Monuments of the world are crying!
“9 Italians, 7 Japanese, 2 Bangladeshis, 1 American and 1 Indian were taken hostage and then killed in my beloved city of Dhaka, where I was born in 1872”, said the red complexioned Ahsan Manzil in a voice choked with emotion.
The Gateway of India put an arm around her consolingly and said, “I understand exactly how you feel, my sister, I still remember that dark night of November, eight years ago, when the merchants of death entered the city of Mumbai through my very gates, and I could not do anything about it”, tears streamed down the eyes of the 92 year old Mumbai monument as she recounted the horrors of that fateful day.
“The merchants of death came in a boat and entered the city of Mumbai and released a storm of hate and terror across the city, killing hundreds of innocent people, and I watched mutely, unable to do a thing. I watched the massacre across the road at The Taj and The Oberoi hotels and all I could do was wail and bemoan my fate”.
The Iron Lady looked sympathetically at her friends, her normally erect posture seemed to have stooped slightly as she spoke in a soft voice which sounded husky, probably because of hours of crying. “They call me the “Iron Lady” and I have been standing tall and erect from 1924 but what happened last year in November in Paris has affected me like nothing else has. Bloodshed of innocents, is something that should never happen”. “Why is Man fighting Man? Why are guns replacing flowers? Where has love gone?
The Blue Mosque sat pensive, lost in thought as they all looked at him, hoping for some words of reassurance, hoping for some kind of direction. They all looked up to him expectantly as he was the oldest of them all, at 400 years, he had seen more of the world than they had and he was a font of wisdom.
“We need to do something NOW, said the Blue Mosque gravely”. “Just the other day, my beloved Istanbul was turned into a river of blood by these faceless terrorists whose only religion is hate”.
“But sir, what can we do, we are all helpless and are mute witnesses to the mayhem across our cities”, said the “Notre Dame du Sablon”, from Brussels.
“We cannot continue to be mute spectators, it is time we shook our foundations and did something, otherwise it will be too late”, said the Blue Mosque somberly. “Billions of travelers from all around the world come to see and admire us and their lives are at risk because of the heinous intentions of a few, this needs to stop”!
The monuments then were huddled together for 12 hours of continuous discussion and then came to a decision, they wrote an open letter to all the heads of State and all the religious heads of the World. Here is what they wrote:
Dear Brothers and Sisters of this beautiful World,
Please do something today, to stop this bloodshed. Say yes to love and a BIG No to hate. Stop the manufacture of weapons of hate and death. Increase the manufacture of weapons of love and peace, e.g. trees, flowers, monuments, sculpture, paintings, books, music etc.. The World is very big and there is place for everyone to live in peace and harmony, in fact only 43% of the earth’s inhabitable area is utilized today. Don’t let religion divide you, when we monuments are one, than why can’t you humans, who are supposed to be super intelligent understand the oneness of humanity. There are only two religions, love and hate. Please convert everyone to the religion of love and banish hate out of the world. We, all monuments take a pledge today to support you in a joint quest for peace and happiness. We are ready to sacrifice our lives but do not want to see the tears and blood of innocent people wash our cities, we do not want to hear the wails of a child crying for the touch of a mother who lies still and lifeless in a pool of blood.
We do not want the monuments of the world to cry!
Monumentally yours
Monuments of the world.
This article has also been published on Huffington post. Please check here.
The letter is heartbreakingly needed. So many monuments mark multiple deaths of innocent people, yet the killing and violence continues.
Yes, very true.
Great story. I like to think of monuments as things that will prove that hate and destruction won’t win. Once the gunfire and destruction are silenced, the monuments stand tall as a reminder that hate will not win and the love of the people will outlast it all.
You said it Kevin. Absolutely. 🙂
Wow. What a deep and moving post. It’s always a great reminder to have people unite in love and hope.
Thank you Sarah. 🙂 People definitely have to unite in love and hope.
What a fascinating perspective– from that of the world’s great monuments. Very interesting!
Thank you Jess. 🙂
…“Why is Man fighting Man? Why are guns replacing flowers?”… I wonder this all the time. Isn’t it time we think of other ways to get along and not automatically start fighting 🙁
You are absolutely right. We need to have a world where there is no fear of such happenings.
