“There is something about words.
In expert hands, manipulated deftly, they take you prisoner.
Wind themselves around your limbs like spider silk,
and when you are so enthralled you cannot move,
they pierce your skin, enter your blood, numb your thoughts.
Inside you they work their magic.”
—Diane Setterfield, The Thirteenth Tale
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Inspired by the power of the words we choose to (or not to) speak…
…here’s hoping we can all be conscious of the way we speak to others today!
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Some wise words from Marianne Williamson…
I tend to interpret this quote in a more spiritual sense rather than religious…however you decide to interpret it; I hope you feel powerful beyond measure this weekend!!
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Happy MLK Day!
Do you have a favorite quote, saying or speech from the powerful orator Martin Luther King, Jr.? It’s hard to choose, but my favorite speech is “The Drum Major Instinct.”
Here is the excerpt that resonates most with me..
If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. (Yes) And every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize—that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards—that’s not important. Tell them not to mention where I went to school. (Yes)
I’d like somebody to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. (Yes)
I’d like for somebody to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody.
I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. (Amen)
I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. (Yes)
And I want you to be able to say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. (Yes)
I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. (Lord)
I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. (Yes)
Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. (Amen) Say that I was a drum major for peace. (Yes) I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. (Yes) I won’t have any money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind. (Amen) And that’s all I want to say.
I think those are aspirations we should all strive towards as we live out our lives…
Click here to listen to the entire speech.
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And the tears come streaming down your faceWhen you lose something you can’t replaceWhen you love someone but it goes to wasteCould it be worse?Lights will guide you homeAnd ignite your bonesAnd I will try to fix you~Coldplay, “Fix You”
Coldplay frontman Chris Martin wrote this powerful song for his wife Gwenyth Paltrow after she lost her father! I hope one day I can give a gift with that kind of strength, support & love to my friends & family!
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“Afghanistan“
…what comes to your mind first?
I must admit “War,” Taliban,” and “Suffering” pop into my mind (sadly)…but as these photographs show there is much more to the country & its citizens.
The brilliant photographer Seamus Murphy’s work was featured on NPR which show an
Unexpected Afghanistan:
…Be sure to check out NPR for more of Murphy’s inspiring photographs!
{Images via NPR}
Hearing the title of the film “Mugabe and the White African” left me more than a little skeptical. However, after watching a trailer of the covertly shot film I became intrigued by the story of Michael Campbell and his family.
When the film was made Campbell was one of only a few hundred white farmers left in Zimbabwe after President Robert Mugabe began a land seizure program in 2000:
Since then the country has descended into chaos, the economy brought to its knees by the reallocation of formerly white-owned farms to ZANU-PF friends and officials with no knowledge, experience or interest in farming. Mike, like hundreds of white farmers before him, has suffered years of multiple land invasions and violence at his farm.
In 2008, Mike, 75 years old and a grandfather – unable to call upon the protection of any Zimbabwean authorities and unable to even rely on the support of his fellow white farmers, all facing the same brutal intimidation – took the unprecedented step of challenging Robert Mugabe before the SADC (South African Development Community) international court, charging him and his government with racial discrimination and of violations of Human Rights.
This film is an intimate account of one family’s astonishing bravery in the face of brutality, in a fight to protect their property, their livelihood and their country. The outcome of the court case potentially determining not just the future that lies ahead for Mike and his family, but the future of millions of ordinary Zimbabweans who continue to suffer at the hands of a dictator who, in setting his own countrymen against each other, has demonstrated that he cares only for power.
On the brink of losing everything, Mike and his family (wife Angela, daughter Laura and her husband Ben Freeth) stand united by their courage, their faith and their hope. Mike knows the personal risk to himself and his family that this case brings. Whatever the verdict by the court, this audacious and unprecedented stand may yet cost them their lives.
{synopsis via here}
While I highly recommend this movie I was a little disappointed that there wasn’t more of an explanation of the country’s long, tumultuous and racially-divided history. This would shed light on why the land seizure program was proposed & originally supported by the citizens. It would also provide some back story on how Mugabe came to power & the roots of his own racism.
** Click here for a timeline of Zimbabwe & Mugabe’s rule **
** Click here for some background info to put the film in context **
Despite it all this is a truly powerful & emotional film that really makes you think & question long after the credits have rolled. What would you do in the same situation? Would you stay & fight a dictator?
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