains & from the cities
Can’t we ordinary people arise & move?
We can and we will arise for peace.
Peace, peace…from the bottom of our hearts, peace!
From the hills I play my flute…
I wish for peace & reconciliation
When will the world ever understand?
We thank those who pray that we’ll have peace
But prayers won’t suffice if one by one, war takes us away from life.
Peace for the ordinary billions must be loved into passionate existence by a billion ordinary hearts
Even when the cold sets in and ice forms over the rivers,
we ordinary people should arise from our own places to bring peace
arise from our homes, from the mountains & from the cities
For if war breaks out, whose fault is it?
Peace, peace…from the bottom of our hearts, peace!
Love is how we’ll ask for peace, love that must arise from the ordinary
I wish for peace & reconciliation
When will the world ever understand?
Love is how we’ll need to run ; finding indomitable love in Afghan disappointment
December 3, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Please listen to Abdulai’s disappointment and love “I was very young during the Taliban war. I fled to the Baba Mountains with my family..”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RCzd68KN9I
abdulai & change
I was very young during the Taliban war. I fled to the Baba Mountains with my family.There was lots of snow then. When I returned…I never saw my father again.
We shouldn’t continue this manner of life. This life is hard & difficult.
We should have a good & better life through peace & reconciliation.
A resolute love can change every human being & every violent person.
Dear friends in Afghanistan & the world, we may not make it…
But as Ghandi encouraged, ‘ Be the change you want to see in the world.’
More troops & more war make life tough for us.
But we will still move towards love & truth.
Let we ourselves, the youth, bring change. Yes..yes..yes!
Love is how we’ll ask for peace! Let’s move…let’s go!
the peace vigilers’ run at Bamiya Peace Park
When disappointment closes in like another moon-less night
We pause in our madness as mere dying Men
From this grief we salvage an indomitable love
That turns even tears into rivers of light
That breaks out in a run, however weary our sight
We will still move towards love & truth
With love, we ask the Nobel Peace Laureate President Obama for a Reconciliation of Civil Hearts
Peace to Obama’s daughters from Afghan children ; 10-15 year old Afghan boys & girls greet Malia & Sasha
November 30, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Please watch 10-15 year old Afghan boys & girls speak words of peace & love to Obama’s daughters Malia & Shasha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejlusJ38UKU
Parwin & Rana
Video Excerpt
Malia and Sasha, peace from Afghanistan!
I am Parwin ( 13 years old ), Rana ( 10 ), Abdul Ali ( 13 ), Zekerullah ( 13 ), Abdulai ( 13 ) and Raziq ( 15 ).
No one wins in war, neither women nor men.
We are humans & we want peace.
There are many other creative, non-violent solutions & they need a chance
Love is how we’ll ask for peace!
Malia & Sasha & your parents, from Afg, be at peace!
Malia & Sasha, God protect you & God will take care of you!
Raziq & Abdulai
Standing together in stirring a heart-storm of love,
meekly & resolutely.
Love is how we’ll ask for peace!
Let love refrain from silence.
We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.
Martin Luther King
The human voice can never reach the distance that is covered by the still small voice of conscience.
Where love is, there God is also.
Mohandas Gandhi
Abdul Ali & Zekerullah
American Thanksgiving and our Afghan winter ; Afghan vigilers’ telephone conversation with Amy Goodman
November 26, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
To our American friends, have a meaningful and warm Thanksgiving!
We especially thank Douglas Mackey and Dennis Mills for the tele-conversation we had with students of Olympia High School and Evergreen State College, as well as Amy Goodman for speaking to us in our Afghan silence.
Please hear the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers’ 2 a.m. conversation with Amy Goodman, & watch them speak of the Afghan winter life
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uXtO0e0_KE
In this season of decisions over Afghanistan, the cold has set in.
“I was sick last week. I had fever & was shivering. I kept warm while I slept at home. Now I’m well & warm at heart. I think that friendship is warmth. Home is warmth!
But war is cold & war freezes friendship. “ Abdul Raziq
Video excerpt of Amy Goodman’s 2.30 a.m. conversation with the vigilers on 25/11/2009
Hello! Salam to you Amy!
I want to ask you why you’re doing what you’re doing?
We want to raise the voice of peace in Afg & the world. We’re hoping for Obama’s answer to our peace message
Blood cannot wash away blood ( an Afghan Proverb ).
