Inspiration: ‘the Moral Imagination’ by John Paul Lederach

In September of 2014, Kashmir made headlines worldwide, not for the conflict that had long dominated the region, but for the devastating floods that had struck. It was during the aftermath of these floods that I found myself immersed in post-rehabilitation work with several humanitarian organizations. My work took me deep into the heart of Kashmir, where I met with its people and listened to their stories of loss and destruction. During one particularly poignant conversation with a 65-year-old man, whose name I never learned, he imparted upon me a new perspective on my homeland. His words still resonate with me today: “The floods have washed away our grief. The mud has buried our spaces. The foul smell has infused us with new spirit. We will wash it all away with water again to retell our stories. But we lack a space to tell, retell, and memorialize them.”