On calling for peace

My ancestors came to Turtle Island, to settle on stolen land. I am a direct descendent of survivors of genocide (Armenia), occupation (North Ireland), and religious oppression (Pennsylvania Deutsch), as well as those who came as part of the British colonial project. 

I was highly fortunate to have parents with the motivation and means to show me the world. I have been to Anne Frank Haus, walked the trenches of Vimy Ridge, and stood in the shadow of the Genbaku-dome in Hiroshima. I have stood in a former factory that was used as a concentration camp in France. I have seen the direct impacts of apartheid in South Africa - and learned about its relationship to the reservation and residential school systems in the country I call home. I have been welcomed into the homes of First Nations individuals and listened to their reflections of the ongoing genocide on this land, and stories of resilience and relationships. I have not visited the Holy Land, though I would love to; being raised Catholic, I learned much about the history and politics of the area where Jesus - a Palestinian Jew - lived under violent occupation, and was murdered for his radical message of peace, love, and anti-oppression. I have read fictionalized and first-person accounts and academic analyses of innumerable conflicts. I have friends and patients who have shared with me what it is like to live with racism, war, hunger, and abuse.

I pursued a profession that calls me to dedicate myself to the service of humanity, and to protect the health of the planet. I was fortunate to have access to further higher education that allowed me to learn about the direct impacts of imperialism, unfettered capitalism, colonization, war-mongering and power-hunger on the health and well-being of the planet and all who share it. Being a doctor requires me to be an advocate, to speak for those whose voices are silenced.

It is for these reasons that I firmly call for peace.  By all parties.  I firmly demand that we uphold human rights for all. Not just some.  Not just those with power or powerful allies, but for all. 

I am and have always been a pacifist.  But this does not call me to be silent. It calls me to be kind and compassionate enough to ask us all to reflect on the pain and trauma that interfere with our ability to extend kindness and compassion to others. It calls me to continue to act in the name of peace.