I had the great fortune to attend the Women Deliver Conference 2016 in Copenhagen from May 16-19, 2016. The experience was life changing. I saw and met so many people working on the huge problems that face our world from child marriage to female mutilation to gender violence prevention.
I am very hopeful that the world can heal from these epidemics and that smart and dedicated people are working to solutions. In my own way, I am also working globally and you can see all about my work here www.maverickcollective.org.
One of the more memorable events was when I met Hina Jilani, one of The Elders. I had heard of this amazing group of people and never thought I would ever meet one of them, let alone in a small group. Nelson Mandela created The Elders and said, “The Elders can speak freely and boldly, working both publicly and behind the scenes. They will reach out to those who most need their help. They will support courage where there is fear, foster agreement where there is conflict and inspire hope where there is despair.”
WOW! Such an amazing mission.
So I became very jealous of THIS mission.
I want to be one of The Elders …. then I realized that I AM an Elder. I am 62 years old, and that is certainly old enough to be an elder. I can adopt the mission and work in ways that support the stated mission. I may not be able to speak to heads of state, but I can speak to the people with whom I come into contact and I can attempt to create a culture of peace.
I can start within my own life, and seek to do no harm in action and word while accepting my humanness and forgiving myself when I inadvertently hurt another.
How can YOU, embody the mission of The Elders in your life?
Can you embody the tenants in your family?
Can you accept your own wisdom and begin to act and speak in ways that support humanity?
I hope to be able to report to you in the future about some of the projects that may come my way that will enable me to be an Elder in thought and spirit and behavior and word.
Love & Light,
Indrani Goradia