Don't sit back, take a step forward

Who do you look upon when you look for inspiration or who comes to your mind when you have to think of heroes or peace makers in your country's recent history? I have been thinking about this lately and the answer is not as obvious as it seems like it could or should be. It's always easier to come up with names from times when we were not even born, maybe because appreciation for such people is cultivated over a long period of time. 

How about we take a step back and see if we can find such heroes in our everyday life or among our friends or relatives. On my travels through India I was lucky to meet someone who decided to get on his bike and take off in search of such people. People who have inspiring stories to share, promoters of peace, who (not only) young Indians can look upon, someone who is not history to them but alive and active now. 

The project is called "De Paix Yatra" and was set up by two young men, Nitesh and Parth. They planned to ride their bikes through several countries to Europe in 2012 and collect stories of inspirational people to later present to Indian youth. Their journey took on a different direction because of protests in Pakistan but instead of giving up, the team changed their route to Vietnam, Nepal, Bhutan, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.  This year they are planning to publish books, documentaries and take other steps in other to share their experiences and encourage young people towards positive change in their environment. 

Why I am writing about this is because I want to point out that by coming up with this project and making it a reality, they already discovered the first inspiring heroes, themselves. 

To me, meeting someone my age who decided not to sit back but act instead is enough of an incentive to start thinking about my own life, the lives of others and how I can make a positive change, no matter how big or small, myself.

Let's not think too much about how we can help, let's just do it. Be nice to one another. Be kind, inspire and let others inspire you. Do something positive today. Give a smile to a stranger :) Please, do it today! For me, for you and for everyone in the world. 

"Peace ya'll" Kathmandu, Nepal