Once upon a story, there was a girl called Tara and a boy called Elijah.
Tara and Elijah were housemates in a student house. They were both students in a university and enjoyed their history course very much.
They liked learning about all the people, the civilisations, their way of living, and finding out where some of our inventions came from.
It was inspiring for both.
One day, Tara came home from university and found a mysterious letter delivered to their house.
She picked up the letter off the floor and looked at it. It was in an envelope with a gold border on it, but it had a normal first-class stamp.
It smelled nice too, she noticed.
So she carefully looked at it and opened the envelope. Inside, there was a letter.
It told of how there were a people who needed help. Their people were being hunted because they weren’t liked and because they were different from the stronger peoples in the nation.
In Tara’s history course, she had also heard stories of how countries sometimes experienced devastation because different peoples could not see a way to live together.
So she was puzzling over this letter. She wondered why it had come to her. After all, she was only one history student.
Elijah burst through the door just then.
He said, “Hi, Tara! What have you got there? A love letter?”
Tara answered, “Kind of. I think there are people who need our help.”
She showed him the letter.
Later, they sat together with cups of tea and talked through what was possible.
A whole people disliking or not getting on with another people was out of both Elijah and Tara’s control.
Them being violent towards each other was also out of Elijah and Tara’s control. After all, they did not want to become involved in a war.
Then Tara said, “Well, we can’t help them directly, Elijah. We can’t fight for them or anything, but it may still be possible for us to help.”
Elijah said, “That’s true. So how can we help them?”
“Well,” said Tara, “people usually don’t like each other because they disagree and because they don’t understand or trust each other.
“So let’s show them something they both want to work for—something both peoples can work on together. When they work together, they will play together. It will be very difficult, but we can all do it if we try.”
Elijah said, “Good luck with that, Tara. The two peoples can’t stand each other and have been fighting for decades.”
Tara said, “Look, Elijah, if you look at the two peoples, they both want a good quality of life. Because they are fighting, they are both losing.
“In history, it is usually one people who wins over another. But let’s look at it differently now. They both want a good quality of life, without fighting, for all their people.
“Let’s show them that it’s possible.”
Elijah said to Tara, “How are you going to do that? Are you going to invite them to a meeting?”
“No, I am going to use social media. I am going to tweet—not for either party, but for something different. A different outlook.
“A world where they both have the best standard of living in the world.
“We will make them see what they have to gain if they stop fighting.
“Will they see it? Maybe not. But if we make it magical enough, people will retweet it and we can make a difference. They are asking for my help, Elijah, and I will do what I can.”
Elijah looked at the letter.
“Well, social media may work, but don’t people only use social media to tell everyone how wonderful they—or their companies—are?”
Tara said, “True. But imagine if we showed a picture of the two peoples building a wonderful city together, using all the money they had saved by not buying weapons for a while.”
Elijah said to Tara, “Do you think we ought to do this, Tara? We are only students. I don’t want to become caught up with any violent people. It scares me a little.”
Tara looked at Elijah and said slowly, “They came to me for help, and I want to help them. But there is a risk of something bad happening.
“What we can do is draw a picture that is open to interpretation. It will send the message loud and clear. It’s only a picture. What they do with the picture is up to them.”
Elijah said, “That’s a great idea, Tara. It sends them the message, but their own minds can interpret it in the way they want to.
“So let’s draw a picture of the smaller group of people helping the larger population. They will hold hands and open the door together to a fantastic building with both their flags on it.”
Tara said, “Let’s get a canvas and do it right now. We can take a photograph of it and post it on social media.”
So Tara and Elijah began, and that is exactly what they did.
They posted the picture on social media, and the two peoples thought about it—a lot.
You can see the picture on the right.
They asked a question alongside the picture:
What was the new land called?
They left the question open for people to consider. When the peoples saw it, all they could ask was, “What shall we call it?”
They forgot their differences and said, “Let’s build this new land. What shall we call it?”
Tara and Elijah took a photograph of the drawing and posted it with the words:
“Out of the shared loss, a new land was born, and they called it…?”
They posted it on the social media channel and left it there for a while.
Later, Tara and Elijah sat together at dinner.
Elijah said to Tara, “You did a really wonderful thing, Tara. You opened their eyes to a new possibility—a good possibility, with them together.
“They will probably still dislike each other, but they may work together for a better future for their children. It’s amazing.”
“Well,” said Tara, “don’t get too excited. They have something to think about, but it matters what actions follow from it, doesn’t it?”
“I want to give you a big hug,” said Elijah, putting his arm around Tara.
“Aww, thanks, Elijah. I need one. I’m a bit emotional. It has really become a part of my heart.
“It’s like a new baby country that has just been born.”