by Maria Spiliopoulou, Valentini Anagnostopoulou
ATHENS, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Paddling to the quiet quay of Kastella, near Greece's largest port Piraeus, Mark Fuhrmann, a 60-year old Canadian PR expert, finished an epic journey on Tuesday.
Eight months after leaving his home in Oslo and embarking on a 5,400 km solo kayak paddle to Athens spreading the message of peace, he arrived here tired, 14 kg lighter, but very happy.
Fuhrmann is partner in an Oslo-based communications firm, father of three children aged 17-28, a widower and founder of "The Piece Prize", a humanitarian award recognizing individuals and organizations actively involved in making neighborhoods, communities and cities a peaceful place through acts of genuine kindness and caring.
On April 1, he set out for a so-called "Silent Heroes" tour, alone, with his kayak, a tent and the ambition of promoting his idea about encouraging small gestures of kindness on the local level which eventually could help make the world a better place.
"Life is a journey. Together we are better... Peace begins, first and foremost, to see humanity as a family," he wrote on his blog chronicling his battles with rough seas, strong winds, hypothermia, and numerous moments of joy.
He paddled through 15 European countries where several strangers offered a helping hand, a bed to sleep in their homes, some food and even a hug.
Shortly after crossing the finish line, Fuhrmann talked to Xinhua about his endeavor, the objective of his mission and his hopes.
"I came up with this idea because I believe in humanity. I believe that there are many good people. I started this dream about the Piece Prize...We are a piece of the puzzle...We need to be kind to the people who come our way," he said.
What inspired him was an old lady living near his home who had been locked in her house for four days as the snow had reached up to her waist, until he and his daughter noticed it and shoveled away the snow one evening.
Reaching her doorstep she opened the door with tears running down her face and he was left wondering, "Have we lost our sense of family?"
Going through Europe, rivers, canals and open seas, cities and villages he got his answer.
"I have met hundreds of people who are doing good, good things and I can honestly say that I have not lost my belief in humanity. If each local community took care of the people inside the community, we would have local peace. We want to recognize silent people doing silent things," he said.
In collaboration with 3,000 students along his route, Fuhrmann found many silent heroes and rewarded them with a modest prize of about 1,000 euros (1,180 U.S. dollars) raised by donations to support their work.
The "silent heroes" can be anyone of any age doing good for the elderly, the homeless, the refugees and so on. They may run community organizations, be involved with charity work, be a friend to those in need, do good deeds, anything that demonstrates compassion for others, regardless of the scale of the activity.
Fuhrmann will decide in early December with the students of a school in Athens who will be the "silent hero" in Greece. Many cases cross his mind.
He referred to an 83-year-old grandma in Idomeni living on a 450 euros monthly pension who opened her home and her heart to many refugees to take a shower, wash their clothes or eat a bite.
Greek people's solidarity with the more than one million refugees and migrants who landed in Greece in the past two years was the reason why he chose Athens to be his final stop.
Another moment he recalls is a man hugging him and crying with him next to a canal in France. After helping him to pull his kayak out of the water and asking about his tour, he found out that they had something common. Fuhrmann's wife passed away from cancer five years ago. The kind stranger had lost his daughter to cancer three weeks ago.
"Those are the special moments, when you interact with another human being and you know you have touched that person's life. These are the most beautiful and I have had many of those experiences," Fuhrmann told Xinhua.
He stressed that when he started many people thought that he wouldn't make it. He is not a professional athlete, but only took up kayaking seven years ago as a hobby. The journey was extremely demanding and everyday he was afraid.
Fuhrmann intends to continue travelling around the world without his kayak.
