“Town with a Golden Heart” is a truly inspiring article to read. For those whose trials and tribulations mirror the people in Creston who were given a second chance at life, it can be emotional and evoke feelings hidden deep within.
Creston is a small town set amidst the picturesque mountains of British Columbia in Canada. It’s not very well off economically, but it is overflowing with a commodity that is in high demand in our world today – Loving Kindness. No matter how much money you have, you can’t buy it; it’s a gift that’s given freely and unconditionally, and can only come from one place – the human heart.
In 1978, a rusty freighter crammed full of human beings desperate for freedom and a new life became stranded off the coast of Malaysia. The story made headline news all over the world. The stranded had written a call for help on a sign stuck outside their boat that read: “Please Rescue Us.” How can anyone not be moved seeing our fellow human beings in such a plight? The Canadians, as well as the rest of the world, witnessed this heart-wrenching event in their own living room that memorial day. Moved by compassion, Canada revised its immigration policy and allowed its citizens to become a part of its resettlement program for refugees – the government would match the number of refugees that private citizens sponsored and resettled.
Wow! What a great deed. This can only be achieved by a great government that cares for the well-being of all human beings, not just their own. It also shows the true leadership of the Canadian government with her citizens’ involvement in such a noble policy that impacts thousands of lives from all over the world for years to come.
A group of caring individuals in Creston who calls themselves the Creston Refugee Committee immediately signed up, as well as other private Canadian groups, and within two years, Canada and her loving citizens resettled 60,000 refugees. It’s incredible what loving kindness can do. Through love alone, we can move even the mightiest mountain.
Almost thirty years later, the Creston Refugee Committee is still active in sponsoring their fellow brethren from all corners of the world – Iraq, Sierra Leone, Vietnam, and others. Beyond fulfilling their responsibility to pay for the cost of food, rent, clothing, household utilities, and day-to-day expenses, the town of Creston gives the refugees what they need most – compassion, moral support, and a sense of inclusion in one big extended family. Love is, indeed, the single most important criteria for the growth of any human being, for all beings.
Wouldn’t it be great if our entire planet was carpeted with “towns with a golden heart”? Wouldn’t it be even better if we could coexist peacefully and in harmony with one another beyond race, creed and social barriers, bound by the common bond of loving kindness that runs deep in every human’s heart? Isn’t it time we learn from human’s bloody history and extend a hand of friendship to our neighbors and stop killing each other through wars, violence, fear, hatred, petty desires, and greed? The refugees who resettled at Creston and many other towns have many horror stories to tell, the horrific things we do to each other. Let’s build a better world based on loving kindness. Let peace begin with us.
