Josh was just an ordinary kid, and he had an ordinary problem - he was being bullied at highschool. Wanting to let people know he existed, he was a good person, and to react positively to the negative attacks, he wondered what he could do. So he held open a door. Every day. For months. That small...
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It’s Christmas – the day Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus two millennia ago. One of the carols we often sing is, “O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see they lie.” Until this year I envisioned a peaceful village when I sang it, replete with angelic choirs,...
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My grandfather’s village is just down the road
It’s blessed with the richest of olive groves
On Fridays when grandfather takes me on his knee
I feel the shade of a tree that I’ve never seen
I’m fighting for freedom, peace and security
I’ll never forget what they’ve stolen from me
Wrongs like...
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Tonight, as I was cooking dinner, I browsed my list of podcasts and chose CBC Ideas. I clicked today's show, and was surprised to hear the voice of my friend, Jean Paul Samputu. Jean Paul Samputu is the man who gives me the most hope of anyone in the world that forgiveness is humanly possible, even...
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I saw two films at the Jayu Human Rights Film Festival today, both first-person accounts from eloquent boys. Faridullah's Day Off was a touching account of a young boy from Afghanistan who dreams of going to school, instead of the brick factory, when the muezzen's call to prayer awakens the family...
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After visiting the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa, which closed at noon, I had no itinerary. I started walking down the hill.
“Lady, lady!” A stranger was calling me from a car.
“Yes?” I answered.
“Abraham said you needed a tour guide.” Abraham was the Kenyan security guard at Baha’i Gardens I’d been...
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On my friend’s recommendation, on my first evening in Tel Aviv, I walked through Jaffa port. Alighting at the clock tower, the street bustled with open air restaurants, kiosks, groups of teenagers, wandering couples. The sight and sound of the...
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I hoped I'd sleep for 24 hours after my 24 hour overnight flight, but I awoke suddenly and finally after 8 hours. I opened the curtains to my first view of Tel Aviv in daylight. The bright sun reflected brilliantly off the white buildings. I craned my...
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