Events
Drakenstein Palliative Hospice sending love to Norway
A week ago a terrible tragedy happened in Norway; a bomb killed 8 people in the capital city, Oslo, and then the same man shot 100 young people at a youth camp, 68 died. From experience we know what the pain these families and the Norwegian people are experiencing looks and feels and we decided to add our voice and make a stand against discrimination, abuse and violence.
It was Nelson Mandela’s birthday and we spent the week looking at his life and last week we unpacked his values and attitudes as an example to live by. Nelson Mandela said: ‘No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background, or his religion. People must learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite’.
In 2005 Elize Morkel introduced Drakenstein Palliative Hospice to a group of Norwegian social workers from Trondheim. They took our vision for Butterfly House, a palliative community resource centre, planned in the most disadvantaged part of Drakenstein, Fairyland, to the Norwegian public and the response has enabled us to respect freedom, unity, equality for all and love for one another through the Butterfly House programmes.
Last Friday, a week after the tragedy in Norway, Elize Morkel, the Drakenstein Palliative Hospice staff, friends and 240 of the Butterfly House children went on a silent march, carrying a flower, in Fairyland as a sign of our support of Norway, reconciliation, forgiveness and equality for all. Elize Morkel told the Butterfly House story and reminded us what Desmond Tutu said; ‘We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We belong to this family, this human family, God’s family.’
The response from Norway to this national tragedy has been an example to us all. Instead of hatred and an exclusionist attitude, they are fighting aggression with love through the support of democracy. Both Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela received the Nobel Peace Prize from Norway and their words will serve to “strengthen our commitment to practice and teach love” as Elize said. Norway has decided to hold onto the hope for a world that will learn to understand tolerance, equality and peace.
We have been on the receiving end of the generosity of so many people and countries and have not known how to support or give back to others. Our silent march, song, sharing a meal and standing behind democracy and peace does help to build a better future for us all who belong to ‘this human family’.
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