A Conversation

We seem to live in a world hopelessly plagued by the problem of violence in its all-too-many manifestations—from bullying to sexual harassment to rape to mass shootings to global terrorism and war.

This problem is hardly a new one. In fact, human conflict and war have existed at least ever since the rise of modern civilizations in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Fertile Crescent (circa 3500 BC).

But we should not allow this fact to prevent us from having conversations about the possibility...the possibility of peace, of inner peace, peace between individuals, peace within our neighborhoods and communities, and yes, even the possibility of global peace.

It might seem like a naive or even crazy idea, but we can have these conversations. We can have these conversations if we refuse to be defined by the past. In A Hero Dreams, 10-year-old Ricky Williamson is able to embrace the possibility of a brighter future when he lets go of his fear, severs his connection with the past, and crosses the "threshold."

Let's have a conversation about what we can learn from this 10-year-old boy...

A Hero Dreams
Mark Ristau
My Website