Water your cracked soul! (Volunteering Part II)

The cracked earth beneath my soul
Cries out in need of my support
Invest in me! Water me! Plant seeds in me!
And I’ll grow crops
Don’t let me wither and be gone…
It cries through me, when I see pain
When I see suffering it calls my name
It says I have a mission here…

Yet I am bothered by its cry
Why can’t it be happy with what I have now?
Why does it scratch me every now and then
As if trying to press me to go another way?
Why can’t it be quiet and leave me alone
Undisturbed and self-absorbed, why can’t I be so?
It says it’s not about me…that I am a part of a whole…

The squealing, shrilling voice beneath,
Comes out through every hole, indeed
Through the cracks it travels straight to me

And says – you ARE a part of HUMANITY

Yet, I don’t see what all this means,
After all, around me I see only this:
Crashed/destroyed lives vs. wealthy chaps
Forgotten lives vs. remembered/glamorous lives
People who need vs. such who have much
Displaced vs. those with A mile-long p(a)lace
…
Isn’t it nature’s order to attempt to balance this mess (the scales)?
Is this a fair and just verdict? I don’t really ask this!

I go on my way, without a concern
For the problems of others,
After all, am I not immune?
Yet, that little voice rising to speak
Is up for some campaigning and debating with me
It shows me my blessings and gives me some time
Until I start feeling a growing emptiness right in the core
I have everything that one really needs
And yet, I feel somewhat Incomplete
…
Then I start to listen, to hear this voice
And slowly to realize one truth that beats the odds:

I AM A PART OF A WHOLE,
AND I HAVE A CRUCIAL ROLE:
TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SCALES
DON’T LEAN ON ONE SIDE,
WITH NO REGARD FOR THE REST!

So I water the earth, I start planting seeds
And see how in time
It yields rich harvest
Now it’s all different, what I hear in me
It’s a chorus of voices that make my soul leap
A joyous song, a re-MIX of
The transformed lives of those I have reached!

Arise, oh, Human, arise and shine! Let lives be touched by your HumanE role!

You are a crucial part of HUMANITY! Play your role! Be HumanE!

p.s. the photo is from Hannah's facebook profile

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Activate/Press your humanE button! (Volunteering Part I)

I'll change the world

One child/life at a time

I'll raise the banner

DO IT NOW!

We live to love

And love to live

Yet, unconcerned we stroll the streets

Window-shopping, mesmerized by things

We go to work and pay the bills

Raise kids in bulk and go on trips

We say we live, yet only breathe

We have enslaved the truth and exist

Under the tyranny of a world flooded by a material feast.

Oh, how is it that we don't see:

The least, the least is to help those in need!

Then one ordinary day...we realize our priorities are messed up, we're incomplete,

unsatisfied, unfit...we've simply forgotten what determines our "breed".

I press my button to release

The humanE spirit that lies beneath

To free the ME that wants to live

By making time to love the unreached.

Instead of luxury and empty wealth

of empty words, empty promises and perishing things

I'll indulge myselg in a life-long drill

To learn how to enRich one life at a time,

Not mechanically - drop a coin,

But investing time and effort to care and transform

Not by counting what I'll get

But by giving all that I have

Then, I believe that I'll be complete!

I'll leave the chair, comfort, bed,

I'll merge into the world where magic is made

I'll be the magician, I'll see/be the change!

***

Make time to love and none to hate

Make time to see and some to hear

Make time to help, give more than you think you can spare

Make time to count your blessings many

Make time to smile and be happy

Yet don't forget

Make time for others, make THEM happy!

Make time to make a difference big

One life at a TIME, one-person-focused-reach!

***

To love is simple, yet so grand

To live is simple, yet so profound

Don't ponder over simple truths

Just live the moments and love the world

Don't get discouraged from the system

Corrupt officials, scandals, people

See there, beyond the rising sun

it's your day, dear, grab it and run!

Press your humanE button. Make time to LOVE. Be a magician.

p.s. i'll make time for you my friend,thanks for inspiring me!

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"I AM POWERFUL!"

SHE HAS THE POWER TO CHANGE HER WORLD!

YOU HAVE THE POWER TO HELP HER DO IT!

www.care.org - Defending Dignity. Fighting Poverty.
Read my blog post from Nov.30 - "SHE is!"to read more about the power potential hidden within a single woman!
I cannot remember the name of the song playing on the background of this video clip, so, please, if anyone knows it, please share it with me!

As for the women in these video, all I can say is, these are the heroes of our world, often abused, mistreated, enslaved, forgotten, silenced, ignored or else...they, nevertheless, persevere and and look bravely into the eyes of the Future..with Hope and Faith, that they will have a chance to live better lives...or that they will at least have a chance to provide their kids with better lives!
I admire these women. For me, they are the pillars of society, the strongholds of all families, the fighters for survival!
Let us honor them instead of neglecting them, exalt them instead of humiliating them, empower them instead of ignoring them! Only then, will the world become a better place and we, all, will have equal chances to develop our full potential and enjoy free and happy lives!!!
My call is for all those who have ever mistreated a woman in any way, even only by verbally harassing her, to stop and think about it.


