NATO Airstrike Killed 8 Afghan Civilians Yesterday

Eight Afghan civilians—a mother, father, and six children—were killed by a NATO air strike yesterday.

Well, the article says it was yesterday, anyway. But it may as well have been any other day of the week or month or year. It’s not like this is anything new or exceptional. Like always, their names are not reported. History has already indexed them as mere tally marks, etched ever closer together on a crowded death toll. What does the tally even mean anymore? It’s hard for indignation to keep up with this level of continuous atrocity. Tragedy has become the norm. What happens to humanity when inhumanity becomes commonplace?

I have cried so many tears for the victims of our wars in the Middle East. But sometimes I feel numb. I see these headlines and it just feels like déjà vu. Didn’t I already cry for these civilians? Because I do not know any of the individuals. Without names or faces or histories, I can only cry for humanity in general. And there is cause to cry for humanity every single day.

Six children were killed in Afghanistan yesterday. Today, I will imagine names and faces for these children, and have my own moment of silence for their loss.

Ignorance is Bliss

Especially when the truth is:

Your government is lying to you.
Your government is stealing from you.
Your government is the most powerful terrorist organization to ever exist.
You are an accomplice to the murder of millions of innocent lives.
Without these deaths, you would not have your comfortable life.
Yes, that is blood money multiplying in your bank account,
an indirect transfer of responsibility for a proportional amount
of the pain and suffering endured by those whose lives were sacrificed
at the altar of man’s most brutal quest for Empire.

Living in the belly of the beast, there’s no reprieve from this.

I know the truth.
So I can never know of bliss.

Video: Performance of “Hear No Evil”

Hi all! I wanted to share with you the video of my performance last Friday: “Hear No Evil” by Stavroula Harissis

Thanks again to World Can’t Wait and all who helped put this event together! It was truly an amazing night. I am honored to have been a part of it.

Arts to Oppose NATO

Hi friends! Sorry that I haven’t been writing more frequently. I definitely have a lot to say, especially after attending the amazing People’s Summit at Occupy Chicago this weekend. But my ability to focus and compose my thoughts into words is still lacking. For now, I will let you know about an event I am honored to be performing at this Friday, International Voices for Humanity & the Planet: An Evening of Arts to Oppose NATO. I will be reading my poem “Hear No Evil” in three languages! There will be many other amazing artists there, so if you are in the Chicago area, please come by! And spread the word!

Hear No Evil

Verse Journalism

Check out my post on the JOT blog!: http://www.jot.org/blog/2012/03/22/verse-journalism-seminar-with-quraysh-ali-lansana/

It’s a recap of the three-part seminar I participated in, hosted by the Neighborhood Writing Alliance and lead by Quraysh Ali Lansana, poet, educator, and activist mentored by Chicago’s own Pulitzer Prize winner, Gwendolyn Brooks. The workshop focused on the technique of “verse journalism,” a term coined by Brooks to describe the method of using poetry to report the news.

Art has always played a crucial role in the fight for justice. Today, with our globally connected technology, we are also witnessing an unprecedented surge in citizen journalism. Verse Journalism weaves the power of art and activism into a single poetic punch.

Question, Reflect, Create. Repeat.

When you read a news article or have a conversation with another person about politics (or life in general), make a conscious effort to reflect on your own mental processes as you do so.

Are you passively consuming what others say? Or are you actively engaging with the presented material? If you already have an opinion on a situation, it’s easy to make statements. But are you also asking questions? In conversation, do you voice your questions and doubts, or only your opinions and agreements? And what kinds of questions are you asking, whether aloud or to yourself or even subconsciously? What kinds of statements are you making? Are you just trying to defend yourself or are you really searching for truth? And are you trying to figure out WHO is right or WHAT is right?

No single human being has a monopoly on truth. The only way to get to truth is to examine multiple perspectives. Trust yourself to be able to analyze and synthesize information. Consider the possibility that perhaps your unique understanding may actually help move humanity collectively closer to Truth. And through a more accurate understanding of Truth, perhaps we will one day find or create the way to Peace.

Do not wait passively for truth to be revealed to you. Seek out answers for yourself.
Do not wait passively for solutions to appear. Create them yourself.