THE POWER OF ONE.

THE POWER OF ONE.....~ this is so incredibly inspiring!
> >
> > What Do Trees Have To Do With Peace?
> > An African woman, Dr. Wangari Maathai, is this year's
> > Nobel Peace Prize Laureate. Her story...
> > Thirty years ago, in the country of Kenya, 90% of the
> > forest had been chopped down. Without trees to hold
> > the topsoil in place, the land became like a desert.
> > When the women and girls would go in search of
> > firewood in order to prepare the meals, they would
> > have to spend hours and hours looking for what few
> > branches remained.
> > A woman named Wangari watched all of this happening.
> > She decided that there must be a way to take better
> > care of the land and take better care of the women and
> > girls. So she planted a tree. And then she planted
> > another. She wanted to plant thousands of trees, but
> > she realized that it would take a very long time if
> > she was the only one doing it. So she taught the
> > women who were looking for firewood to plant trees,
> > and they were paid a small amount for each sapling
> > they grew.
> > Soon she organized women all over the country to plant
> > trees, and a movement took hold. It was called the
> > Green Belt Movement, and with each passing year, more
> > and more trees covered the land.
> > But something else was happening as the women planted
> > those trees. Something else besides those trees was
> > taking root. The women began to have confidence in
> > themselves. They began to see that they could make a
> > difference. They began to see that they were capable
> > of many things, and that they were equal to the men.
> > They began to recognize that they were deserving of
> > being treated with respect and dignity.
> > Changes like these were threatening to some. The
> > president of the country didn't like any of this. So
> > police were sent to intimidate and beat Wangari for
> > planting trees, and for planting ideas of equality and
> > democracy in people's heads, especially in women's.
> > She was accused of "subversion" and arrested many
> > times.
> > Once, while Wangari was trying to plant trees, she was
> > clubbed by guards hired by developers who wanted the
> > lands cleared. She was hospitalized with head
> > injuries. But she survived, and it only made her
> > realize that she was on the right path.
> > For almost thirty years, she was threatened
> > physically, and she was often made fun of in the
> > press. But she didn't flinch. She only had to look in
> > the eyes of her three children, and in the eyes of the
> > thousands of women and girls who were blossoming right
> > along with the trees, and she found the strength to
> > continue.
> > And that is how it came to be that 30 million trees
> > have been planted in Africa, one tree at a time. The
> > landscapes--both the external one of the land and the
> > internal one of the people--have been transformed.
> > In 2002, the people of Kenya held a democratic
> > election, and the president who opposed Wangari and
> > her Green Belt Movement is no longer in office. And
> > Wangari is now Kenya's Assistant Minister for the
> > Environment.
> > She is 65 years old, and this year she planted one
> > more tree in celebration and thanksgiving for being
> > given a very great honor:
> > Wangari Maathai has been awarded the Nobel Peace
> > Prize. She is the first African woman to receive this
> > award.
> > After she was notified, she gave a speech entitled,
> > "What Do Trees Have To Do With Peace?" She pointed out
> > how most wars are fought over limited natural
> > resources, such as oil, land, coal or diamonds. She
> > called for an end to corporate greed, and for leaders
> > to build more just societies. She added:
> > "Our recent experience in Kenya gives hope to all
> > who have been struggling for a better future. It shows
> > it is possible to bring about positive change, and
> > still do it peacefully. All it takes is courage and
> > perseverance, and a belief that positive change is
> > possible. That is why the slogan for our campaign was
> > 'It is Possible!'
> > "On behalf of all African women, I want to express
> > my profound appreciation for this honor, which will
> > serve to encourage women in Kenya, in Africa, and
> > around the world to raise their voices and not to be
> > deterred."
> > "When we plant trees, we plant the seeds of peace
> > and seeds of hope. We also secure the future for our
> > children. I call on those around the world to
> > celebrate by planting a tree wherever you are."
> > As she received the Nobel Peace Prize this week in
> > Oslo, she invited us all to get involved: "Today we
> > are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in
> > our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its
> > life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth
> >to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own."
> >
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> >