This is my photo. I'm reclaiming it, after it was posted, "reblogged" and "pinned" over 10,000 times without permission or credit.
To me, this image taken in November, 2010 at Swayambhunath Temple in Kathmandu, Nepal suggests hope for a better world. Each of these flickering flames represents someone's prayers; somebody's hopes; someone's dreams.
One of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing on Monday was eight-year-old Martin Richard, wise beyond his years. His "No more hurting people: Peace" sign is especially poignant in light of his untimely death.
As the late Robert F. Kennedy (himself felled by violence) noted, "All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don't. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity."
Nobel laureate Mohamed el Baradei said that "a durable peace is not a single achievement, but an environment, a process and a commitment." Each of us has a role to play in shaping a more peaceful planet. Rushing to judgment or repeating tired stereotypes ad nauseum advances no one's cause.





