Thoughts on War and Peace: An interview with Arn Chorn-Pond

Today we Skyped with Arn Chorn-Pond. Arn is the founder of the Cambodia Living Arts Foundation, which is an organization dedicated to preserving the musical traditions of Cambodia through education and arts initiatives. Arn is a survivor of the Cambodian genocide of the 1970s, and he shared his story and history with us.

Arn was forced by the Communist Khmer Rouge to be a child soldier during the war. He suffered very much and lost many members of his family. He was lucky enough to be found and adopted by an American named John Pond - this saved his life. He later moved to the USA and faced bullying and racism. He overcame all of these challenges and is now a famous human rights activist.

What struck me most about Arn was his positivity. Although he had a sad childhood, he was not angry or bitter. In fact, he said he "had no face for revenge". Whereas most respond to violence with violence and hatred with hatred, Arn responded with love. Instead of dropping bombs, he played music. He told us that music and storytelling had helped him to heal from the pain and trauma of what he had experienced.

Arn's story is a reminder to us all to always choose kindness and love. I encourage you to read and learn more about his foundation here: http://www.cambodianlivingarts.org/