Eboo Patel is the founder of the Interfaith Youth Core which aims on promoting interfaith cooperation. Patel has written an essay that has appeared on 'This I Belive' titled 'We Are Each Other's Business' in which he talks about taking action rather than watching or keeping quiet in a situation. Patel has made a speech called 'Religious Pluralism in a Democracy' where Patel talks about and belives in ethnic and religious pluralism; the existence of groups with different ethnic and religious backgrounds within one society.
I agree with Patel after watching 'Religious Pluralism in a Democracy' because of all the positive things that it could bring to Earth. It could cut down the number of religious conflicts on our planet and teach mankind to live in peace. Eboo Patel once said, 'Show me a religion that doesn't care about compassion. Show me a religion that doesn't care about stewardship of the environment. Show me a religion that doesn't care about hospitality', My interpretation of what Patel means by this is that all religions have common traits, so why shouldn't we try to be pluralist? I think Patel's goal links with one of this year's themes of journeys because Patel is trying to promote pluralism which is not an easy task because some people won't accept this idea easily and I think a journey doesn't exist without some form of problem.
I chose this painting titled 'Blue Poles' by Jackson Pollock because I think the 8 vertical poles represents all the hurdles that someone has to face to complete a journey.
November 28th: The Art of War
November 28th: The Art of War
Pablo Picasso's "Guernica" was made in 1937 as a response to the Bombing of Guernica. Picasso was commisioned by the Spanish Republicans to create it. The painting shows the horrors, tragedies and suffering victims of war in black and white. In the picture I think the most prominent parts are the victims because you can see their suffering, the bull goring the horse because the bull is a sign of Spain, the light bulb and it's rays because it seems to form a sinister-looking eye watching over the victims and the skull embodied into the horse because it represents death.
November 28th: Thxa SoeThxa Soe, a Burmese hip-hop artist, stands up to the Burmese military junta through music and tries to get his fans to stand with him. Many of Thxa Soe's songs have been criticized by the junta for ruining traditional Burmese by mixing it with modern music, but I'm quite sure there's a bigger reason the junta doesn't like Thxa Soe's music. Many of Thxa Soe's songs have been banned by the Burmese Censorship Board because criticism of the government is forbidden, despite this he keeps making new songs and doesn't give in.
He shares similar traits to a lot of people we have studied because he let his voice be heard like Aung San Suu Kyi. Thxa Soe and Aung San Suu Kyi both also want to bring change to Burma as well. I'm not a big fan of hip-hop but I think that what Thxa Soe is doing is beneficial to Burma.
November 12th: The War to Forgiveness
At 11 years old she lived through the Serbian-Albanian conflict and lost her older brother and sister, eventually settling in a refugee shelter later. There she met Rudy Scholaert who talked to her and others about peace. Fatmire later started the Kids Clubs for Peace when she turned 12 and had a life changing meeting with a Serbian who wanted to be friends. Since then Fatmire was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize as one of the "1000 Women of Peace across the Globe" and is now a peace advocate. Fatmire has been relocated to Canada and attends a university in Toronto. Many people has asked her if she has forgiven the Serbians for what they've done expecting she has as she talks about peace all the time. She argues that she can't forgive them when she still doesn't know exactly what happened to her older siblings. She hasn't forgiven the Serbians but she doesn't hate them either. I think it's difficult for one to forgive another in a situation like the one Fatmire Feka has been in. I doubt that I could to forgive the Serbians for what they've done if I was in the same situation. Fatmire Feka also connects to this year's theme of journeys because she is undertaking one as she tries to forgive the Serbians.
October 1st: What is a hero?
One man's hero is another man's villain. I think a 'hero' is an opinion, a person's definition of a hero is dependant on a person's beliefs. For example, one could think of Martin Luther King Jr as a hero and Adolf Hitler, a villain. However, someone with different views could think the exact opposite.
