Hello Tunza Ecogen Members- sharing with you all- my talk at a TEDx event- a small effort to make a difference... to promote peace... to take care of fellow human beings... because humans too are a part of our environment...Sharing it on this forum because overall sustainable development and success of any environmental sustainability project prerequisites economic and social sustainability. Please watch the video at the following link and share if you find it worthwhile. I have also appended the script for ready reference.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEAJ3_5kHe4&t=127s

script of Talk:

SEEDS OF PEACE

Hello

                               

Not too long ago, as a six year old, I believed that every life has a ?happily ever after? fairy tale ending. I have just turned thirteen and I?m a little bit wiser now. Over the years, I realized that my perceived notion of an eternally peaceful existence was a fantasy. As I saw the world around me- wars, unrest, other hate crimes and their graphic description on media, horrified me and I dreamed of sustainable peace.

The impetus to take an initiative came from ?Lead India-The Tree?, a short video film. It shows a huge tree fallen on the tree, creating a massive traffic jam. Stranded people suffered the situation but ignored it, till a small child starts pushing the tree all by himself. inspiring others to join in, finally clearing the road. This enthused me with confidence and nudged me to do something.

But what could I do to find peace? Could peace be cooked in the kitchen? Or may be built with Lego Blocks? I had no clue, till my Primary School Science lessons showed me a way.

Lesson 1- Heat?

Let us start with a question. Can we define cold or measure it? 

We can measure heat but not cold. ?Cold? is merely an ?absence of heat?. This can be translated to mean that ?hatred? is the ?absence of love?. Where there is love and goodness, hatred just cannot exist.

Lesson 2- Plants?

Huge trees grow from tiny seeds. They bear fruits with more seeds that disperse far and wide. Hypothetically, it should then be possible to wipe out hatred by sowing ?Seeds of Peace?.

Now for the Final Lesson 3- Chemical Reactions?

A catalyst can trigger a chain reaction. One single act of goodness is enough to set off a chain reaction of altruism.

Let me explain how these lessons helped me to grow and harvest peace.

At the onset, I had only myself to experiment with. I was the soil for the first seed- the seed of love and empathy planted in my own heart. At the age of eight, a dance to raise awareness about Breast Cancer, won me two air tickets as a prize. This was my first opportunity to plant the seeds of goodwill beyond my own heart.

These tickets were conceded to a cancer patient for her to travel for treatment. The lady was in dire need but there was still a month to her scheduled medical appointment. She accepted the tickets, with an offer to forfeit them, in favor of anyone else, who needed them more, before it was time for her to travel.

Her generosity was humbling and yet gratifying. Right in front of me I could see the seed of peace germinating. I also realized that we don?t need to be rich or grown up to care and share. Neither do we have to reach our goals in leaps and bounds. So, in my own small way, one step at a time, or rather, one tiny seed at a time, I started planting joy and peace.

Over the past three years, an amount of 34,000 Dirhams (that?s about 9,000 US Dollars) that came to me through cash prizes and contests, has been used for worthy causes- provision of supplies to over 200 families of Earthquake victims in Nepal and supporting education of underprivileged children in India.

A part of this amount contributed in a small way towards the chemotherapy of a cancer patient. Today, the lady is the co-founder of a support group for people suffering from cancer.

What she is doing is commendable and in no way do I claim any credit for her goodness, but I do want to believe that the seeds of peace that we all are planting, are maturing into trees fruit bearing trees, that will generate more seeds, and more trees in the time to come.

So you see, my experiments with the ?Seeds of Peace? indicate that it is indeed possible to plant, grow and harvest peace. However, like any other plant, ?Peace? needs to be nurtured.

Growing up in the UAE, a multi-cultural society in a truly cosmopolitan nation, I envisage a world without borders. To nurture Peace we must stop dividing the planet into pieces.

Nature does not recognize the boundaries we humans draw on land. Natural calamities and diseases do not discriminate and neither should we, while extending a helping hand.

This way we can sow and nurture the seeds of happiness and peace in the hearts of those, whose lives we touch, directly or indirectly, person by person, community by community, nation by nation, till our world is a mature peaceful garden without any hatred.

On a parting note, let me add that I have an unrelenting faith in the goodness of humanity. Once we have our garden of peace thriving, we can rely on our inherent goodness as the best catalyst to continue the chain reaction of goodwill.

All we need to do- is to start planting the seeds of peace. That?s my plan for the future. I intend to pursue education in Social work with Law. Enjoying a safe and happy childhood, I realize the importance of children?s welfare. I want to plant seeds of peace in young hearts and minds so that as they grow up peace grows with them.

Thank you.