Hate cannot wash away hate.
War cannot wash away war.
God protect you, Amy!
Winter & the cold have arrived in Afghanistan.
In some places, the water at the spring freezes & the roads get cut off.
We have to collect precious fuel to keep warm.
We can bear these physical challenges better than lies, war, violence & pride which make our souls shake with their cold indifference, their isolation & their separation.
We sometimes wonder what we should expect from life, from history & from humanity. Perhaps we shouldn’t expect much because unrealistic expectations may silence our hopes.
We comfort one another in saying, “It doesn’t matter. God is kind.” You may think that we should be able to do better than to just have comforting words
Even if we don’t live through this winter, love would endure, love would last.
Is war the sole answer to the problems of Afghanistan?
Can’t life offer us more creative & noble alternatives?
Yes, love would survive another winter.
Yes, love is how we’ll ask for peace!
“The way of peace is the way of love. Love is the greatest power on earth. It conquers all things.” Peace Pilgrim
Peace stands together in love, giving thanks for warmth in the cold Afghan winter
Excerpt of Obama’s Thanksgiving speech 26/11/2009
But this Thanksgiving also takes place at a time of great trial for our people.
Across the country, there were empty seats at the table, as brave Americans continue to serve in harm’s way from the mountains of Afghanistan to the deserts of Iraq. We honor and give thanks for their sacrifice, and stand by the families who endure their absence with such dignity and resolve.
I have seen this strength firsthand over many months…. in young Americans enlisting in a time of war..
It is a testament to our national character… that we want that American Dream not just for ourselves, but for each other.
Afghan lady & girl’s loving greetings of peace to U.S. Ambassador Eikenberry; a heart storm is slowly seeding
November 24, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Please watch an Afghan lady & girl stand with peace youth volunteers in greetings to the U.S. Ambassador Eikenberry, who urged for no troop surge.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGRp995K2Xg
Nazuko
Zekerullah, “Eikenberry Sir & your wife, do you have time to be with us at the Bamiyan Peace Park?”
Nazuko : “We wish for peace. Love is how we’ll ask for peace.”
This seems a time when we keep asking each other what is enough, what numbers, what measures…
Against the grain, even the decay within ourselves, we stand with friends in the quiet resolution that love is enough, yes, love is enough.
Others may take everything away from us, but they cannot take away love.
Love is how we’ll ask for peace
2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil, our second mile of love
Come stand with us for love!
Parwin
The heart-storm of love is slowly seeding. We thank the individuals from the groups below who inspire us to plod on in Afghanistan!
- Olympia Washington Vigil
Dennis Mills with friends
Other photos :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tricyrtis_hirta/sets/72157622733609809/
- Evergreen State College Vigil, Olympia Washington
Vigil group at Evergreen
Other photos :
http://s896.photobucket.com/albums/ac161/jjacobro/2ND%20CUP%20OF%20TEA/?start=0
- Mideast Solidarity Project, Evergreen State College, Olympia Washington
Mideast Solidarity Project
- Sheridan Peacemakers, Wyoming USA
Joan Borst with Sheridan Peacemakers
- Stand Up for Peace, Laramie USA
Lesley Wischmann and Stand Up for Peace
- Contagious Love Experiment
Josh Steiber and friends
- Corvallis Alternatives Against the War
Carol and Jane Alexander
Read this article on the faithful 9 year peace vigil of this group
http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sns-ap-us-ripples-of-war,0,3127649,full.story
We also thank Douglas Mackey, Dennis Mills and staff of Olympia High School for making possible a long-distance tele-conference with the Afghan Youth Peace Volunteers on the 24th of November 2009.
Afghan lady & girl stand with vigil youth to greet Eikenberry in peace
November 21, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Please watch an Afghan lady & girl stand with peace youth in greetings of peace to the U.S. Ambassador Eikenberry, who urged for no troop surge
We’re sorry that we’re having technical problems with this video upload. We’ll try to correct this soon! Thanks.
Nazuko
13 year old Zekerullah, “Eikenberry Sir & your wife, do you have time to be with us at the Bamiyan Peace Park?”
Nazuko : “We wish for peace. Love is how we’ll ask for peace.”
This seems a time when we keep asking each other what is enough,
what numbers, what measures…
Against the grain, even the decay within ourselves, we stand with friends in the quiet resolution that love is enough, yes, love is enough.