Powerful images of these grand symbols of civilization and cultures — and even more powerful words to go along with the world’s heartbreak. There has to be a more peaceful way. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Patricia. World needs peace and love.
Interesting subject. There are far too many monuments in the world marking fallen heroes and brave men dying needlessly in conflict. Love and Peace.
May love and peace prevail.
Well put! We are all human beings who would like the world to be a peaceful place — except for a few radicals who have lost all sense of reality. Thank you for helping us reiterate this point. I have happily shared your post.
Thank you Doreen. 🙂 We really need to come together and makes this world a happy place.
It’s true, we humans need to come together instead of drifting apart! No wonder the statues are weeping!
Yes, we need to come together and stop all that is negative.
Beautiful post! This is exactly what we need right now — more love and less hate. I like how you creatively written a topic that is probably as old as those monuments.
Thank you Ivan. 🙂
Very well written! We should be sharing more messages like this in a time where violent attacks seem to happen on an almost daily basis, all over the world 🙁
Thank you. 🙂
What a brilliant and thought provoking post. I thoroughly enjoyed it and seeing the descriptions alongside the monument. Definitely, let love rule.
Yes, let love rule. Thank you Melody. 🙂
This is a beautiful story with a powerful message!
Thank you Cynthia. 🙂
This is a beautiful and unique post. If these buildings could really talk, I’m sure they’d have similar stories to tell about the atrocities that people have committed against each other. What is sad is that some of them are becoming defenseless targets, too….the mosque in Medina, the ruins of Palmyra, the ruins of Timbuktu….
True, it is high time all these stop. Thank you Erika. 🙂
Nothing more to add. So full of Love and Hope…
Thank you Stephanie. 🙂
Beautiful. Each one of these has a story to tell, if we simply want to listen. The history is important.
Very true.
This is really beautifully written and definitely needed saying. There is too much hate and not enough love in this world right now.
Exactly, this world needs to have more love than hatred. Thank you. 🙂
Amen to that. I fervently hope with each passing day that the world comes to its senses and we get the one thing we so badly need.
Peace.
Absolutely!
Beautifully piece.
Thank you Janet. 🙂
A really thought provoking read! I totally agree that their needs to be less hate in this world.
Thank you Naralie. 🙂 True, we need more love to spread in this world.
“Why is Man fighting Man? Why are guns replacing flowers? Where has love gone?” is the question that I ask constantly. So sad to see what our world is becoming, but I still have hope for humanity. This was a great post and interesting perspective. I’d never quite thought about it.
Thank you Colby. Yes, we still have hope in this world and in humanity.
Wow such a beautiful letter, thanks for creating and sharing such beautiful words. I do hope people actually read this and take note.
Thank you. 🙂
Very interesting post! Well done 🙂
Thank you Chelsea. 🙂
A lovely post and great insight. Also a reminder for all of us to love and respect each other in the world we live in rather than hurting and killing one another.
Yes, exactly. Love and respect is what this world needs.
I am all about making the world a better place. I am somehow surprised at how we haven’t really evolved as human beings, after thousands of years…
Yes, we need to evolve and be better human beings. Thank you. 🙂
Let there be peace!
Amen!
This is really accurate to what everyone who’s not instigating the violence is saying. It’s heartbreaking across the board.
It is heartbreaking and we all need to give our kids a better world.
Beautifully written. I loved the message and I totally concur with it.
Thank you. 🙂
This is a very touching post. You have given a different perspective to the monuments and the prevalent human tragedies of today’s time.
Thank you. 🙂 We all look forward to a better world.
This is very well put. It describes the current situation like no other. hope the world becomes a better place in the near future.
Thank you. 🙂 Yes, a better world with peace and humanity.
A creative and touching way to capture how many of us are feeling right now 🙁 It is so frustrating — and I 100% agree that the only religions are love and hate. Flowers > guns.
Thank you. 🙂 We need to have love and peace in this world.
Imagine what monuments and buildings in Berlin would say… I thought a lot about that while I was living there.
I know, the world needs peace.
You have portrayed this in such an interesting perspective. The world needs peace, that can shed off the racial discriminations and other stereotypes. One of the most powerful posts I have ever come across.
