A Holocaust Poem

The Creed of a Holocaust Survivor
by Alexander Kimel
  I do believe, with all my heart,
     In the natural Goodness of Man.
  Despite the blood and destruction,
     Brought by one man, trying to be God,
  In the Goodness of Man, I do believe.


  I do believe, with all my heart,
     That God gave man the blessing and the curse.
  Man can select the curse of envy, hatred and prejudices,     
Or the blessing of love, harmony and beauty.
  Despite the painful curses of the past,
     In the blessing of the Creator, I do believe.


  I do believe, with all my heart,
     That God created a beautiful world,
  The sun and the trees, the flowers and the bees.
     And the best way to serve God, is
  To enjoy the fruits of His labor of love.
     Despite the painful memories from the past,
  In the joyful celebration of life, I do believe.


  I do believe with all my heart,
     That God has created man in image of His own.
  And killing of man, is like killing of God.
     Despite the massacres in Rwanda, the cleansing in Bosnia,  
The folly of Muslim fanatics, and the cruelty of Pot Pol. 
     In the love and compassion of the Creator, I do believe. 


  I believe with all my heart,
     That the Messiah and the Kingdom of Heaven will come;  
 When man will conquer his destructive urge,
     And learn how to live in harmony with nature and himself.  
When all the preachers of hate will be silenced,
     And man will become his brother's keeper.


  When man will stop killing man, in the name of God,
     And nation will not lift weapons against nation.
  When it will be, I do not know, but
   Despite all the signs to the contrary.
  In the dawn of a Better World, I do believe.


(Taken from 
http://kimel.net/poetry.html)

Spreading the Word: Locker Signs

Since Live for Love is a relatively new movement, not many people know about it.  Therefore, I challenge all of those who identify themselves as members of Live for Love (basically anyone who believes in what we are trying to accomplish) to spread the word about the anti-hate movement.  There are many ways that one can accomplish that challenge.  Just get creative. (As long as your creativity is legal, that is.)

One easy way to advertise is to make locker signs.

Try to make your signs eye-catching.  Make them any (legal) way that you want.  Tape them to the outside of your locker, and there you have it.  A simple, yet hopefully effective form of advertisement.

Note:  You should probably make sure that at least one of your locker signs has our blog's web address written somewhere on it, otherwise the advertisement is pointless. www.anti-hatemovement.blogspot.com

Self-Change Planning Letters

Self-Change Planning Letters (SCPL) are letters that you write to yourself.  They are basically lists of ways that you can start to change yourself into a better person.  I would encourage all members of the anti-hate movement to write their own SCPL.

Here is an example of an SCPL that I wrote for myself:

Dear Me,

Here are the steps that I have come up with to help you change yourself into a person who loves more and hates less.

1. Identify the problems/struggles you have with hate/treating others with kindness on a daily basis.  This could include gossiping, making jokes about people, or a number of other things.  Remember: Treat other people the way you would want to be treated.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Also remember that no human is perfect, so if you find that you have been making a lot of mistakes when choosing how to treat other people, don't beat yourself up too hard about it.  Everyone makes mistakes, and all you can do now is change your behavioral pattern so that you don't make those mistakes again in the future.
2.  Be friendly.  Say 'hi' to people you wouldn't normally say 'hi' to in the hallway, or maybe just smile at them.
3.  If the people around you are making fun of someone or talking about them behind their back, choose not to be a part of it.  Perhaps keep silent, or even say something positive about the person that they are targeting.    Don't laugh at their jokes.
4.  Realize that all hate hurts.  Be a source of comfort to the victims of hate around you, if needed.

Keep working hard.
Love,
Me.

Welcome

     In today's world, discrimination and hatred are becoming very common.  People abuse each other both physically and verbally.  Have you ever been a victim of abuse?  Then you know how it feels.  Hate is a truly horrible thing.  It has been the cause of emotional instability for several. It has even been responsible for the death of millions and millions of people through suicide and murder.  

     Hate must be stopped.  How?  Gandhi once said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."  So often we focus on the changes that others need to make.  Perhaps we should all focus on changing ourselves and our habits instead.

     Welcome to Live for Love: an Anti-Hate Movement.