hopeful beirut

We are Living Stones!

I recently returned home from a Camp called Living Stones that was held in Mondaye, France, under the theme of Seek and Pursue Peace... It was a great occasion to meet people from the Middle East (Jordan, Syria, Palestine) and Europe (France, Italy, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium) and to share and relate our different experiences as well as our understanding of peace and its implications.

I was very happy to discover that many people feel concerned by the turmoil Lebanon is swamped in and that they are wary of the media coverage and are anxious to get a real perspective from its citizens. Most are praying and reaching out with compassion to human beings like themselves that happen to live in a country which is finding itself.

There were several high points in the camp: the international evening, the visit to Mont St. Michel, and especially the visits to the American and German cemeteries respectively. In the latter, we found a quote by Albert Schweitzer saying that the graves of soldiers are the greatest initiators of peace... There, surrounded by so many tombs, the identified and the the unidentified lying side by side, I prayed...

I prayed for those who have died as a result of conflict, whose bodies are still trapped under the ruins and abandoned in the fields... I prayed for those left behind, burdened by the knowledge of their beloved's death or the absence of news... I prayed that their deaths would not be in vain... and I prayed that we would not repeat the incidents that led to their death.

I could imagine, that in some point in time, a young woman like me, would have stood where I was now, and mourn the passing of her brother, father, or husband who lay buried there... She would ponder the meaning of his sacrifice, she would weigh the price of his life with the geo-political gain that had been derived from it. And I believe she would be left wanting justification.

We left the Camp as Living Stones, called to testify, to be the solid rock foundation in our countries scattered over the globe about peace. We are Living Stones, we affirm that dialog and understanding yield results. We believe that a common humanity and love of life inhabits our spirit and that despite cultural and linguistic barriers, we can contribute to alleviating each other's suffering.

Siamo Pietre vive,
Wir sind Lebendige steine,
Nous sommes Pierres Vivantes,
We are Living Stones!

posted by hopeful beirut @ 14:23