Others may take everything away from us, but they cannot take away love.
2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil, our second mile of love
Come stand with us for love!
Parwin
The love in Zekerullah’s journey to peace ; restoring the truth
November 18, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Please watch 13 year old Zekerullah explain why ‘there’s no justice or truth in Afg today’
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgCXy60yy2U
Zekerullah, a 13 year Afghan youth peace volunteer who is taking part in the peace vigils at Bamiyan Peace Park, is learning to walk that 2nd mile for love.
Love speaks the truth with gentleness, calling corruption corruption, not a budding democracy.
Love will not nurture greed in Afghan robes or international suits.
Love walks 2 hours in the mud to earn a decent penny though it is aware that, by economic design, money and power are not with those who walk.
Love deliberately asks ‘Does Zekerullah deserve a decent livelihood as much as I do?’
Love waits eagerly for peace and justice, even if, by ‘fateful neglect’, it is un-noticed and un-rewarded.
Love knows that killing in whatever name, even in the name of ‘Overseas Contingency Operations’, is killing. Killing removes life and love; we are not able to justify to Zekerullah that killing is a civil response for our ‘contingencies’.
Love recognizes that war is not peace, whatever its prize.
Love empathizes with soldiers and victims who suffer post-traumatic stress, knowing that it is an ORDER of human conscience that can guide Mankind to wholeness, pleading ‘Enough. Please stop!’
Zekerullah making biscuits and cakes
Please speak the truth in love together with Zekerullah, not later but now.
Say it as it is.
This may be a chance for Afghan youth to raise the possibility of love,
for Man to do a little something for other Men,
by standing and waiting firmly for peace before the giants that be.
Killing goes against everything we’re taught from childhood about love and compassion. It goes against every religious doctrine and moral code. It’s small wonder that so many come back from war “sick at heart.”
Irish Nobel peace laureate Mairead Maguire
2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil begins our 2nd mile for love
November 16, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Please watch the growing smiles of friendship over tea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-4ZMh8Z9ts
2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil begins our 2nd mile for love
‘Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.’
Mother Teresa
Come and have the 2nd cup of tea and deepen our friendships of peace.
Friends, join us wherever you are!
With love,
from the Afghan & International Youth Peace Volunteers
Dandelion Salad and Peace Works
We thank our peacemaker friends in PeaceWorks, Columbia Missouri USA, for giving us their support. We were encouraged by all your smiles!
Thanks to Dandelion Salad, below is the link to the photos of the smiling faces from Columbia, MO when the Peaceworks organization gathered for their annual dinner
‘Love is How We’ll Ask for Peace’ (Set)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lorri37/sets/72157622681524727/
Mary
Alex, Emma and Lily
Amy
Gail and Peter
Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation
We also thank Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation for writing to us on You Tube, saying :
The Oregon Fellowship of Reconciliation endorses your efforts! Let love bring peace! A photo will follow!
Our growing peace vigil friendships
Thank you all for encouraging us. Please send us your vigil information and pictures, wherever you are standing for peace, to youthpeacevolunteers@gmail.com
2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil, our 2nd mile of love
November 15, 2009 by
Filed under Journey Updates
Though we may be discouraged by the loud words, the self-interest, the disunity and the sinking sense of futility, we can share a cup of tea as we keep a vigil for peace.
Though we may be surrounded by neglect, anger, pride and the meaningless mire of violence, we can find mutual comfort in transforming our struggle for love.
Mohd Hussein starts 2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil
with 8 other Afghan youth peace volunteers
Mohd Hussein and 8 other Afghan peace youth volunteers will begin their 2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil on Sunday, the 15th of November 2009, daily from 12 noon to 1 pm Bamiyan time, at the Bamiyan Peace Park.
Please watch Mohd Hussein invite us for Afghan tea!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF0msK8dlh4
We’ll have our 2nd cups of tea, in deepening our friendships and strengthening our love.
We wish for you to join us in our 2nd Cup of Tea Peace Vigil,
person by hopeful person, friends with new friends
in homes, in parks, along the streets
and in the warm places of your hearts!
The first time, we’re friends. The second time, brothers.
Afghan proverb
Mohd Hussein’s labor of love and peace
China
2
Egypt
1
India
1
Italy
1
Malaysia
1
Nepal
1
Philippines
1
USA
1
Singapore
2