Ted Meinhover

I told a friend of mine about this event that I attended last night, the kick off of KOMNAS HAM’s (Indonesian National Committee on Human Rights) campaign against poverty in Indonesia, as part of International Human Rights day 2006. His response was one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking that I’ve gotten. He said he wasn’t sure whether humans were even capable of reaching such a place, but the song is worth singing anyway:

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

My friend Muni has her photographs on display in the photo exhibit at the event, and she invited me to the opening of the galery. It is being held all week at Gedung Dua8 (Building 28), in North Kemang in Jakarta.

Ironically, one of the most affluent parts of the capital city is the host of this event which is meant to educate about and build the campaign against the poverty that is plagueing Indonesia, to the point of threatening the very stability of the country.

We can only hope that it’s a place to start. I have faith.