The Story He Wrote Without Words

The Story He Wrote Without Words
By: Teresa Nikas
From the fictional town of Cedar Valley, where characters from Quiet Echo continue to respond to real-world events.

Ahmed al-Ahmed doesn’t consider himself an author. But on a beach in Sydney two weeks ago, he wrote the most important chapter of his life.

I’ve been reading a book I received for Christmas—The Power of Authors by Evan and Lois Swensen—and it’s changed how I see the news. The book argues that every person has the power to shape the world through what they write, whether with pen or with action. That authors don’t just record history—they make it. And that the stories we tell, and the stories we live, carry moral weight. We are responsible for what our words and deeds put into the world.

I keep thinking about that as I read Ahmed al-Ahmed’s interview, published this morning. The 43-year-old Syrian-Australian fruit seller spoke for the first time about the moment he ran toward gunfire at Bondi Beach, tackled an armed terrorist, and wrestled away his weapon—saving countless lives at a Jewish Hanukkah celebration.

“My target was just to take the gun from him,” Ahmed told CBS News, “and to stop him from killing a human being’s life and not killing innocent people. I know I saved lots, but I feel sorry for the lost.”

He didn’t think about religion. He didn’t calculate the politics. A Muslim man saw Jewish families being murdered, and his conscience—his father’s word—pushed him forward. He thought he might die. He went anyway.

That’s authorship. Not with ink, but with everything he had.

The Power of Authors makes a point that has stayed with me all week: the stories that matter most aren’t always written in books. They’re written in the choices we make when no one’s watching, or when everyone’s watching, and the stakes are highest. Every life is a narrative, and we’re all responsible for what our chapter contributes to the larger story.

Ahmed al-Ahmed wrote a chapter that crossed every boundary the world uses to divide us. Syrian and Australian. Muslim and Jewish. Immigrant and native-born. In a moment of terror, none of that mattered. What mattered was that innocent people were dying, and he could do something about it.

His father said Ahmed’s “conscience and soul” compelled him to act. His cousin said he thought he was going to die, but moved anyway, “without discriminating based on religion or nationality, because we are all human beings.”

That’s the power of authors. Not just the people who put words on pages, but the people who write with their lives.

When Ahmed received a $2.5 million donation from grateful strangers around the world, he asked quietly, “Do I deserve it?” Then he said: “Be together, all human beings, and forget the bad to save lives.”

Simple words. But backed by action that proved he meant them.

I think about what I do here at Cedar Valley News. I put words on a page. I try to make sense of headlines. I try to help readers see current events through values that matter—faith, family, responsibility, common sense. But Ahmed al-Ahmed reminded me this morning that the most powerful stories aren’t the ones we write about. They’re the ones we live.

Swensens are right. Authors have power. And all of us are authors, whether we know it or not. Every day, we’re writing something with our choices, our courage, our willingness to act when it costs us something.

The question isn’t whether we’ll write a story. The question is what kind of story we’ll write.

Ahmed al-Ahmed wrote his on a beach in Sydney, with his body and his blood. He wrote a story about courage, about conscience, about what it means to see another human being—regardless of faith or nation—and decide their life is worth risking your own.

That story will outlast all of us.

What story are you writing?

This editorial is part of the fictional Cedar Valley News series. While the people and town are fictional, the national events they reflect on are real.

Want to know the full story behind Cedar Valley? Teresa, Caleb, Dan, and the community you’ve come to know in these editorials first came together in Quiet Echo: When Loud Voices Divide, Quiet Ones Bring Together. Discover how a small town found its way from fear to fellowship—one quiet act of courage at a time. Available on Amazon: https://bit.ly/3ME4nSs

It’s free, live, and fresh! Quiet Echo—A Cedar Valley News Podcast is live on Apple Podcasts: https://bit.ly/4nV8XsE, Spotify: https://bit.ly/4hdNHfX, YouTube: https://bit.ly/48Zfu1g , and Podcastle: https://bit.ly/4pYRstE. Every day, you can hear Cedar Valley’s editorials read aloud by the voices you’ve come to know—warm, steady, and rooted in the values we share. Step into the rhythm of our town, one short reflection at a time. Wherever you listen, you’ll feel right at home. Presented by the Publication Consultants:  https://publicationconsultants.com/

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