"Don't Tell My Mother"

This is Diego Buñuel standing at the wall built by Israel to keep out Gaza Strip. He is the host and director of the NAT GEO series "Don't Tell My Mother".

Last night, I watched the episode "Don't Tell My Mother I'm In the Balkans." I found it most enlightening. I appreciate how the story was told, how the scenes were filmed, and how the interviews were done. I am heartened that certain people were introduced in recognition of their selfless contributions to the people around them. The show has helped me to gain new insights into the tragedies and atrocities of the Balkan War.

I hope more people will watch the episodes of "Don't Tell My Mother" and reflect on the ongoing and never-ending human strifes and conflicts.

Diego Buñuel's Profile

My name is Diego Buñuel, host and director of the series, "Don’t Tell My Mother", on the National Geographic Channel. I am a French foreign news correspondent, and the grandson of the renowned Spanish film director, Luis Buñuel. I was born in Paris, and have bachelor degrees in journalism and political science from Northwestern University in Chicago, USA. After graduating, I did an internship at the Chicago Tribune before moving to Florida to handle the police beat for the Sun-Sentinel in Miami. The French military drafted me to serve in Sarajevo. I worked for NATO’s weekly armed forces newspaper and travelled all over the war-torn Balkans. My 10-month experience in the service inspired me to become a war correspondent. In 2001, I joined the Capa Television Agency where I produced and reported for French television. My assignments focused on international affairs from Afghanistan, Congo, Iraq, Indonesia, Israel, China and North Korea.

Sacrificing money for love

A young Indian lady who cleans my home office told me this incredible story. A married couple who are her relatives adopted an orphan girl when she was a toddler. Since the time of adoption, the couple knows that the girl is entitled to an inheritance when she reaches the age of 21.

Five years ago, the girl’s adopted parents persuaded my Indian friend to introduce a boy to the girl. My friend duly introduced a respectable young man and sparks of romance began. The young couple became inseparable. Last year, the girl was 20. The adopted parents encouraged them to tie the knot. They wanted the wedding to be held before the girl’s 21st birthday.

After all the wedding plans have been made, the adopted parents dropped a bombshell – they wanted the girl to transfer her inheritance to them. The girl was angry. The boy was furious. My Indian friend was outraged. The adopted parents were adamant. If the girl refused to accede to their demands, they would cancel the wedding and marry her off to another man.

After months of bitter wrangle, the girl and her future husband became enlightened. They became aware that the inheritance was the cause of their pain and suffering. It was the cause of the evil that tortured them. The desire to get hold of the money has driven everybody insane.

The young couple made a startling decision. They decided to sacrifice the inheritance for their happiness. The girl is convinced that she loves her man more than her money. The young man is convinced that he has the ability to support his wife and raise a family without any inheritance. My friend is convinced that the young couple has chosen wisely.

I rang my friend, “Have they signed the papers?”

“Yes. It’s all done. The girl has transferred her inheritance to the people who brought her up. It’s okay. She doesn’t have to worry about the future. God will always be there.”

Greed can turn us into zombies. Perhaps, God has to destroy all our material possessions so that we learn to treat each other with love, kindness and compassion.