Davos aims at our shared future but what about shared good

If you noticed I have been silent for a short while, I stopped posting on 'peaceroads' in January because of various other commitments, mainly my university studies. And after all the deadlines and sleepless nights, I enjoyed one week in a quiet, pretty and posh English town - Harpenden. Everything there is so green compared…Read more Davos aims at our shared future but what about shared good

My cheesy Christmas reflections on this beautiful mess

'Cheesy' in the urban dictionary means trying too hard. That which is unsubtle or inauthentic in its way of trying to elicit a certain response from a viewer, listener, reader, audience. Cliches are often cheesy because they are an obvious way of making a point. What obvious point I want to make? That this world…Read more My cheesy Christmas reflections on this beautiful mess

Season of Advent reminds us why universal declaration of human rights still matters

Universal declaration of human rights? United nations? International cooperation? International order? Preventing wars? Striving for peace? Respecting human dignity? It is almost 70 years since this declaration was proclaimed and yet it is hard to shake the impression that many people/nations/leaders could care less... I look up at the calendar on my kitchen wall and…Read more Season of Advent reminds us why universal declaration of human rights still matters

Am I my brother’s keeper?

Thursday, November 30, in Riga was cold, wet and windy. In the evening my friend Bella and I went to the Freedom Monument to help light the candles and prepare the space for a special Holocaust memorial. The official start was to be an hour later and the volunteers were busy getting things organized. I…Read more Am I my brother’s keeper?

Martin Luther, Krišjānis Barons and my claim to fame

My parents could not pick the day I was born but my mom was always very proud of the date - October 31. She used to tell me that I was born on the same day as Krišjānis Barons (1835-1923), one of the most influential people in forming Latvian national identity and shaping cultural history.…Read more Martin Luther, Krišjānis Barons and my claim to fame

Lustration and flushing out the Soviet poison for good

I belong to two generations. Gen X - Nirvana, grunge, MTV, The Cure, flannel shirts, cynicism... but also a generation between two worlds and two truths. Born in the USSR, I  became an adult in free and independent Latvia. The feature photo was taken at a former Soviet military facility in western Latvia which used…Read more Lustration and flushing out the Soviet poison for good

Rohingya and soul searching in Myanmar

Myanmar is making international headlines again and the news is not good. Tragedy for the thousands and thousands of people who are losing their homes, ancestral land, possessions and fleeing to neighboring country Bangladesh... hundreds are also losing their lives and their loved ones. The story of Rohingya ethnic minority has repeated through the years…Read more Rohingya and soul searching in Myanmar

Beware of narrow vocabularies and two-dimensional world

The great "back to school" migration has begun... public transport packed with excited or anxious children, proud or worried parents and other happy or annoyed passengers who observe this happy noise and energy. In fact I am building up my own excitement for continued studies in Latvia University which begins on Monday. In Latvia (and…Read more Beware of narrow vocabularies and two-dimensional world