Reflections on the 2011 program from particpant Tim Hall

During our August 2nd gala screening of the 2011 films, a few of the participants had a chance to get up on stage and talk about their experience at Peace it Together.  Participant Tim Hall's 5 minutes under the spotlight were exceptionally well received as he read snippets from the journal he kept throughout the month.  Here's the transcript...

Day 1

Met Israelis and Palestinians at airport. Strangers.
“What’s your name again? Sorry I forgot."
“Nir. It is short and has three letters just like yours.”
On the bus. “Wow! Oooooooo! Ahhhhhhh! Amazing! So beautiful!”
I’d never experienced a rainbow on the Sea to Sky Highway quite like they were experiencing the one we saw.

Day 4

I learned how to dance Debka.
I walk blindfolded, they don’t let me stumble.
I drop, they catch me.
Trust



Day 5

A jack-hammer plunges into your heart.
What is Zionism, Jerusalem, Israel, Palestine, HAMAS? ...you are rocked.
We don’t believe the other side thinks this is you.

Day 6

Up to the mountains. A breath of fresh air.
We escape.

“THERE’S A BEAR!”
“WHERE?!”
“I DON’T KNOW!”

Day 7

The onion.
Beyond your positions, what are your needs?
-Safety, relationships, humanity...



Day 8

...your friend died. His mum phoned to tell you.
...your brother’s in jail. When will he come out?
...you can’t sleep because someone was killed. Was it your friend? Please no! It
wasn’t... it was someone else’s friend.

Your Stories a Haiku by Tim Hall

Rocky Mountain peaks
Vanish in cloudy unknown
Oh to hear the trees!

[Listen to some of the other haikus here]

Day 11


Goodbye Pemberton...

Day 12

Tilt, zoom, dolly in, boom up, quiet on the set! Pick up the cables, don’t drop the
cameraaaaaaaaaa!!!

Day 13 - 18

Plan our shoot, get our props, who are our actors...
Uhhh... what’s our story... we’re done filming? Okay, let’s figure out our story.



Day 19 - 23

I ask “How’s the film going for you?”
They reply “There’s no way around this!”
“I cannot work with...”
“We lost all our footage and have to re-shoot!!!”
“I give up!”

They ask “How about your group’s film Tim?”
I reply “Ummm... we agree on everything...”

But I hear “You might want to think about-”
“Ehhh. It’ll be OK.”

...no it won’t.

First screening... beautiful.
Ummm... there’s a problem with our film... SEVERAL problems.

Day 25

The poop hits the fan.
“You’re trying to control!”
“Why didn’t you tell me before!”
“I didn’t know”
“You lost us!!!”
This has gone way beyond our small film.

It has come to this...
A) “You! How much are you willing to sacrifice for peace!?”
B) “I am willing to sacrifice a lot for peace. That’s why I’m here.
How much are you willing to ask me to sacrifice? ...Is it too much?

Back to our film.
2 seconds...
The issues hinge on 2 seconds of film. Let’s go back to the onion.
1) You want optimism in your film,
because you are interested in a better future,

because you need hope.

2) You want a film you can show to your communities,
because you are interested in changing their minds for a peaceful future,
because you need hope.

Your needs are the same. You both need hope.
That gives me hope.

Day 26

They say “Tim, we have an idea! What if your group...”
“Oh I know! Your group should...”
Ring ring. “Hello?” “Tim? I just thought...”
We re-edited to success.

Conflict resolution comes creatively.
Conflict resolution comes in community.

Look ahead to your community.

2011-08-29
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