Peace Vigils and the Peace Keeper in Each of Us

My brother was recently shopping at a thrift store and picked up a copy of the book, On the Road with Charles Kuralt for me (knowing I was a fan of Kuralt and his CBS Sunday Morning successor, Charles Osgood.)

The stories in the book offer quick glimpses into the special moments, challenges, attitudes and accomplishments of everyday people ... and they are a delight to read.

One particular story that resonated with me is that of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration who have been praying for peace without interruption since 1878 (with two sisters leaving the altar as two others take their place). This vigil for peace is simply what the Sisters do — rain or shine, whether wars are raging or subsiding and I was somehow comforted by knowing their prayers for peace are ongoing.

Another story of a similar nature which I recently learned of (though not through Kuralt's book, and logistically much closer to home than that of the good Sisters)  is the Saturday morning peace vigil that takes place weekly in Carbondale, Illinois.  The story goes, according to one of the peace vigil participants, Michael Batinski, that those involved "come from diverse traditions, some religious and some emphatically secular. Their talk is often not focused on the vigil’s purpose. Nor does the talk turn to religious topics. Some reflect on their personal lives. They joke. They exchange thoughts on other community activities. The wars do not come up, at least not directly. Yet wars are there, always. These people have been gathering despite the lessons that might teach them the futility of their actions. They have been standing on that corner for nearly a decade. Many are veteran advocates of peace. For decades they have protested the growth of the military state and have watched it grow steadily in size ... And they keep true to their convictions, capturing the message with the signs they hold. “I am against the next war.” and “Been here since 2001.”

Again, I was somehow comforted knowing these folks steadfastly (and literally) stand for peace every Saturday without fail.

Today I was thumbing through an older copy of Backwoods Home magazine and came across an article by Claire Wolfe titled Ten Real Inspirations. The article featured famous individuals who have left their mark on society by making significant difference in the lives of others. The article also featured lesser known folks, but heroes at a given moment in time none-the-less. One particularly interesting mention was that of Roger Olian who responded to the victims of an Air Florida plane which had gone down into the Potomac River on a snowy January morning back in 1982. Olian had arrived on the scene before any "official" rescuers or the media. He spent 20 painfully cold minutes crawling over the ice on the river and swimming through the frigid water to help the stranded passengers in the river. He never actually reached any of them, nor was even sure he could do so when he began his effort, but those he tried to help later said he accomplished a vital task -- his inspiring crawl gave those people stranded in that freezing water something to focus on, offering them hope that they could be – and would be – saved. And sure enough, the helicopters with their lifesaving equipment and personnel, arrived to do just that.
The article goes on to remind us that even if a challenge seems larger than life, even when we feel we've been beaten or that we're fighting a battle without end -- instead of giving in to or being governed by failure, we are better served by acknowledging failure's reality, taking a deep breathe and finding a new way to move forward. After all, as Ms. Wolfe's words astutely assess ... You can triumph even when you don't "win."

With that lesson in mind, we are assured that whether or not these peace vigils (and the peace keeper in each of us) can change our government's foreign policy on the time table of our choosing, whether or not they bring an end to the ongoing wars sooner rather than later -- we still triumph by living our convictions, doing what we do, working toward (but not being contingent upon) positive results of our actions.

~ Jan

Join Our Online International Day of Peace Rally on September 21, 2011

The history behind International Day of Peace suggests the day offers each of us an opportunity to recognize and honor personal, political, and planetary progress toward peace. People in all parts of the world are organizing efforts to commemorate and celebrate this special day with events ranging from private gatherings to large scale public events.

With that in mind,  I had the idea to organize an ONLINE International Day of Peace Rally to be held on Wednesday, September 21st, using all the online tools at our disposal (i.e. social networking sites, blogs, websites, email contacts, etc) to spread the message of peace with help from my personal friends (and all friends of peace)!


I find the idea of coming together for a specific Day of Peace to be exciting and inspiring ... and hope that as we each promote and participate in the event itself, we'll find the union of our intentions and actions to be productive in a positive and memorable way.

Wishing you peace and prosperity,

Jan

What Have You Done for Peace Today?

Just asking this simple question of ourselves helps us think about those things we naturally do to promote peace -- and what other actions/attitudes we may want to try incorporating into our lives that may also promote peace within our families, communities and nation.

I posed this question to the members of our Mothers Institute group on facebook and found the following comments inspiring ... in no small part because many of these individual actions are doable/achievable for most everyone and have the potential to produce far-reaching positive consequences.

1) Hugged my children

2) Shared my garden harvest with my next door neighbors.

3) I am campaigning (for specific candidates) who will bring all of our troops home so that families can be reunited in peace with their loved ones.

