A Word From The Creator

My name is Holly Payberg and I created the Human Flag concept and it’s Network with the help and support of some very dear friends for the purpose of not only making a peaceful difference in the world but also being the difference.

I initially created the Human Flag to appease my own frustration over the state of the world and my lack of being able to do anything about it. I've always been a very sensitive and compassionate person and when I looked out at the world I saw so much sadness, confusion and anger and it just made me frustrated because I knew it didn’t have to be that way. I saw people misunderstanding one another, or not even trying to understand one another. I saw individuals hating whole groups of people because of differing religious beliefs or colors of skin. I saw entire countries conditioned to hate each other because their leaders had a special agenda or simply couldn’t agree. And for what?

We all have our different struggles. We all have our suffering. We all have grown up with certain beliefs due to the part of the world or situation we were born into. Why do we have to hate each other for them? Why can’t we move beyond what we were taught to believe, to what we know in our hearts is right? Why can’t we see that we are all doing the best we can with what we know? Why can’t we learn from our differences and develop an understanding for why each person acts the way they do? Couldn’t we say we’re sorry to those who seem to have been dealt an unfair hand, even if we weren’t the ones who dealt it? Couldn’t we try to heal rather then persecute? It’s all a choice.

And that’s when it hit me: it is a choice. My choice. I can’t do much to change the state of the world or other people’s minds but I can make a commitment to change myself. Then I proceeded to write the Ten Commitments of the Human Flag, which now serve as my guideline. I will admit right off the bat that I am not perfect and that the commitments are not easy to follow, but I figure if I give it my best shot, then at least my world will be a better place.

I’m sharing the concept with you in hopes that it might bring you some inspiration.  I want to make sure that you understand, however, that it will never be my intent to impose my beliefs upon you. I believe it’s that very type of imposition that has caused the human race so much trouble in the first place. You can make your own commitments and life choices  and I will respect them.

If you do feel inspired by the Human Flag concept and decide that you would like to make a similar commitment,  then the Human Flag symbol will become your visible opportunity to express that choice and the Human Flag Network, my offering of support to you as you embark on the challenging path of remaining committed to that choice.

I’ve purposely left out a lot of rules in my commitments, as I don’t seem to function too well under them, but for those who like rules, I’ll share with you the one rule I do like to follow: When faced with the tough decisions or even the most simplest I can always find the answer by asking "what’s the most loving thing I can do in this moment". It’s definitely not the easiest rule to live by, nor is listening to the answer to the question, but I find it gets me where I want to go.

My best to you all on your journey’s. Wish me luck on mine. Feel free to write to me with all your triumphs and tragedies. I’ll be putting mine right here on the network for you to check out, but in the form of entertainment, workshops and other fun things the journey inspires me to create. That’s my favorite way. Enjoy!!!

Lot’s of love,

Holly