Peace not war...
Inhumanity keeps repeating itself!
WHY write about brutalities and atrocities that occurred a long time ago? Well maybe because it is still very present today!
During the Christmas holidays I had tea with a cousin. Talking about our various travels I mentioned a trip to Poland and Germany, a WWII tour I went on a while back which among museums and other nice areas we visited various concentration camps. The trip was not just about doom and gloom. She asked, “why would you want to do that? I couldn’t’’.
I wanted to learn more about it…in my mind it was so incomprehensible.
Later, it got me thinking. Indeed, why the interest, where did it come from?
Back during law school, I took an International Criminal Law course…which come to think of it further peeked my curiosity.
Reality check!
This was followed a few years later with 3 months working at the International Criminal Court (ICC). There I met and listened eyes and ears wide opened to an invited guest Ben Ferencz, at times so deep in thought, with tears in his eyes as he spoke of what he saw, reliving his time as an investigator of Nazi war crimes after WWII. A lawyer, he took on the role of chief prosecutor at the Einsatzgruppen trial, one of the 12 subsequent Nuremberg trials held in Germany. He became an advocate of international rule of law and a major force for the establishment of the ICC.
I just couldn’t believe what I was hearing...how heart breaking.
Back in the ‘90’s, even before law school and the ICC, I had this je ne sais quoi that I wanted to go see the concentration camps. Maybe the seed was planted after I heard a work colleague talk about his trip to Auschwitz. However, hearing Ben Ferencz’s story it intensified that feeling.
I decided there and then, that it would be my next trip…it was on top of my bucket list. So I did. After all, it’s part of history, it happened, no use denying it.
I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau, Buchenwald and Dachau. I could not start to fathom what happened there with what the guide told us or what I saw…so surreal, trying to imagine what these people went through…and some survived!
An eerie feeling still lies in the silent air.
You would think that after such horrors people would have learned something. Hard to imagine that some people do not believe it occurred!
War crimes, genocides, crimes against humanities, civil wars, tragedies against human kind, etc… have and still occur today – Cambodia, Guatemala civil war, Rwanda, Sudan, DRC, Palestine, Afghanistan, Russia-Ukraine…to name a few…
Where is our world going to…what is happening?
Has the world not learn anything? Why is this still happening? Is it hatred, power, psychopathy, sociopathy, the internet, a mix of all of these that instigate these dreadful acts?
What do you think?
Why not promote peace, live in peace globally, where compassion and love is at the forefront instead of kaos, hate, devastation, hunger, loss…?
Human trafficking…another ongoing atrocity!
According to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Human Trafficking is defined as:
the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit. Men, women and children of all ages and from all backgrounds can become victims of this crime, which occurs in every region of the world. The traffickers often use violence or fraudulent employment agencies and fake promises of education and job opportunities to trick and coerce their victims.
…or better described as ‘’human slavery’’ sex, forced labor, tourism exploitations of millions of people. Human trafficking is the third largest crime industry in the world and the fastest growing.
I recently read a book ‘’The True Story of Canadian Human Trafficking’’, the world of human trafficking in Canada and how it came to be that law was changed in Canada, opening my eyes even more so to this reality happening now and in our backyards!
…and also recently watched the Sound of Freedom (on Prime) dealing with the trafficking of children.
Horrifying is the exploitation during war times. One movie that struck a chord was the Whistleblower (2010) that depicts UN personnel engaging in the exploitation of young women. Another one was Angelina Jolie’s movie In the Land of Blood and Honey (2011) from the Bosnian war. It just broke my heart.
Now with the ever-growing presence of social media, predators can send messages and invites continuously on those platforms…and even on our phones. BEWARE. They can be suave, convincing, will trick, lie to entice someone, preying on vulnerable people with the objective gain trust using a scam story of ‘fame or fortune’.
I can understand how it might be difficult to watch or read about such stories however better be informed and aware especially when you have children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews…but also adults can be caught in those scam stories. PREDATORS are PREDATORS.
And the aftereffects of such an ordeal is not to be taken lightly and a hard road to recovery, if one can recover.
UN Under-Secretary-General
Last year I attended my first Ottawa University Alex Trebek distinguished lecture series with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Ms. Pramila Patten.
Taken from the U of O synopsis of the lecture:
Every new wave of conflict brings with its a rising tide of human tragedy and atrocities, including new waves of war’s oldest, most silenced and least condemned crime - sexual violence. The sharp deterioration of the peace and security context is causing immeasurable suffering to women and girls in conflict-affected countries. While the use of sexual violence as a tactic of war and terrorism is widely recognized, global efforts have failed to hold perpetrators accountable.
Eyes and ears wide opened I listened as she discussed the evolution of her mandate since its establishment in 2009, her experiences as well as her strategic priorities in combating this scourge. Captivating lecture.
Why write about this?
My ideas for my blog topics sometimes arise from a simple conversation. Psychology as a whole is interesting, why do people do what they do, what makes them tick. Heck, not that we always get answers!
This topic is not meant to turn your attention away but instead cause some reflection, maybe question things or entice some research…is there anything I can do, even a tidbit, to make the world a better place? Hard to turn a blind eye.
**Let’s all try to do our part and make our world a better and safer place, free from hatred and violence and instead one of compassion, love and peace**
A few thoughts, quelques pensées:
· Don’t be afraid to go places where it might be out of your comfort zone
· Be curious about history
· Don’t be afraid to talk about uncomfortable topics
· Do not wait to start executing the items on your bucket list
· Try new things as you never know what or who could show up
· Be prepared, be aware, be curious, ask questions
· Promote peace NOT war
Stay tune, demeurez à l’écoute
Aspire to inspire, aspirer à inspirer. Be an agent of change.
Thank you, merci for reading and feel free to share What Next!?, leave a comment, your thoughts or a ❤…I love to hear from you.
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With lots of gratitude, avec beaucoup de gratitude. Be well. xo
Thanks Jeff.
So glad you enjoyed it. You can find lots of zoom classes for tai chi chih on line😍