Remember CHAD

~ Compassion is Love's passion ~

To remember is to delicately preserve the memory of someone or a situation in our minds. The act of remembering is a precious tribute to the lives of the people we are remembering. An honorable homage to those who have touched our lives in profound ways.

The people in Sudan are still suffering tremendously. The unimaginable genocide that is happening there has aroused the international community to make stands against the Sudanese government. Diplomacy and tough love from other countries presently seem to no avail. Dedicated humanitarian activists like Gabriel Stauring of StopGenocideNow.org recently made peaceful demonstrations against genocide. The chaos in Sudan is now insidiously seeping into CHAD and CAR (Central Africa Republic). The refugees and humanitarian workers in the camps are now left even more vulnerable as the rescue organizations are not able to provide adequate security because of unfathomably dangerous, inordinate risks.

Now a colleague who works with the International Rescue Committee and had worked with MSF, is in the midst of all this havoc in CHAD. As the last vehicles from UNHCR left the refugee camp in Oure Cassoni, I can only imagine how it must be for this spirited and honorable physician to take on the responsibility of health care for 26,000 refugees. Each day, he lives with the uncertainties of potential violence towards him, the refugees and the other humanitarian workers. His soul cries out to the world for us to remember CHAD. For us not to look away. For us not to abandon them. Here is Dr. Ashis Brahma's weblog: Http://www.bahaibeach.blogspot.com.

My heart aches for him, the refugees and all the workers there who are now in a precarious predicament. For now, advocacy is most important. I promised him that I will spread the word to remember CHAD. For to remember CHAD, is to remember Sudan, CAR, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Uganda and all the other places in this world with refugees and evacuees who suffered from and still suffer the devastation of man-made and natural disasters.

To remember CHAD is to remember those who have been traumatized, tortured, abandoned, oppressed. To remember CHAD is to remember those who are dying, who are ill, and who were killed. To remember CHAD is to remember the kindest depths of our souls, our ability to love with utmost compassion and to remember the people who are one with us in spirit. To remember CHAD is to remember those who have been forgotten and can easily be forgotten if we turn a blind eye. I remember CHAD. Let us all make a stand. Spread the message. Remember CHAD.

Our hero within

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in yourself perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battles. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours." ~ Ayn Rand ~

Who is our hero? What is our hero? Where can we find our hero? During times of fear, uncertainty and doubt, we sometimes retreat. Moreso, when people are relying on us to be their hero to save them from circumstances that may be beyond everyone's control. Where the spirit rises and soars, at times, the emotions resist. And we dialogue internally with our own sense of courage. To deal with devastations, fears may sometimes have to be denied. Subdued. Ignored. In my first book "The Courage to Encourage", the very first line "Courage is borne out of the greatest of fears" addresses how the hero within us blossoms and grows from overcoming what seems to be our most daunting experiences. Heroes are born not because they have no fear, but as Mark Twain said, they act in spite of fear. Many times, these actions come from giving the most precious love anyone can ever give anybody - to lay down our life for others, if we have to.

Heroes come in many ways. There are unsung heroes, our families, who have unconditiionally been there for us through thick or thin. Some of them have sacrificed their lives for us on an going basis, just to ensure our growth and well-being. There are teachers who dedicated their lives to educate our minds to hopefully use our knowldge for the good of mankind. There are heroes who overcome what seem to be impossible to overcome, for instance, those with severe developmental disabilities, refractory mental illness, and severe physical disabilities. Their lives become a heroic inspiration to us all. There are those who truly go in the line of fire and risk their lives so others would live. Many soldiers, firefighters, police officers, first responders, humanitarian relief workers unselfishly risk their lives for the sake of others.

We need to keep in mind, however, that who may seem heroic to us, may well be villainous to others. For us, our soldiers may be heroic, yet for the families of the people they killed in war, they become the villains. And many times, what we may think are heroic acts, are seen as enabling actions that injure others more. Discernment and balance are important when trying to help, save or rescue others.

Our courage is nestled in the hero within us. Heroes appear to be in tune with the synchronicity and oneness of people in our world. To save or rescue someone, is to save ourselves. Heroes do not see themselves as heroes. They see themselves as messengers. They struggle with their fears and come out of their inner battles with more profound understanding of their life purposes. They radiate light in the midst of darkness and chaos. They emanate the essence of what Gilbert K. Chesterton said about "Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die.
Let's be kind to ourselves and take care of our hero within. The hero in you will forever be the hero in me. We are all each other's heroes.