Peace Stories

Peace stories that others shared with me around the world.

Motorcycle Diaries: Friday the 13th Motorcycle Rally (video)

My cheeks hurt. Not because of dental surgery, but because I can't stop smiling. I just got back from the Friday the 13th motorcycle rally in Port Dover, Ontario. I can't believe I rode for years and never made it before. This time I took a day off work, grabbed my camera, and had a fabulous day! Peace overflows abundantly on days like today, when thousands of people — most of them strangers, in leather, riding motorcycles — share friendship and love.

Modise Phekouyane, Robben Island Peace Activist

Modise Phekouyane used to be an angry, hateful young man who considered Nelson Mandela a traitor. Today, he embodies forgiveness and reconciliation so that neither he, nor his former oppressors, will remain victims of apartheid.

25 years after being bombed, one of my heroes is healing others

Father Michael Lapsley is one of my heroes. I met him in Toronto years ago, when my AfricaFiles friends invited him to share his experiences. I was deeply moved by this man's ability to forgive, while he faces reminders of the assassination attempt on his life constantly. The letter bomb that was intended to kill him took both his hands and one eye.

Forgiveness saved his life - can it save the world?

Tonight, as I was cooking dinner, I browsed my list of podcasts and chose CBC Ideas. I clicked today's show, and was surprised to hear the voice of my friend, Jean Paul Samputu. Jean Paul Samputu is the man who gives me the most hope of anyone in the world that forgiveness is humanly possible, even after the most vicious atrocities.

As terror strikes at home, Canadians must respond with love, not hate

It is a tragic day for Canada. Today, Corporal Nathan Cirillo was killed while standing guard at the Canadian War Memorial in Ottawa. The gunman, Canadian Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, was later killed in a firefight in the Canadian parliament. He has been identified as a radicalised Muslim convert.

On Monday, two Canadian soldiers were struck by a car in Quebec; one of them later died from his injuries. The driver, who appeared to have targeted them, was Martin Rouleau, another radicalised Muslim convert.

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