Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix: What comes after tragedy? Forgiveness
अज़ीम ख़मीसा, प्लेस फीलिक्स: त्रासदी के बाद क्या होता है? क्षमादान
Azim Khamisa speaks to students and adults on nonviolence, forgiveness and peace-building, and he is a founder of two nonprofit organizations that target youth violence. Full bioPles Felix - Peace activist
Ples Felix is a leader in the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, dedicated to helping stop youth violence. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
have many defining moments in our lives.
बहुत से निर्णायक क्षण आते हैं।
if we are able to make the right choice,
सही चुनाव कर पाएँ,
यूनिवर्सिटी में पढ़ता था,
a good photographer,
बहुत अच्छा फ़ोटोग्राफर,
to work for National Geographic,
काम करने की चाह थी,
on Fridays and Saturdays.
पिज़्ज़ा बांटने का काम करता था।
to absorb a new, hideous reality.
अपनाने की कोशिश करते हैं।
my life to a crashing halt.
मेरा जीवन थम सा गया।
I've ever had to do
उसकी माँ को फ़ोन करना
who lived in a different city.
she's never going to see her son again,
कि वह अपने बेटे से कभी मिल नहीं पाएगी,
at both ends of the gun.
was a victim of the 14-year-old,
कि मेरा बेटा १४-वर्षीय के हाथों मारा गया,
that he was a victim of American society.
कि वह अमरीकी समाज के हाथों मारा गया।
well, who is American society?
अमरीकी समाज है कौन?
that society is just happenstance.
कि समाज ऐसे ही बन जाता है।
for the society we've created.
बनाने में हम सभी ज़िम्मेदार हैं।
is not a mark of a civil society.
वह कोई सभ्य समाज की निशानी नहीं।
at the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
का मुख्य लक्ष्य है
द्वारा मारे जाने से रोकना।
is to save lives of children.
बच्चों का जीवन बचाना।
We lose so many on a daily basis.
हम रोज़ कितने ही जीवन खो देते हैं।
so kids don't fall through the cracks
ताकि बच्चे गलत राह पर जाकर
and drugs and alcohol and weapons.
और शराब और हथियारों का जीवन ना चुनें।
the principles of nonviolence,
a learned behavior,
इसके सम्पर्क में आकर नहीं सीखेंगे।
I reached out to my brother here,
that we had both lost a son.
कि हम दोनों ने अपना बेटा खोया है।
to the adult prison system.
we are still here together,
२२ सालों के बाद भी हम साथ हैं,
back from the dead,
in our community
has been successful.
with Ples and me.
के साथ बैठक होती है।
इस आदमी के बेटे को मार डाला,
and we create a peace club.
और हम एक शांति क्लब बनाते हैं।
these principles of nonviolence,
and expulsions by 70 percent,
में ७० प्रतिशत कमी करने में सफल हुए हैं,
my journey of forgiveness,
पूर्ण करने के लिए,
who killed my son.
जिसने मेरे बेटे को मारा था।
because we were --
क्योंकि हम...
we locked eyeballs.
हमने नज़रें मिलाई।
he's looking in my eyes,
वह मेरी आँखों में देख रहा था,
trying to find a murderer, and I didn't.
खोज रहा था, जो मुझे नहीं मिला।
was no different than the spark in me
मेरे भीतर के प्रकाश से भिन्न नहीं था
He was remorseful.
वह अपने किए पर शर्मिंदा था।
of forgiveness had changed him.
कि मेरी क्षमा से वह बदल गया था।
my brother, Ples.
मेरे भाई, प्लेस का।
and only daughter's one and only child.
मेरी इकलौती बेटी का इकलौता बच्चा है।
job on the planet.
than raising another human being
कि आप एक नन्हीं जान को बड़ा करें
to be successful in life.
कि वह जीवन में सफल हो पाए।
in his life as a young kid.
of automatic weapon fire
in so many different ways.
he had everything a kid needed
to try to be successful
of being a successful person,
पूरा उतर पाने की कोशिश में
Tony ran away from home that evening,
he thought were his friends,
जिन्हें वह अपना दोस्त समझता था,
they would make him feel carefree.
कि उससे वह बेफिक्र महसूस करेगा।
to make his anxiety go higher
of an 18-year-old who commanded him
he thought were his friends,
वह दोस्त समझता था, उनकी मौजूदगी में
that my grandson was responsible
like I was taught by my old folks,
मैं प्रार्थना में गया,
and I have in common,
besides being wonderful human beings,
अच्छे इन्सान होने के अलावा,
to seek guidance and clarity
और स्पष्टता के लिए एक अवसर मिला
of this man and his family in this loss.
