Yesterday I attended an event on a new concentration* being offered at Life University: Positive Human Development and Social Change. The subject of the discussion was Peace Studies, what it is and what role we play. This is a follow-up to that discussion:
At the end of the presentation, when some had already left, a question was posed regarding the daunting nature of all that has to be done and where one begins. I wished that I could have responded differently, but I thought of this after the fact on the same theme as “starting where you are and with what you have.”
In 2008, I met an American guy and his wife in Kyoto Japan who had a distinguished career in business (or something else… I can’t remember). His hobby however was always miming (you know, a mime artist). He got his wife interested. They starting working as a team. They then went into local elementary schools, hospitals, homeless shelters, etc. Later in his life, he had the opportunity to travel with a humanitarian NGO doing relief work in Africa. He visited a refugee camp in Sierra Leone. He was so struck with the bad conditions, lack of food, schooling, etc. However, what affected him most was the broken spirits of the hundreds and even thousands of children who had been languishing there for years, not allowed to travel outside the camp for fear of their lives. Every now and then, the camp would be raided by militias and people murdered within the camp.
He felt compelled to do something, but wondered, “what can I do?”
When he came back to the states, he packed him and his wife (of course she consented) and they went back to the VERY SAME refugee camp (with the same NGO, security clearances etc.) and entertained the children. He got his other mime friends involved. He hooked up with “Clowns Without Borders.” Their skills were / are top notch! He showed us a video. They were talented enough to work in Las Vegas, but they chose to use their talents to lift the spirits of children and adults in refugee camps. The started “Mimes Without Borders”.They started with what they do best and found a place where it was needed and valued. We all have bills to pay and need money, so I am well aware that the only reason they were able to go for extended periods is because they had the financial resources to do so. But some of their “mime” friends didn’t and they either funded them or helped fund them.
Who would have thought that on the chart that I displayed towards the end of the presentation, with all of the different areas of study and work, that some of the greatest workers for building peace, dignity, connection, etc. would be mimes and clowns? Millions of artists, musicians, poets, rappers, architects, engineers, etc. etc. are doing the same thing. It looks daunting, but the reality is that everyone already has a place in what needs to and can be done. We just need to find the place / opportunity to plug it in.
If you have further questions about the field or the pending Degree Program, please feel free to contact me. I am excited at the interest and anticipate that students at Life will have a tremendous opportunity to forge new ground. I am honored to be a part of it!
Sincerely,
Thomas “Tom” V. Flores, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Positive Human Development and Social Change (PHDSC)
College of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies
Life University
Marietta, GA 30060
For more information on Dr. Flores, please see his bio.
Pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) the B.A. in Positive Human Development and Social Change is slated to begin enrolling fall 2016.
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