Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix: What comes after tragedy? Forgiveness
Azim Khamisa, Ples Felix: Trajediden sonra ne gelir? Affetme
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.
birçok dönüm noktasına sahibiz.
if we are able to make the right choice,
doğru seçimi yapabilirsek,
hem kendimiz hem de başkaları için
ve fotoğrafçı olan
a good photographer,
to work for National Geographic,
on Fridays and Saturdays.
bir pizzacıda kurye olarak çalışıyordu.
sahte bir adrese
to absorb a new, hideous reality.
çalışırken yaşanan tüm o kafa karışıklığı.
my life to a crashing halt.
durma noktasına getirdi.
I've ever had to do
en zor şeylerden biri,
who lived in a different city.
annesini aramaktı.
she's never going to see her son again,
at both ends of the gun.
kurbanlar vardı.
was a victim of the 14-year-old,
öldürdüğünü görmek kolay,
that he was a victim of American society.
Amerikan toplumunun kurbanı olmasıydı.
well, who is American society?
kim olduğunu sormayı gerektiriyor.
that society is just happenstance.
oluştuğuna inanmıyorum.
for the society we've created.
is not a mark of a civil society.
sivil toplum olmadığımızın işareti.
at the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
öldürmesini engellemek.
is to save lives of children.
çocukların hayatını kurtarmak.
We lose so many on a daily basis.
Her gün çok fazla kaybediyoruz.
onları, doğru seçimler
so kids don't fall through the cracks
ki çocuklar yabana atılmasın,
and drugs and alcohol and weapons.
uyuşturucu ve silahlara yönelmesinler.
the principles of nonviolence,
olarak doğmaz.
a learned behavior,
öğrenilen bir davranış biçimidir.
I reached out to my brother here,
ikimizin de oğullarını kaybetmiş olduğunun
that we had both lost a son.
to the adult prison system.
hapishane sisteminde kaybetti.
we are still here together,
hala burada beraberiz.
back from the dead,
geri döndürebilirim
in our community
emin olmak.
has been successful.
with Ples and me.
canlı toplantıydı.
o adamın oğlunu öldürdü ve
and we create a peace club.
barış kulübü oluşturuyoruz.
these principles of nonviolence,
öğretmenin yanında
and expulsions by 70 percent,
my journey of forgiveness,
who killed my son.
görmeye gittim.
because we were --
we locked eyeballs.
he's looking in my eyes,
o benim gözüme bakıyordu.
trying to find a murderer, and I didn't.
bulmaya çalışıyordum ama başaramadım.
vardı, anladım ki
was no different than the spark in me
benim içimdeki kıvılcımdan ya da
hiçbir farkı yoktu.
He was remorseful.
O, vicdan azabı çekiyordu.
of forgiveness had changed him.
değiştirdiğini söyleyebilirim.
my brother, Ples.
huzurlarınızda kardeşim Ples.
and only daughter's one and only child.
kızımın tek çocuğu.
job on the planet.
than raising another human being
olmak için iyi konumlandığına
to be successful in life.
daha zorlu bir iş yok.
in his life as a young kid.
şiddete çok defa maruz kaldı.
of automatic weapon fire
yağmurunda öldüğünü ve
in so many different ways.
he had everything a kid needed
için ihtiyaç duyduğu her şeye
elimden gelen her şeyi yaptım.
to try to be successful
of being a successful person,
beklentilerime karşılık verdikten sonra,
Tony ran away from home that evening,
Tony o akşam evden kaçtı,
he thought were his friends,
insanların yanına gitti.
they would make him feel carefree.
to make his anxiety go higher
kaygısını tavan yaptırmak
of an 18-year-old who commanded him
18 yaşındaki kişinin ve
he thought were his friends,
iki diğer oğlanın önünde
that my grandson was responsible
torunumun bir başka insanın
like I was taught by my old folks,
tıpkı büyüklerimin öğrettiği gibi ve
and I have in common,
besides being wonderful human beings,
to seek guidance and clarity
seçeneklerini sundu...
of this man and his family in this loss.
destek olabileceğim konusunda.
to a meeting at this man's house,
onların ailesiyle tanıştım.
of God-spirited people led by this man,
and to share with children
ve çocuklarla paylaşmam için
to be with a responsible adult,
ile olmaya olan ihtiyacı,
in a way that's healthy,
öfkene odaklanmayı,
in the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
for the kids to put in their toolkit
için çok fazla alet sunuyor ki
throughout their lives.
understand that loving, caring adults
umursayan yetişkinlerin
anlamaları önemli.
that our children learn to meditate,
meditasyon yapmayı,
with the other children
kibar, anlayışlı ve
ihtiyacımız var.
to share the love with children,
çocuklarla sevgiyi paylaşmak için.
will lead the way for us,
will depend on our children.
bel bağlıyoruz.
they will take over this world for us,
bu dünyayı bizden devralacaklar,
they will give it back to us.
bize o kadar geri verecekler.
Teşekkürler.
I was educated in England,
İngiltere'de eğitim aldım ve
I'm the African American in the group.
Afro-Amerikalı'nın ben olduğumu söylüyorum
by an American child.
tarafından ateş edildi.
he killed my one and only son,
diyen tarafı seçebilirsin.
what happened to that young man.
ne olduğunu merak ediyorsunuz.
He just turned 37 on September 22,
22 Eylül'de 37 yaşına bastı.
to get him out for 12 years.
aramıza katılacak.
tens of thousands of students
on a regular basis.
"When I was 11, I joined a gang.
I murdered Mr. Khamisa's son.
umpteen years in prison.
söylemeye geldim."
will listen to that voice?
dinleyeceğini düşünüyor musunuz?
that pulled the trigger.
to turn the clock back.
Oğluma yeniden kavuşabilirdim.
torununu geri kazanabilirdi.
the power of forgiveness.
gücünü gösteriyor.
our session with this quote,
dördüncü kitabımın temelini oluşturan
was written by Tony.
sustained goodwill creates friendship.
iyi niyet ile arkadaşlık yaratılır.
by bombing them, right?
olmuyorsun değil mi?
trust, empathy, compassion and peace.
merhamet ve huzur ile başlıyor.
how do you extend goodwill
çocuklarını öldüren kişiye karşı
soruyorlar.
through forgiveness.
yapabileceklerini söyledim.
North and South Korea,
Kuzey ve Güney Kore'ye,
the United States of America.
kız kardeşlerim ve
Namaste.
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