Blog
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Creating a Tent of Hope
Friday, September 14, 2007 - Post/View Comments: View Comments
Tim Nonn
Tents of Hope National Coordinator
I have learned two lessons in my life: first, there are no sufficient literary, psychological, or historical answers to human tragedy, only moral ones. Second, just as despair can come to one another only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.
- Elie Wiesel
Seeing those who are suffering from violence in Darfur as our brothers and sisters is a profound act of hope. It is easy to turn away. But turning away changes us into bystanders. This is an act of despair that has severe consequences for our own lives and for humanity. Bystanders are shaping the future more than those who commit horrific crimes like genocide. Instead of an age of genocide, we may be living in an age of turning away. Today, hope is an essential life-giving act. We have hope because we see one another as part of one human family. Gabriel Stauring, the director of Camp Darfur, reflected on a recent visit to refugee camps in Chad. He said, "When I have visited the camps, I just cannot stop thinking about my own children." Gabriel has helped those of us here in the United States to connect in a personal way with the people of Darfur through video diaries (www.stopgenocidenow.org). As we create tents of hope across the country, we are making a creative and moral statement: we see the people of Darfur as our brothers and sisters. We are giving hope to one another on our journey together.
