Submitted by Lisa Bottomley on 17 December 2008 - 9:40pm.
In viewing the 5 films, Hope was the only one that has remained in my thoughts so many days later. As a mother of young children, how could I not relate to Amal’s story, and certainly… we all love a good cry… and cry I did!!!
Amal is one of hundreds of women, children and men trying to flee the dangers and suffering of Iraq to come to Australia, the land of ‘paradise’. The story is told by Amal herself, which I found so penetrating as it’s told with haunting music and amazing art work. Amal tells of the tragic day in October 2001, when the illegal vessel on which she was travelling to Australia, sank. Amal was one of forty-five survivors and she poses the question … ‘I ask my God, why am I still alive?’
‘Why me?’ is a question I’m sure we have all asked ourselves at different times, whether it’s a tragic death in the family, or a miracle, and it’s in posing questions like these that we can often answer depending on our faith and belief. For Amal, it’s God’s wish that she be saved so she can tell the story of all the women, children and men of Iraq that suffer, and the dreams they have.
From a Buddhist point of view, the understanding of ‘Karma’ (that is, the Law of Cause and Effect), would provide the explanation that Amal survived because of her past thoughts, speech and actions -- that it was not her Karma to die. Furthermore, it may be her Karma to also help her people, and that she has the best conditions to tell her story; this documentary provides such a vehicle.
It made me feel that regardless of what political views or religious beliefs you may have, as human beings we can all recognize Amal’s suffering, the miracle of survival. We can also be passionate in supporting the wish that those suffering in their home country be free from such causes, for example, the Tibetans who continue to live in exile. The study of Buddhism helps us recognize that everyone suffers, that we all seek happiness, and that religious or spiritual practice can help one discover a path that suits differing cultures and personalities. His Holiness the Dalai Lama certainly promotes the need to respect all religions and beliefs, and that we all have the universal responsibility to help others, and if we can not… certainly not to harm them.
The story also involves her son, which cannot be told by anyone else but Amal… so I’ll leave it to this amazing, universal mother of the world to share it with you. Tissues are recommended.
A universal mother's story
In viewing the 5 films, Hope was the only one that has remained in my thoughts so many days later. As a mother of young children, how could I not relate to Amal’s story, and certainly… we all love a good cry… and cry I did!!!
Amal is one of hundreds of women, children and men trying to flee the dangers and suffering of Iraq to come to Australia, the land of ‘paradise’. The story is told by Amal herself, which I found so penetrating as it’s told with haunting music and amazing art work. Amal tells of the tragic day in October 2001, when the illegal vessel on which she was travelling to Australia, sank. Amal was one of forty-five survivors and she poses the question … ‘I ask my God, why am I still alive?’
‘Why me?’ is a question I’m sure we have all asked ourselves at different times, whether it’s a tragic death in the family, or a miracle, and it’s in posing questions like these that we can often answer depending on our faith and belief. For Amal, it’s God’s wish that she be saved so she can tell the story of all the women, children and men of Iraq that suffer, and the dreams they have.
From a Buddhist point of view, the understanding of ‘Karma’ (that is, the Law of Cause and Effect), would provide the explanation that Amal survived because of her past thoughts, speech and actions -- that it was not her Karma to die. Furthermore, it may be her Karma to also help her people, and that she has the best conditions to tell her story; this documentary provides such a vehicle.
It made me feel that regardless of what political views or religious beliefs you may have, as human beings we can all recognize Amal’s suffering, the miracle of survival. We can also be passionate in supporting the wish that those suffering in their home country be free from such causes, for example, the Tibetans who continue to live in exile. The study of Buddhism helps us recognize that everyone suffers, that we all seek happiness, and that religious or spiritual practice can help one discover a path that suits differing cultures and personalities. His Holiness the Dalai Lama certainly promotes the need to respect all religions and beliefs, and that we all have the universal responsibility to help others, and if we can not… certainly not to harm them.
The story also involves her son, which cannot be told by anyone else but Amal…
so I’ll leave it to this amazing, universal mother of the world to share it with you. Tissues are recommended.