और इसके परिवार की सहायता कैसे करूँ।
to a meeting at this man's house,
मिलने के लिए बुलाया गया,
of God-spirited people led by this man,
विश्वास रखने वाले लोगों के साथ मिलकर
and to share with children
और इन्हें और बच्चों को
to be with a responsible adult,
in a way that's healthy,
ध्यान देने के महत्व,
in the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
हमारे जो कार्यक्रम हैं
for the kids to put in their toolkit
throughout their lives.
understand that loving, caring adults
कि स्नेही, ध्यान रखने वाले बड़े लोग
that our children learn to meditate,
ईश्वर में ध्यान लगाना सीखें,
with the other children
to share the love with children,
बच्चों के साथ इस प्यार को बाँटने के लिए,
will lead the way for us,
हमारे लिए राह बनाएँगे,
will depend on our children.
हमारे बच्चों पर निर्भर होंगे।
they will take over this world for us,
वे इस संसार पर राज करेंगे,
they will give it back to us.
वे हमें वापिस देंगे।
I was educated in England,
इंगलैंड में शिक्षा,
I'm the African American in the group.
अफ्रीकी अमरीकी तो मैं हूँ।
ज़िम्मेदारी तो माननी होगी।
by an American child.
तो अमरीकी बच्चे ने ही चलाई थी।
he killed my one and only son,
उसने मेरे इकलौते बेटे को मार डाला,
what happened to that young man.
कि उस नौजवान का क्या हुआ।
He just turned 37 on September 22,
२२ सितम्बर को ३७ वर्ष का हुआ,
to get him out for 12 years.
बाहर लाने की कोशिश कर रहे हैं।
कि वह हमारे साथ आने वाला है,
tens of thousands of students
on a regular basis.
"When I was 11, I joined a gang.
"११ वर्ष की उम्र में गिरोह में शामिल हुआ।
I murdered Mr. Khamisa's son.
मैंने श्रीमान खमीसा के बेटे को मार डाला।
umpteen years in prison.
will listen to that voice?
that pulled the trigger.
जिसने बंदूक चलाई थी।
to turn the clock back.
वह समय को वापिस मोड़ना चाहता है।
मेरा बेटा मुझे वापिस मिल जाता।
the power of forgiveness.
यह क्षमा की शक्ति प्रदर्शित करता है।
our session with this quote,
यह उद्धरण कहना चाहूँगा,
was written by Tony.
sustained goodwill creates friendship.
निरंतरता ही मित्रता को जन्म देती है।
by bombing them, right?
आप मित्र नहीं बना सकते, हैं न?
trust, empathy, compassion and peace.
करुणा और शांति से शुरूआत होती है।
how do you extend goodwill
जिसने आपके बेटे को मारा
कैसे दिखा सकते हैं?
through forgiveness.
आप क्षमादान से ऐसा कर सकते हैं।
के लिए सफल हो सकता है,
North and South Korea,
उत्तर और दक्षिणी कोरिया,
के लिए काम कर सकता है।
the United States of America.
सफल हो सकता है।
ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Azim Khamisa - Author, peace activistAzim Khamisa speaks to students and adults on nonviolence, forgiveness and peace-building, and he is a founder of two nonprofit organizations that target youth violence.
Why you should listen
Azim Khamisa writes: "I emigrated to the USA in 1974 to escape violence in Kenya, where we were a targeted minority. But 22 years ago, my only son, Tariq, who was a university student and worked a part-time job as a pizza delivery man, was killed by a 14-year-old gang member in a gang initiation ritual. Tariq was only 20 years old when he died, and needless to say it brought my life to a crashing halt. He was a good and a generous kid!
"However, even clouded in a deeply painful tragedy I saw that there were victims on both sides of the gun. Nine months after Tariq died, I founded the Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF). Our mission is to save lives of children, empower the right choices and teach the principles of nonviolence — of empathy, compassion, forgiveness and peacemaking. I forgave my son's killer and invited his grandfather to join me in TKF's work. With the grace of God, TKF is 22 years old and has a safe school model and is successfully keeping kids away from gangs, weapons, drugs, crime and violence. The grandfather and I are still together doing this work, and the kid who killed my son is now 36 years old and he will join us when he is paroled in October 2018. I have authored four books and speak worldwide to students and adults. I am a passionate peace activist and a teacher of nonviolence, forgiveness and spawning peacemakers."
Azim Khamisa | Speaker | TED.com
Ples Felix - Peace activist
Ples Felix is a leader in the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, dedicated to helping stop youth violence.
Why you should listen
Ples Felix was a retired Green Beret, working in community development and raising his grandson Tony, trying hard to keep him safe and away from bad influences. But on one horrible night, Tony, in the company of older gang members, shot and killed a pizza delivery driver. It was a moment that changed many lives.
The delivery driver was Tariq Khamisa, a 20-year-old student in San Diego. His grieving father, Azim Khamisa, seeking to find meaning in unfathomable loss, started the Tariq Khamisa Foundation to address youth violence through education, mentorship and community service. And he invited Felix to join him -- because "there was a victim on both ends of that gun." Since 1995, Felix has co-led the Tariq Khamisa Foundation, developing mentorship programs that keep at-risk kids in school and on the right track.
Ples Felix | Speaker | TED.com