Azim Khamisa and Ples Felix: What comes after tragedy? Forgiveness
Azim Khamiza, Ples Felix: Ce vine după tragedie? Iertarea
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.
avem multe momente definitorii în viață.
if we are able to make the right choice,
dacă putem să facem alegerea corectă,
a good photographer,
un bun fotograf,
to work for National Geographic,
pentru National Geographic,
on Fridays and Saturdays.
vinerea și sâmbăta.
to absorb a new, hideous reality.
să absorbi o realitate nouă, hidoasă.
my life to a crashing halt.
într-o stare de ruină.
I've ever had to do
pe care le-am făcut
who lived in a different city.
care locuia în alt oraș.
she's never going to see her son again,
că n-o să-și mai vadă fiul,
at both ends of the gun.
la ambele capete ale armei.
was a victim of the 14-year-old,
a fost victima unui puști de 14 ani,
that he was a victim of American society.
că a fost victima societății americane.
well, who is American society?
cine este societatea americană?
that society is just happenstance.
e doar întâmplătoare.
for the society we've created.
de societatea pe care am creat-o.
is not a mark of a civil society.
nu sunt un semn al unei societăți civile.
at the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
la fundația Tariq Khamisa
violenței tineretului.
is to save lives of children.
este să salvăm viețile copiilor.
We lose so many on a daily basis.
Pierdem atât de mulți zilnic.
so kids don't fall through the cracks
ca acești copii să nu mai evadeze
and drugs and alcohol and weapons.
infracțiuni, droguri, alcool și arme.
the principles of nonviolence,
principiile nonviolenței,
a learned behavior,
să fie un comportament învățat,
I reached out to my brother here,
am apelat la fratele meu de aici,
that we had both lost a son.
to the adult prison system.
în penitenciarul de adulți.
we are still here together,
noi încă suntem împreună,
back from the dead,
să-l readuc pe Tariq din morți,
din închisoare,
in our community
din comunitatea noastră
sau în închisoare.
has been successful.
with Ples and me.
cu Ples și cu mine.
a ucis fiul acestuia,
and we create a peace club.
după școală, și creăm un club al păcii.
these principles of nonviolence,
acestor principii ale nonviolenței,
and expulsions by 70 percent,
și expulzările cu 70%,
my journey of forgiveness,
who killed my son.
pe cel care mi-a ucis fiul.
because we were --
deoarece noi eram -
we locked eyeballs.
ne-am blocat privirile.
he's looking in my eyes,
el se uită în ochii mei,
trying to find a murderer, and I didn't.
un ucigaș, dar nu am reușit.
was no different than the spark in me
nu era diferită de cea din mine
He was remorseful.
Avea remușcări.
of forgiveness had changed him.
că iertarea mea l-a schimbat.
my brother, Ples.
pe fratele meu, Ples.
and only daughter's one and only child.
și unicul copil al fiicei mele.
când l-a născut pe Tony.
job on the planet.
e cea mai grea meserie de pe planetă.
than raising another human being
decât să crești altă ființă umană
protejată
to be successful in life.
pentru a avea succes în viață.
in his life as a young kid.
în timpul copilăriei sale.
of automatic weapon fire
in so many different ways.
în atât de multe moduri.
he had everything a kid needed
că are tot ce avea nevoie
to try to be successful
of being a successful person,
de a fi o persoană de succes,
Tony ran away from home that evening,
Tony a fugit de acasă în acea seară,
he thought were his friends,
pe care îi considera prieteni,
they would make him feel carefree.
că-i vor înlătura grijile.
to make his anxiety go higher
a fost să-i crească anxietatea
of an 18-year-old who commanded him
care îi ordona
he thought were his friends,
pe care îi considera prieteni,
pe Tariq Khamisa,
pierderea unui copil.
that my grandson was responsible
era responsabil
like I was taught by my old folks,
așa cum m-au învățat părinții mei,
și să meditez.
and I have in common,
și eu îl avem în comun,
besides being wonderful human beings,
pe lângă a fi niște ființe minunate,
to seek guidance and clarity
de a căuta îndrumare și claritate
of this man and his family in this loss.
de acest bărbat și de familia sa.
to a meeting at this man's house,
în casa acestui om,
of God-spirited people led by this man,
oameni buni conduși de acest bărbat,
and to share with children
to be with a responsible adult,
de a fi cu un adult responsabil,
in a way that's healthy,
într-un mod sănătos,
in the Tariq Khamisa Foundation
la fundația Tariq Khamisa
for the kids to put in their toolkit
la îndemâna copiilor
throughout their lives.
toată viața.
understand that loving, caring adults
să înțeleagă că adulții îi iubesc
that our children learn to meditate,
pentru copiii noștri să învețe meditația,
with the other children
cu alți copii
to share the love with children,
pentru a împărtăși iubirea cu copiii,
will lead the way for us,
ne vor vor conduce,
will depend on our children.
vom depinde de copiii noștri.
they will take over this world for us,
ei voi prelua această lume pentru noi,
they will give it back to us.
tot atât o să ne ofere înapoi.
I was educated in England,
am fost educat în Anglia,
I'm the African American in the group.
eu sunt afro-americanul din grup.
partea mea de responsabilitate
by an American child.
de un copil american.
he killed my one and only son,
mi-a ucis unicul și singurul fiu,
de cel mai înalt stâlp.
what happened to that young man.
ce s-a întâmplat cu acel tânăr.
He just turned 37 on September 22,
A împlinit 37 de ani pe 22 septembrie,
to get him out for 12 years.
să-l avem alături,
tens of thousands of students
on a regular basis.
în mod regulat.
"When I was 11, I joined a gang.
„La 11 ani, am intrat într-o gașcă.
I murdered Mr. Khamisa's son.
l-am ucis pe fiul domnului Khamisa.
umpteen years in prison.
în închisoare.
will listen to that voice?
that pulled the trigger.
care a apăsat trăgaciul.
to turn the clock back.
să întoarcă ceasul înapoi.
L-aș avea din nou pe fiul meu.
pe nepotul său.
the power of forgiveness.
puterea iertării.
our session with this quote,
sesiunea noastră cu acest citat,
was written by Tony.
scris de către Tony.
sustained goodwill creates friendship.
bunăvoința susținută creează prietenie.
by bombing them, right?
trust, empathy, compassion and peace.
încredere, empatie, compasiune și pace.
how do you extend goodwill
cum extinzi bunăvoința
through forgiveness.
a funcționat pentru mine.
că a funcționat pentru Tony,
și familiile voastre,
North and South Korea,
Corea de Nord și Coreea de Sud,
the United States of America.
pentru Statele Unite ale Americii.
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