The Picture Message: Aspiring Together

Once upon a story, there was a girl called Tara and a boy called Elijah. 

Tara and Elijah were housemates in a student house.  They were both students in a university and enjoyed their history course very much.

They liked learning about all the people, the civilisations, their way of living, and finding out where some of our inventions came from.  

It was inspiring, for both. 

One day Tara came home from university and found a mysterious letter delivered to their house. 

She picked up the letter of the floor and looked at it.  It was in an envelope, with a gold border on it, and but a normal first-class stamp. 

It smelled nice too, she noticed. 

So she carefully, looked at it and opened the letter.  Inside there was a letter.  

It told of how there were a people that needed help, and their people were being hunted, because they weren’t liked, because they were different to the stronger peoples in the nation.

Now in Tara’s History course she had also heard stories of how countries, sometimes had devastation due to different people who could not see a way to live together. 

So she was puzzling over this letter.  She wondered why this had come to her, after all she was only one History student. 

Elijah burst in the door, just then. He said, “hi Tara! What you got there?  A love letter?”

Tara answered “kind of”

I think there are people that need our help. 

She showed him the letter.  

Later, they were sitting together, with a cup of tea, and they talked through what was possible. 

Well, a whole people disliking / not getting on with another people, was out of both Elijah & Tara’s control.  

Them being violent to each other was out of Elija and Tara’s control.  After all they did not want to get involved in a war.

Then Tara, said, well we can’t help them directly, Elijah, we can’t fight for them or anything, but it may be possible we can still help.

Elijah, said … “That’s true, so how can we help then.”

“Well,” said Tara, “People don’t like each other usually because they disagree, and because they don’t understand or trust each other. 

“So, let’s show them something they both want to work for, and something both the peoples can work with together. When they work together, they will play together.  It will be very difficult, but we can all do it if we try.”

Elijah said, “Good luck with that Tara, both the peoples can’t stand each other and have been fighting for decades.”  

Tara said, “Look Elijah,  if you look at the two peoples, they both want a good quality of life, and because they are fighting, they are both losing.”

In history, it’s usually one people wins over another people.  But let’s see now, They both want a good quality of life, without the fighting, for all the people. 

Let’s show them, that it’s possible.  

Elijah said to Tara. “How are you going to do that? Are you going to invite them to a meeting?”

“No, I am going to use social media.  I am going to Tweet.  Not for either party, but for something different.  A different outlook.  “

“A world where they both, have the best standard of living in the world. “

“Make them see what they have to gain if they stopped fighting.” 

Will they see it? Maybe not, but if we make it magical enough, people will retweet it and we can make a difference.  They are asking for my help, Elijah, and I will do what I can. 

Elijah looked at the letter.  Well social media, may work, but don’t people only use social media for telling people how wonderful they are, or their company is. 

Tara said “True.  But imagine, if we showed a picture of the two peoples building a wonderful city together, with all the money they had saved from buying weapons for a while.”

Elijah, said to Tara. “Do you think we ought to, Tara, we are only students, I don’t want to get caught up, in any kind of violent people.  It scares me a little.  “

Tara looked at Elijah, and said slowly, “They came to me for help, and I want to help them.  But there is a risk, of something bad happening.  So, what we can do, is to draw a picture that it is open to interpretation.  It sends the message loud and clear.  It’s only a picture.  What they do with the picture is up to them.”

Elijah said “That’s a great idea, Tara.  Because that sends them the message, but their own minds interpret it in the way they want to.  So, let’s draw the picture of the fewer people, helping up the bigger populus, by holding hands and them both opening the door to a fantastic building with both their flags on it. “

Tara said, let’s get a canvas, and do it right now.  We can take a photo of it, and post it on social media.  

So together, Tara and Elijah started, and it that’s exactly what they did.  Tara and Elijah posted it on social media, and the two peoples thought about it.  A lot. 

You can see the picture on the right.

They asked a question, with the picture.  What was the new land called?

They left that open to be considered, and the people’s when saw it, all they could ask is what shall we call it.  They forgot their differences and said, let's build this new land.  What shall we call it?  

Tara and Elijah, took a photo of the drawing, and posted it saying "Out of the shared loss, a new land was born, and they called it... ?"

They posted it on the social media channel. and left it for a while. 

Tara and Elijah, sat later on at dinner.   Elijah said to Tara, "You did a really wonderful thing, Tara.  You opened their eyes to a new possibility. A good possibility with them together.  They probably will still dislike each other, but they will work together for a better, future for their children. It's amazing.  "

Well, said Tara, "Don't get too excited, they have something to think about, it matters what actions follow from it, doesn't it. "

"I want to give you a big hug" said Elijah, putting his arm around Tara.   "Aww, thanks Elijah, I need one.  I'm a bit emotional, it's really become a part of my heart."

"It's like a new baby country that has just been born. "  

(Tara and Elijah are fictional.  This story is a true story of how Queen Arun Sandhya, drew a Picture Message and posted it on Twitter feed @Arunakoya, in an attempt to make the two nations (Israel, and Palestine) see what they could achieve if they worked together, after the loss from the violence.  The new land was joined by another nation, Jordan, and the land mass of Palestine, Jordan and Israel, came to be known as Tarousha Santosh. Be together. One happiness.  Tarousha Santosh)