Thank you Sreeram. 🙂
Wow this is such a powerful and moving post. This has been so beautifully written and the pictures compliment the words. Great post
Thank you Claire. 🙂
Creative perspective and a very important message! Hopefully more people will realize that humans are essentially the same and we all want the same simple things out of life.
Exactly, we need to realize that.
great post with wonderful images to illustrate it all… monuments have a long way of telling one his or her history you know…
Thank you. 🙂
this is one of many posts I read today that truly touched my heart and soul, and I couldn’t help to shred tears. Tears of hope that one day, we wake up not worrying of our lives, and just happy to see each others smiles.
Thank you. 🙂 You are correct, hope we get to see that day!
The world can certainly use more love and less hate!
Absolutely! Thank you. 🙂
Very true. Thank you. 🙂
Great article bloke, monuments have been the sight of some of mankind’s worst acts throughout history and will continue to be no doubt. Churches are especially significant for terror as that is what they say they are representing. Maybe one day the world will be a better place but i doubt it
Hopefully, one day the world would be a better place full of love!
Never thought about this or realized it. You brought a lot to light. Great article.
Thank you Holly. 🙂
Such a beautiful post. The world needs more love & unity. Peace will follow.
Thank you. 🙂 Yes, indeed.
If only anyone listened… 🙁
Yeah!
This post really moved me, beautifully written and unfortunately so true. Why indeed can’t we make our monuments smile instead of cry….
I feel you! I feel everything you say. I was there in Mumbai that fateful day – I walked down to the scene while there were still bullets flying about the morning after. It was a painful situation, and though the wounds have healed over time, the anger at these incidents happening every now and then doesn’t go away!
I can very well imagined what you feel! 🙁
This made me tear up, especially seeing Notre Dame de Sablon. Brussels is not as popular as some other cities but I love visiting there. But traveling around the world you see scars of other bad times–world wars, oppressive Communist dictators, military juntas–and they never last forever. I believe the same thing will happen with these terrorists.
Yes, hoping for a better future.
An interesting post. I really like the idea of telling the stories through each cities monuments
Thank you. 🙂
Very genuine letter and wonderfully written piece. With all the not-so-good things happening now, some can reflect from the past. Monuments may present a lot of pride, but people should be reminded that behind that honor was a lot of sacrfices.
Thank you. 🙂
The monuments have every right to cry. What a neat way of explaining your thoughts and opinion, using monuments has that instant connection with many travellers. Good post. Hopefully people unite, now more than ever.
Thank you. 🙂 Hopefully!
I can’t help myself not to shed some tears. Yes! The monument of the world is dying and I am in sorrow watching those innocent people die. Nowadays, sympathy and love are hard to find. Why is it happening? There’s only one thing that I could do to save this world, to pray to God. I know everything happens for a reason.
#prayforeveryone.
Pray for everyone and we need to realize that all are human beings and at the end deep down all are the same.
This is so sad and beautiful at the same time! Why are some people so cruel? This world should be a safer and happier place.
I really like how you combined the photos of the sights and tears, very touching!
Thank you Veronica. 🙂 We need a more happier world.
This is a very good angle to look on things – I, like many others, never considered statues in this way before! It’s very sad, and I hope the world sees more cheerful times in the future.
Thank you. 🙂 Yes, hopefully things should cheer up in this world.
I was in Paris 2 weeks after the attack in November, and in Istanbul 2 days after the bombing in Sultanahmet Square. Being in these places, you can feel the immense grief, but also a powerful resilience as well, which I think is captured in the enduring presence of these monuments. This was a beautiful, though heartbreaking piece. Thanks for writing it!
Thank you. 🙂 I am sure experiencing these heart breaking events will have left a life changing experience for you.
Seriously, what have we become? We are the greatest threat to this world. I don’t understand. Not only monuments cry from this cruel world, unfortunately.
Yes, it is really sad, we now hear about Nice in France and Turkey! Humanity should not die!
Such an interesting way of putting such a deep thought. Indeed there are genuine reasons for the monuments of the world to be sad. We human need to re-learn and re-ignite our humanity and the world will be so much more beautiful