Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix: What comes after tragedy? Forgiveness
אזים קמיסה, פלס פליקס: מה מגיע אחרי טרגדיה? מחילה.
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.
יש רגעים מכוננים רבים בחיים
if we are able to make the right choice,
אם אנו מסוגלים לבצע את הבחירה הנכונה,
a good photographer,
to work for National Geographic,
on Fridays and Saturdays.
to absorb a new, hideous reality.
מציאות חדשה ומכוערת.
my life to a crashing halt.
לעצירה מרסקת של חיי.
I've ever had to do
שנדרשתי אי פעם לעשות
who lived in a different city.
שגרה בעיר אחרת.
she's never going to see her son again,
שהיא לא עומדת לראות שוב את בנה,
at both ends of the gun.
was a victim of the 14-year-old,
היה קורבן של ילד בן 14,
that he was a victim of American society.
שהוא היה קורבן של החברה האמריקאית.
well, who is American society?
ובכן, מי היא החברה האמריקאית?
that society is just happenstance.
for the society we've created.
is not a mark of a civil society.
הם לא מסימניה של חברה מתורבתת.
at the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
is to save lives of children.
היא לשמור על חייהם של ילדים
We lose so many on a daily basis.
אנו מאבדים כל כך הרבה על בסיס יומי.
so kids don't fall through the cracks
כך שילדים לא יפלו בין הסדקים
and drugs and alcohol and weapons.
וסמים ואלכוהול ונשק.
the principles of nonviolence,
ללמד את העקרונות של אי-אלימות,
a learned behavior,
להיות מיומנות נרכשת,
I reached out to my brother here,
הגעתי לאח שלי כאן,
that we had both lost a son.
to the adult prison system.
למערכת הכלא למבוגרים.
we are still here together,
אנחנו עדיין כאן ביחד,
back from the dead,
בחזרה מהמתים,
in our community
has been successful.
with Ples and me.
and we create a peace club.
ויצרנו את מועדון השלום.
these principles of nonviolence,
and expulsions by 70 percent,
את ההשהיה וההרחקה בשבעים אחוז.
my journey of forgiveness,
who killed my son.
because we were --
we locked eyeballs.
מבטינו ננעלו.
he's looking in my eyes,
הוא הסתכל בעיני,
trying to find a murderer, and I didn't.
מנסה למצוא רוצח, אבל לא מצאתי.
was no different than the spark in me
He was remorseful.
הוא היה מלא חרטה.
הוא היה בעל נימוסים.
of forgiveness had changed him.
שידי המושטת לסליחה שינתה אותו
my brother, Ples.
and only daughter's one and only child.
של ביתי היחידה.
job on the planet.
על כוכב הלכת הזה.
than raising another human being
יותר מלגדל בן אנוש אחר
to be successful in life.
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,
Tony ran away from home that evening,
טוני ברח מהבית בערב.
he thought were his friends,
שחשב אותם לחברים שלו,
they would make him feel carefree.
to make his anxiety go higher
היה לגרום לחרדה שלו לגבור
of an 18-year-old who commanded him
he thought were his friends,
that my grandson was responsible
like I was taught by my old folks,
כמו שלימדוני הזקנים,
and I have in common,
besides being wonderful human beings,
העובדה ששנינו בני אנוש נהדרים,
to seek guidance and clarity
of this man and his family in this loss.
לאיש הזה ומשפחתו באובדנם.
תפילותי נענו.
to a meeting at this man's house,
of God-spirited people led by this man,
יראי אלוהים המובלים בידי איש זה,
and to share with children
ולחלוק עם ילדים
to be with a responsible adult,
להיות עם מבוגר אחראי,
in a way that's healthy,
בדרך בריאה,
in the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
for the kids to put in their toolkit
ישימו בארגז הכלים שלהם
throughout their lives.
understand that loving, caring adults
שמבוגרים אוהבים ומבינים
that our children learn to meditate,
ילמדו לעשות מדיטציה,
with the other children
to share the love with children,
לחלוק את האהבה עם ילדים,
will lead the way for us,
will depend on our children.
they will take over this world for us,
הם יחזיקו את העולם בשבילנו,
they will give it back to us.
היא זו שהם יחזירו לנו.
I was educated in England,
I'm the African American in the group.
אני האפרו-אמריקאי בקבוצה.
by an American child.
he killed my one and only son,
הוא הרג את הבן היחיד שלי,
what happened to that young man.
מה קרה לאיש הצעיר.
He just turned 37 on September 22,
הוא נהיה בן 37 ב-22 בספטמבר,
to get him out for 12 years.
tens of thousands of students
on a regular basis.
"When I was 11, I joined a gang.
"כשהייתי בן 11, הצטרפתי לכנופיה.
I murdered Mr. Khamisa's son.
umpteen years in prison.
will listen to that voice?
that pulled the trigger.
to turn the clock back.
the power of forgiveness.
our session with this quote,
was written by Tony.
נכתבה על-ידי טוני.
sustained goodwill creates friendship.
רצון טוב מתמשך יוצר חברות.
by bombing them, right?
נכון?
trust, empathy, compassion and peace.
אמון, אמפתיה, חמלה ושלום.
how do you extend goodwill
איך אתה מציע רצון טוב
through forgiveness.
עושים את זה דרך מחילה.
ועבור המשפחות שלכם.
North and South Korea,
צפון ודרום קוריאה,
the United States of America.
ארצות הברית של אמריקה.
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