4)  For my behavior to be peaceful, I must be at peace with myself. Today I made peace with another little bit of me that has forever been a bone of contention between me and me.

Now ... what will you do for peace tomorrow?

Jan

Alliterations for Peace

I have always enjoyed alliterations. Artistically speaking, a sentence or phrase which contains a repeated consonant sound has a poetic or even musical quality to its message. On the practical side, alliterations offer a clever way to call attention to, and more readily remember, a particular piece of information.

In my research for effective ways to promote a dialogue of peace in and among our own communities, I have come across some wonderful ideas, organizations and events which I have dubbed “Alliterations for Peace". The existing efforts inspired me to do a bit of brainstorming of my own ... and the product of my research, coupled with a few ideas garnered from my brainstorming, produced this list below.

Parents for Peace
Peace through Pie
Pennies for Peace
Peace of Pizza
Picnics for Peace
Planning for Peace
Planting for Peace
Postcards for Peace
Potlucks for Peace

In our Mothers Institute Anti-War, Pro-Peace Moms group, we're discussing how these Alliterations for Peace can help unite those already working for peace with others who are newer to the movement as well as introducing basic concepts and efforts to those not yet unfamiliar with peace-promoting endeavors  -- hopefully with great results. There is something very doable and pleasant about these types of community efforts and events (i.e. pie socials, pizza parties, postcard writing campaigns, community potlucks, etc..) as they provide opportunities for discussing/promoting peace in a very peaceful manner.

And of course there's nothing wrong with having plenty of anti-war, pro-peace literature sitting right next to the pies and pizzas.   :-)      ~ Jan

The Four E's: Enlightenment, Education, Empowerment, Entrepreneurship

My online research often takes me to interesting websites chock-full of valuable information on a variety of subjects -- and of course good information can, more often that not, be applied to many areas of one's life.  For example, I was reading about self-reliant living when I came across a list I've personally dubbed "The Four E's". 

The list was presented on the Self-Reliance Works website in response to answers they'd received from a questionnaire they had put together for their readers. The questionnaire summarily asked: "What is the hardest thing for you in regards to putting together and implementing a preparedness plan". 

The gist of the combined answers was interesting (and in many ways pertinent to what we anti-war, pro-peace advocates might experience in some circles) -- people's biggest frustration was the lack of support, and downright “you’re crazy” attitude of their immediate and extended families. 

The author of the list contemplated how best to address such a universal concern as “What can I do to convince others…?” and came up with what I now call The 'Four E's".  I think it's worth a look for anyone involved in any kind of activism or movement when working to educate, persuade, and bring a unique perspective on a particular subject to the table.   
                                 
Jan

_________________
 

The Four E's

1. Enlightenment: The prominent meaning of enlightenment is awareness, understanding. To me this suggests that we should be continuously aware of what is going on in the world, prepare as we see fit, and yet, be understanding of those who don’t agree with us.
2. Education: Synonyms – Learning, improvement, guidance, preparation. This applies to everyone at all times — continuous learning and preparation. Seeking guidance and self-improvement. Ultimately we are responsible only for our own education in life.
3. Empowerment: Synonyms – consent, permission, acceptance, acknowledgment. Definition – to give power or authority to. This works two ways. Give power to others to act as they choose, but most importantly, give yourself permission to make your own decisions, with or without the support of others. Accept that they may never “get on board” with your preparedness plans, but choose to prepare for yourself and family regardless.
4. Entrepreneurship: Definition - person who organizes and manages any enterprise usually with considerable initiative and risk. These synonyms are appropriate: organizer, producer, promoter. And if YOU are the organizer, the manager, promoter and producer, so be it. YOU will be prepared. YOU will sleep at night without worry. ~ by Joan Crain

List source: http://www.self-reliance-works.com/2011/05/self-reliance-with-or-without-support/#more-20114

Activist or Supporter: A Shared Struggle with Shared Solutions

Whether you’re a rabble-rousing, protest-marching, demonstration-planning activist or a home-educating, pie-baking, letter-to-the-editor writing supporter of the Anti-War, Pro-Peace Movement, you and I share in this struggle and seek solutions that will produce a more peaceful life and world. 

Whether your style is more vocal or less visible ... whether your participation is on the national stage or at the community park  ... whether your efforts reach hundreds of thousands or just those in your neighborhood – you can make a difference. We all can make a difference.

No one technique for opposing war and promoting peace is the single correct technique, no one solution is the only viable solution, no one effort is any more important than the other.  Activist or Supporter (or somewhere in between) all of us matter in this movement, all of our effort’s complement each other and together we lighten each others' load in the task that is before us.

