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Dom Martin
- Dr. Luis Gaspar da Silva 1979 |
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Foreword NAKBLINKA: The Cleansing of CoExistence, touches the soul of humankind and awakens its buried emotions. The poetry of Dom Martin cries out for an end to the infliction of cruelty and death upon the oppressed peoples of the world. The central axis of Nakblinka is the commemoration of the 22-day siege of Gaza by Israel in 2008-2009. Two thousand years ago, Herod slaughtered the children of Judea, and in an appalling replay, the descendants of Judea are slaughtering the Holy Innocents of Gaza. Whether we call it self-defence, war crimes, crimes against humanity or some other phrase for such barbarity, mere words cannot salve the deep sense of shame we all share in a world rife with a multitude of atrocities, compounded by ‘Silence’ and ‘Complicity’. Thousands of years of history recording devastating wars and inhumanity appears to have had little effect on present day morality – as witnessed by genocides and cultural destruction such as the Holocaust, the decimation of Tibet, the slaughters in Africa and Bosnia, and the horrendous wars in the Middle East. Time and resources are squandered and some of the finest minds put to the ominous task of perfecting and deploying instruments of torture and mass destruction. The collective ego of the aggressor nations dulls the conscience of its peoples and patronizes their illusions of superiority as they feed on violence, control, greed, selfishness, and racial prejudice. Killing and violence, war and nuclear weapons, torture and death, are sanctified in the name of National Security or the Will of the International Community, and few question whether these methods of negotiation might amount to madness and insanity. Dom Martin’s metaphors call us to a deeper awareness, as Beings, of the tragedy and suffering that is the result of our unwillingness to coexist peacefully with one another. Nakblinka challenges us to break down the walls and choose to change by transcending the collective ego and birthing a new Consciousness of Beings who live in knowledge, acceptance, and appreciation of the unique qualities that each tribe of humankind contributes to enhance the spectrum of Existence. As we approach the second decade of the New Millennium, replete with the intelligence and magic of the Electronic Age, all the pieces are at hand for the realization of a global truce of nonkilling based on understanding, compassion and the goal of communal harmony. NAKBLINKA: The Cleansing of CoExistence, is one such piece that shines as a catalyst in the universal media. Dom Martin’s truth-telling and honesty heralds new hope of peaceful coexistence for all inhabitants of our undivided planet. — Mairead Maguire Nobel Peace Laureate, 1976
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"Thank you for sending me the autographed copies of CoExistence: Humanity's Wailing Wall. I also find poetry to be a rewarding hobby. Rosalynn joins me in sending our best wishes for continued success." - Jimmy Carter 39th President of the United States of America 2002 Nobel Prize Winner
" . . . I am struck by your words and illustrations. I appreciate your focus on the human element, beyond the game of finger-pointing and blame that so often takes precedent. We all have our roles to play addressing these global tragedies. I wish you the best as you continue in yours." - Dr. James J. Zogby President, Arab American Institute
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