“Of course I want to be successful but I don’t crave success for me, I need to be successful to gain enough milk and honey to help those around me succeed.”
-Rupi Kaur
Poetry and art explore possibilities and passion. They can both be an outlet to express different perspectives on the world. This simple poem explains what it means to walk a journey towards social justice; it is not a journey for individual success, rather a journey for the success of others.
The author, Rupi Kaur, is a Canadian-born artist who brings creativity to life through her poetry, photography, and Instagram. She is a strong feminist and social justice advocate who has a unique perspective on how to make the world a better, kinder place.
Kaur is an inspiration leader as she creates pieces centered around topics like women-hood, abuse, inequality, violence, growth, and most importantly: peace. At the core of her work is human dignity. She lets that flow through her pieces in an uplifting, but honest manner.
In a poem she wrote in 2013 about the Sikh genocide that took place in India in 1984, she referred to those that lost their husbands and families to the violence as “milk and honey” and dreamed that one day this phrase would be the name of a future book. Determined to put this dream into action, she recently wrote and self-published a book of poems titled, Milk and Honey. Rupi now releases a few of her pieces on her Instagram or reads them aloud at various open mic nights.
Her work is an inspiration to her audiences. Global citizens can have the loudest voices in the room when fighting for important issues, but taking on those issues comes challenges and obstacles. Taking on the world’s most challenging issues places global citizens on the journey of personal growth through discoveries and knowledge learned along the way.
It may seem corny, but seeing smiles and hearing stories of positivity can bring hope and light to that journey of growth. Each of Rupi’s poems within the book explain this journey of growth and she shines a unique light of hope on them so here’s a sneak peek:
Love is possible:
It’s true that girls & women have the strength to make sustainable change:
Everyone has a story to tell:
Each person has purpose in this world:
Immigration is not just a word:
There is much more to life than what meets the eye:
There is hope:
In an interview with Huffington Post, Kaur mentioned that when readers read Milk and Honey, she hopes they find peace and comfort.
“I want it to be something they always refer back to. Something they read when they need a hug or some understanding and no one is around to understand them. Something they can carry around with them. I want the book to be what I needed around me when I was growing up.”
To be honest, it isn’t always easy being a global citizen, and the journey of growth is sometimes a challenge. Rupi Kaur reminds me that the global citizen journey is not a lonely one because we all have each other.
With a just few simple words in each of her poems, she shines a light on the world by also saying that the fight for justice is a hopeful one filled with love and beauty.
Thank you, Rupi Kaur, for sprinkling a little bit of hope back into the world!