January 9, 2015 Carole Levy

Love has to be Stronger than Hate

 

charlie hebdo copy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love this cartoon, the reconciliation of the Muslim community with a goofy cartoonist over a sloppy French kiss. The title is “Love, Stronger than Hate”. I think it summarizes well the spirit of the magazine Charlie Hebdo.

I grew up with this iconoclastic magazine, as well as Pilote, Hara-Kiri and many others. Satirical cartoons addressing humor and freedom of expression are an honored tradition in France. Whether or not we read them, whether or not we like them, people of my generation have been shaped by these cartoons. They have helped us to think.

I admire the people who died in the attack on January 7th. They stood up for what they believed in, with courage, boldness, and creativity, non-violently.

The world needs cartoons, humor, iconoclastic provocation, creativity and a broad spectrum of freedom of expression, but most importantly, the world needs kindness. I heard the famous feminist activist Gloria Steinem at a conference about gender last year. I was surprised to hear her bring up the issue of kindness.

My husband and I made the commitment to be more kind as our 2015 resolution. I forget it moment by moment. It’s tough, but I return to my intention, because seriously the world needs more kindness. Love has to be stronger than Hate, and eventually Humor will need to be unconditional.

Sincerely,

Carole

cartoonist-of-all-countries2

Comments (4)

  1. susan efros

    Bravo! Important message. And your cartoons just keep getting better, This one should go to the UN and used as a poster for a creative approach to world peace. Keep them coming!!

  2. Jeff Bradach

    Thank you, Carole. This captured for me, in a powerful, simple way, the possibility on the other side of the craziness of today: love and kindness. Thanks for this inspiration.

  3. Filaree Radich

    Very inspiring! Love the blog entry, the message AND of course the wonderful cartoon! Thank you for taking a horrific event and turning it into a starting point for all of us.

    Filaree

  4. jacqueline

    Super, que nos crayons et nos coeurs fassent couler des ondes de paix, de respect, de lumière et de générosité. Merci Carole
    Jacqueline

Comments are closed.

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