Photo from hedcentrcp.wordpress.com
Someone once told me that the best way to teach a child about peace is to make him hold a live butterfly in the palm of his hand. Something so fragile at the mercy of someone so powerful.
Isn’t that how many conflicts arise–persons using their power to take advantage over others? Humans crushing butterflies. We see it everyday in the form of bullies, negative peer pressure, power tripping, disregard for the poor, and armed conflict where women and children are most vulnerable.
Through the Tungtong River Conservation Project, we continually hold life in the palms of our hands. Butterflies, frogs, bats, birds, flowers, and even the water that flows through the Tungtong River. These are fragile life forms that can either die or thrive in our hands.
I have witnessed many promising things in my visits to Tungtong–children treating tiny creatures with respect, children picking up trash along the riverbank, children treading carefully through the river as not to disturb the life beneath the water surface. I hope that when these children grow up, they treat other human beings with respect. I hope they learn to be responsible for the waste they create. I hope they continue treading through life making a positive difference.
When our children realize that an open palm is much more powerful than a clenched, fighting fist, they have learned a very valuable lesson. We have seen too many fists against fists. We need more open palms that choose peace and allow life to flourish.
