Price for Filming in Afghanistan: Actress Has Legs Cut Off

Passionate people are inspiring people. An Afghan-American lady has managed the nearly impossible and shot a feature film, The Black Tulip, in Afghanistan. She endured death threats, her crew quitting on her, her main actress having her legs cut off by militants and so on.

You have to have conviction, persistence, boldness and a crazy streak to go to such lengths for a film. And I love people like this. Passionate people, who’ll take no for an answer don’t grow on easy street. Sonia Nassery Cole fled Afghanistan and as a young girl wrote to Ronald Reagan and got invited for a dinner at the White House. This is exceptional of course. This woman has passionate determination because she has a cause to fight for. She knows that her countrymen and -women see what she does and chances are, they might get inspired. Without inspiration and hope no one will stand up to change a country.

I haven’t seen the movie and don’t know if it’s any good, but  just the pure determination and passion of this woman inspires me. The impossible is possible, you just need a bit of faith.

Forgiveness Is the Key

We humans forget easily. The oppressed become oppressors very quickly. Without forgiveness and reconciliation the cycle keeps on going and the downward spiral spins faster.

A sad example of this is what is happening in Zimbabwe. Watched a great documentary about a white Zimbabwean farmer who sues President Mugabe for racism. When you’re between a rock and a hard place it’s not easy to  stand up for justice. This farmer’s courage is inspiring because it really takes guts. “If good men do nothing, evil will prevail.”