Bob Schwartz

There are three national flags on my desk: Tibet, Palestine, Ukraine.

There are three national flags not on my desk: China, Israel, Russia.

The flags represent nations that have been subject to incursion and occupation.

Tibet was taken over by China in 1959. China began systematically destroying thousands of monasteries in this Buddhist country. Tibetans fled to India and then globally, bringing with them their Buddhist traditions and practices.

In the most recent action against Palestinians, Israel responded to the Hamas massacre and hostage-taking in 2023 with ongoing daily deadly attacks on the infrastructure and people of Gaza, with little hope of a ceasefire.

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, claiming that it is not a sovereign nation but a part of Russia. The destructive war of invasion continues, with Russia taking Ukrainian territory, and with little hope of a ceasefire.

There are three national flags on my desk, honoring the courage of those who endured and endure deadly and unjust belligerence.