Women are no threat to men's power or honor, they are a power on their own. One kind of power does not necessarily have to collide with another, they can complement each other.
But this can happen only when men realize that women are created to be their partners, not subordinates, not slaves, not objects of sexual desire, but equal partners. Only then, can there be true partnerships between men and women and true human development based on equality and justice!
Nevertheless, we still see so many abuses against women and girls, all around the globe. Most of these 'incidents' (evil deeds) have been the acts of weak and insecure men who need to find victims to pay for their failures or just to assert their position and 'power'. Many cultures still tolerate, to say the least, these crooked 'values' and deny women free access to education, property, and equal treatment, view my article "The High Price for Pursuing Knowledge in Some Parts of the Developing World" .
We need to also acknowledge the affects that modernization and globalization have brought upon women and men alike, around the world. Often times, this transitional period - the process of modernization and development of a society - has caused much damage to women, has shaken the traditional values and cultural habits of many communities and has brought fear, insecurity and chaos. Recently, I listened to BBC news and the reporters talked about the rising degree of sexual harassment among young people in Egypt. They conducted interviews with victims of sexual harassment and with sociologists and other experts, who tried to explain the reasons behind this new disturbing trend. I wanted to write about it in a separate article, but I will just sketch briefly their arguments here. The experts (women) talked about the transitional period in which the Egyptian society is, the transformation of power relations, the hard economic times etc. They emphasized that the increase of violence against women is the symptom of the deeply embedded social problems within the society. For example, economic problems lead to the inability of young men to pay dowries, which in turn impedes them from getting married and being recognized as successful and mature men. The sense of failure leads to intensified frustration, which in turn is materialized in the form of sexual harassment. In comparison with the past, now,many more young people postpone marriage. The estimated number of single men and women over 30years old in Egypt, at the moment, is 9million! This is a striking figure for a society, in which traditionally, girls were getting married before their 20s. Of course, another reason for the delay in marriage is that women have been given the chance to pursue higher education. This trend, on the other hand, just like we discussed earlier, constitute a threat to men (or so they believe) and again materialize in the form of violence. Traditional ways have been disrupted and the process of modernization hasn't been completed, therefore, many social problems arise, and often the victims are no one else, but women!

Stereotypes, stigmas, and cultural prejudices have been serious obstacles to the empowerment of women as well, but there is one sure way out of this unequal equation and it is education! education = empowerment ! Education not just for girls and women, but also for boys and grown-up men (some Microfinance institutions have already set special courses to break the existing stigmas and stereotypes within the given communities and to assure men that it is beneficial to all if women are empowered and that they do not constitute a threat to them). More efforts need to be put in offering courses that offer redefining of the meaning of 'man' and 'masculine', because often, men act upon a certain situation as they believe their society expects them to, in order to fit the role of 'men', which they have been assigned. Failing to play that role, they believe, will cause them shame and rejection by other men. NGO's need to put more emphasis on empowering both men and women, by building up man and women who respect each other and complement each other! Men need to be told that there is nothing manly to hit a woman or rape a girl! Men have been created physically stronger, but not to hit women, but to protect them!
Women are not a threat to society but a blessing! Their self-sacrificial nature and fearless spirit are sure cornerstones for building up a truly harmonious community! Don't step on them, but let them grow and they will bear good fruits from which we, all, will benefit! Don't silence them, but let them speak up, and you will see unleashed a powerful source of energy, inspiration and love! Don't be silent! Speak up on their behalf today! Don't remain indifferent, invest in the life of one woman...and you will see big harvest!

she has the power to change her world! you have the power to help her do it!

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TRUE HEROES, for my special friend M.

true heroes are like precious diamonds,
they are hard to find, and they need special care.
true heroes wear no masks, hide behind no curtains,
put no colours just to be shiny, don't look for applause,
don't seek recognition, don't shout to be heard,
don't push to be seen....
they ARE who they are and that's all.
they do what they do because they believe it's right
they ask, they learn, they listen, they smile, they love, they laugh,
they are patient, they are kind, they see light in the darkness,
road through the mud, they see beyond bias and stigma,
beyond things of this world...
true heroes walk among us and despite their elegant subtle presence,
their marks remain engraved forever in us -
where they've stepped, grass sprouted,
where they talked, hope arose
where they worked, lives were saved,
where they touched, wounds (emotional or else) were healed
where they were, peace was restored
where they stood, there WAS always A WAY!
where they lived...love was seen...
true heroes are those people who leave you breathless when they go
who leave you contemplating the beauty of this world
who restore your broken human nature
who are a clear reflection of God's image,
kind
merciful
loving
true
honest
forgiving....
true heroes come in your life...and they stay there for better or worse!


to M. with much love and respect! Thank you for all you've done! You are are TRUE hero! No doubt about it.
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