NERMINA NUHODZIC / Letter to New York

Excerpts from a letter to CMCE students who created a Children's Peace Sanctuary in Central Park. They NYC children opened their sanctuary with a ceremony they called "Listen to Your Small Voice".

"It's always the same story, we live and die, the circle of life goes on no matter what happens. We're playing games with destiny so some of us win and some lose, Fortuna is unpredictable. There are people who have a sad destiny, maybe they are born under the wrong star. Their life story is a poem that never ends and a melody that hasn't been finished. Sometimes I ask myself what would happen if I died...would I leave the people around me sad? Would they really know what kind of person I was? But death can erase and destroy a person only physically. If there is someone that keeps you deep inside as a memory you're alive.

"During the war in my country many people just disappeared and the next day we had to go on living. Many lost their fathers, brothers, sons and daughters and the tears that they cried were worse then 100 years of destruction and violence. It didn't make any sense - people were killing people, but why? Aren't we all just human beings created to live together? Yet during the whole of human history there hasn't been a day without war. I was 7 years old and every night I went to bed with everyone around me afraid they would not see the morning light. You never knew what would happen next, every day started with some new and surprising disappointment. But at that time the neighbors kept together, the fellowship then was better than ever before. The people were like a big family helping each other and listening to each other's problems. Even though hunger and death were surrounding us I remember this time because of the protection and the care of the people.

"Peace is not an expensive thing. It doesn't take much to live in peace. I wish that people would come closer to each other, that 'respect ' was not only a word but something that we all practiced all of our lives. There is a chance for each of us to build bridges of peace. Whether you do it or not is your choice but don't let the small voice deep inside you ask you why you kept quiet when others suffered! Just imagine a world where everybody feels good and there is a corner for every one of us no matter which nationality or religion we belong to... I hope this may be the reason that your "small voice" starts telling you to move and create something better for the coming generations that will take over the world we live in now. Someday those little kids will be adults who could enjoy what you and I created many years before. Let's give them a reason to say "thanks" one day."