Today is Valentine's Day so I want to send out a message of love and hope through a piece by street artist Banksy. It first appeared in London, but is has been painted and reproduced in all kinds of media throughout the world.

Yesterday I heard a really short interview on Swedish Radio with Pope Francis where he expressed despair over global indifference when asked about the situation on Lampedusa. While media and politicians (& almost everybody else)  on a daily basis closely follows the markets in Tokyo, New York and elsewhere, fearing the collapse of capitalism, the human catastrophes of starvation and war generally leave us ignorant. I am not a Catholic, but who cannot agree with him on this issue (even if there can be reason to question his own organization on different levels).

The painting by Banksy might be full of clichés (a little girl representing hope, a heart-shaped ballon representing love, etc.), but if we leave the cynicism behind it is also very emotional and heart-warming. Perhaps this is a day for widening our horizons and start caring about more people than just giving chocolate and red roses to the one we love. In that mode I end this post with another politically infused piece by Banksy.