A Song of Twilight... :)

After playing the piano and singing a bit this evening, I took a walk at twilight and these two poems came to me...

"A song of twilight:
From the birds.
Eternal wisdom without words.
They lay upon our waiting ears...
To tell the story of the years."

"Fireflies delight the eyes...
And birds their songs do sing.
The moon it casts its' spell below...
To ring the evening in."

One race...the Human race...

"We may have different religions, different languages, different colored skin, but we all belong to one human race."

- Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

"My country is the world, and my religion is to do good."

- Thomas Paine

We need to let go of tribalism and overly focusing on minor differences between us. We have much more in common than different. If we could only look past the petty things we zoom in on - we would see that we share many things in common - emotions, life experiences, family, hobbies, etc. We need to unite...now more than ever...as our world increasingly becomes a global village. Focusing on petty differences can lead to wars that we can ill afford - because this day in age, nobody wins. Our true enemy is war itself. Love, or at least tolerate, one another...please...

In Peace, Jennifer

The future potential of humanity...

We have this future potential...

"We have the ability to achieve, if we master the necessary goodwill, a common global society blessed with a shared culture of peace that is nourished by the ethnic, national and local diversities that enrich our lives."

- Mahnaz Afkhami

One way we can change the world is by cultivating peace and freedom within us, and then helping others to do so...

"And once we have the condition of peace and joy in us, we can afford to be in any situation. Even in the situation of hell, we will be able to contribute our peace and serenity. The most important thing is for each of us to have some freedom in our heart, some stability in our heart, some peace in our heart. Only then will we be able to relieve the suffering around us."

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Inspiring quotes about diversity :)

"For those who have seen the Earth from space, and for the hundreds and perhaps thousands more who will, the experience most certainly changes your perspective. The things that we share in our world are far more valuable than those which divide us."

-Donald Williams

"[People] may be said to resemble not the bricks of which a house is built, but the pieces of a picture puzzle, each differing in shape, but matching the rest, and thus bringing out the picture."

- Unknown

"One day our descendants will think it incredible that we paid so much attention to things like the amount of melanin in our skin or the shape of our eyes or our gender instead of the unique identities of each of us as complex human beings."

- Unknown

"If we are to achieve a richer culture, rich in contrasting values, we must recognize the whole gamut of human potentialities, and so weave a less arbitrary social fabric, one in which each diverse human gift will find a fitting place."

- Unknown

"We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value no matter what their color."

- Maya Angelou

Thought provoking quotes... :)

"Tolerance, inter-cultural dialogue and respect for diversity are more essential than ever in a world where peoples are becoming more and more closely interconnected."

- Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

"People of different religions and cultures live side by side in almost every part of the world, and most of us have overlapping identities which unite us with very different groups. We can love what we are, without hating what and who we are not. We can thrive in our own tradition, even as we learn from others, and come to respect their teachings."

- Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

"Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents."

- Ludwig van Beethoven

My short film from a Race Relations Showcase

This film was composed as a response to a course at Penn State University, THEA 497, Truth and Reconciliation: Race Relations in America – Performing Arts and Artists Moving Us Forward. It chronicles what I learned from that course. I hope you find it informative and educational...

The Story of a Privileged White Girl: My Blind Awakening 

A nice quote... :)

"We have become not a melting pot but a beautiful mosaic. Different people, different beliefs, different yearnings, different hopes, different dreams."

-Jimmy Carter

Wouldn't it be nice if our current president thought so too...as much of the beautiful diversity of our country is due to immigrants, like you and me... If you're not a Native American, you're an immigrant!