Jan

 

"Weapons of Mass Instruction" ... Anti-War, Pro-Peace Reading for Children

I came across the following list of reading materials for children of all ages which was created from the contributions of librarians, educators, parents and young readers.
I love the title, "Weapons of Mass Instruction" -- as a well conceived/catchy phrase is essential in capturing the importance of a message, mission and movement.

Check out the list at: http://www.sol-plus.net/peace.htm

Jan

Pacifism vs. Anti-War, Pro-Peace, Pro-Defense

Pacifism as defined by Webster:

1: opposition to war or violence as a means of settling disputes; specifically  refusal to bear arms on moral or religious grounds

2: an attitude or policy of nonresistance

I do not consider myself a pacifist -- but I am anti-war and pro-peace based on the non-aggression principle i.e I oppose the initiation of force and fraud. 

In keeping with the non-aggression principle, I would not consider myself anti-defense, but rather pro-defense -- as once force has been initiated upon me or my family, etc.. I would defend myself, my family, and my country using force if necessary.

There is no denying the mother-bear-defending-her-cubs instinct runs deep.

Jan

Picnics for Peace: Generating Shared Positive Experiences

I recently read an article that mentioned the documentary, 10 Questions for the Dalai Lama, and how in that documentary the Dalai Lama suggested simple solutions for a more peaceful world in troubled times -- gatherings such as picnics and festivals where presented as genuine tools to bring people together.

Often war and peace are thought of  in abstract terms -- or as something that is determined only through high level meetings involving political leaders on a national or global scale. But as the article went on to explain, people don't live in the abstract or on the national or global scene -- but rather they live in the every day of their individual lives. So to address the larger problems of war and find solutions toward peace, we are wise to meet people where they live through and among their everyday lives and experiences.

This brings us back to the basics and clarifies the wisdom in and beauty of organizing local events such as Picnics for Peace.

I'm working on a plan for that now  :-)

More to follow shortly ...

Jan

Peace Through Pie

With a desire to unite the Anti-War, Pro-Peace Mothers' Movement, I have been enjoying the process of researching various efforts, individuals, groups and organizations whose goals are similar to mine.

In the process, I came across the following effort, Peace Through Pie, and  immediately liked the idea of hosting a Pie Social as a venue for opening up a community dialogue on peace through peaceful  means (envisioning anti-war, pro-peace literature scattered around on all the tables for people to pick up, review and discuss at their leisure).

Here's more about this effort:

Peace Through Pie is an expression of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream of a "Beloved Community", where everyone shares a piece of the pie. PTP's mission initiates and encourages conversation about the values we share and our ability to make peace with our neighbors. The pie, an age-old comfort food in many traditions around the world, symbolizes an inclusive equality with its circular form and diverse ingredients.

Peace Through Pie invites neighborhood associations, churches, schools, businesses, organizations, and individuals to host Dream Pie Socials, following a rich, historic precedent of hosting pie socials to benefit worthy causes. All it takes is one dream pie (any pie can be a dream pie if served with that intention) ...

Become a Pie-☮-neer for peace and celebrate Dr. King's January birthday, or host a pie social any day of the year. Everyone is invited to share their stories and imagine new ways to realize the Dream, one piece at a time.

Anyone interested can visit their website at http://www.peacethroughpie.org/

Jan

My Stand on the Military, National Defense and International Affairs

My personal beliefs and the efforts of The Mothers Institute as they relate to an Anti-War, Pro-Peace stand are in no way intended to be disrespectful of the military -- in fact quite the contrary --  they are intended to honor our servicemen and women by working toward bringing them safely home and out of harm's way.

The following points help clarify the reasons for this position:

3.1 National Defense
We support the maintenance of a sufficient military to defend the United States against aggression. The United States should both avoid entangling alliances and abandon its attempts to act as policeman for the world. We oppose any form of compulsory national service.
3.3 International Affairs
American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense against attack from abroad and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements. We would end the current U.S. government policy of foreign intervention, including military and economic aid. We recognize the right of all people to resist tyranny and defend themselves and their rights. We condemn the use of force, and especially the use of terrorism, against the innocent, regardless of whether such acts are committed by governments or by political or revolutionary groups.

Note: The above points are taken from Libertarian Party Platform. Readers of this blog need not agree with other aspects of the LP Platform to appreciate, relate to, and respect the sentiments expressed via these segments. Additionally worth noting is that my personal anti-war, pro-peace efforts and goals (and those of The Mothers Institute -- the organization I founded and serve as Director) are not political, but rather revolve around the desire to work with all individuals, groups, and organizations that share in this anti-war, pro-peace mission and message.

Jan