Peace Education

Take a Stand for Peace

This Thursday, December 16, U. S. veterans will lead an act of civil resitance to war in Washington, D. C. The plan is to rally in Lafayette Park and then to march to the White House. I am impressed and moved by the passion expressed on their website as they promote this event. They write: 

There are children being orphaned, maimed or killed every day, in our name, with our tax dollars; there are soldiers and civilians dying or being maimed for life, in order to generate profits for the most odious imperialistic corporate war machine ever, again in our name.How long are we going to let this go on? Until it is too late, until this destructive machine destroys all of us and the planet to boot? [   ]

If we can gather enough courageous souls, nonviolently refusing to leave the White House, willing to be dragged away and arrested if necessary, we will send a message that will be seen worldwide. “End these wars – now!” We will carry forward a flame of resistance to the war machine that will not diminish as we effectively begin to place ourselves, as Mario Savio said, “upon the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus.” and we will make it stop.

We believe that the power of courageous, committed people is greater than that of corporate warmongers. But we will only see our power when we use it collectively, when we stand together.

With courage, persistence, boldness and numbers, we can eventually make this monstrous war machine grind to a halt, so that our children and all children everywhere can grow up in a peaceful world.

I think this strong belief in the power of resistance for peace is accurate, inspiring and a real possibility. Sadly, I do not see this same passion about peace in our culture in general. The wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and other parts of the world seem distant and hidden. There does not seem to be an urgent desire on the part of a majority of our citizens to work hard to end these wars. Efforts of peace education also seem scattered and not very influential. But at the end of this year, as Christmas approaches and a new year begins, one can only hope that a concern for a better, more peaceful world will eventually grab our hearts and motivate us to do more to stop the wars. Meanwhile we can listen to the few voices like Chris Hedges who are trying to spread the good news of resistance and peace:

Go to Lafayette Park, in front of the White House, at 10 a.m. Dec. 16. Join dozens of military veterans, myself, Daniel Ellsberg, Medea Benjamin, Ray McGovern, Dr. Margaret Flowers and many others who will make visible a hope the corporate state does not want you to see, hear or participate in. Don’t be discouraged if it is not a large crowd. Don’t let your friends or colleagues talk you into believing it is useless. Don’t be seduced by the sophisticated public relations campaigns disseminated by the mass media, the state or the Democratic Party. Don’t, if you decide to carry out civil disobedience, be cowed by the police. Hope and justice live when people, even in tiny numbers, stand up and fight for them. 

There is in our sorrow—for who cannot be profoundly sorrowful?—finally a balm that leads to wisdom and, if not joy, then a strange, transcendent happiness. To stand in a park on a cold December morning, to defy that which we must defy, to do this with others, brings us solace, and perhaps even peace. We will not find this if we allow ourselves to be disabled. We will not find this alone. As long as a few of us rebel it will always remain possible to defeat a system of centralized, corporate power that is as criminal and heartless as those I watched tumble into the ash bin of history in Eastern Europe. 

 

 

The Cause of Peace Education

The Peace Kids, Youth Leadership in Peacemaking and Peace Camp programs of the Peace Center at United University Church in Los Angeles are now using the Causes Facebook application. Go to http://www.causes.com/causes/542886 to learn more about it and/or to become a member. The cause of peace education is sadly very rare in our schools. Children and youth are mostly educated to just conform and not question the way things are in our culture. In other words, our educational and entertainment systems are designed to support our war economy and to not challenge the violence we see and experience every day in our homes, in the streets and on TV. The peace education offered through the Peace Kids program gives children and young people the tools and the confidence to turn the world upside down so they can look at it from a fresh, engaging and critical perspective. We invite you to join us in this cause so we can build a brighter and more peaceful world together.

When Peace Becomes Obnoxious

Here is an interesting sermon about peace preached by Martin Luther King, Jr. The sermon is from March of 1956. This was at the beginning of the more active phase of the civil rights movement and it is interesting to see how Rev. King builds a case for people to get involved in a politics that is deliberately designed to disturb the peace. And of course I mean disturb the peace in the good sense of challenging the racist, unjust and violent status-quo. Rev. King is trying to motivate people to see peace and act for peace in the wider justice based definition of peace where peace can become a positive force for social transformation. His vision of peace is about creating a just world instead of calmly accepting an unfair world. This is a robust and challenging view of peace. We may no longer have the exact same problems of 1956, but our world today is far from being just. It's too bad Rev. King is not around or like minded leaders who could popularize more widely the realistic possibility of a deeply more peaceful world.

Rami Elhanan, the Israeli Jewish Gandhi

From Irus Chernus:

Rami Elhanan said that he was on the Irene because it was his "moral duty" to act in support of Palestinians in Gaza, because reconciliation is the surest path to peace. That note of duty is certainly a Gandhian touch. But what qualifies him even more as the Israeli Jewish Gandhi is another comment he made to a reporter: "Those 1.5 million people in Gaza are victims exactly as I am."

That comes close to the heart of Gandhian nonviolence. It's far more than just resisting the impulse to strike out at your enemy. It's the realization that, as Gandhi put it, "for one who follows the doctrine of ahimsa [nonviolence], there is no room for an enemy; he denies the existence of an enemy." And it's the willingness to put your life on the line for the truth that we have no enemies, because we are all equally participants in, and victims of, the same system of violence. [    ]

That's another important Gandhian insight: Not only are we connected to our so-called "enemies" as victims; we're also inescapably linked to those who do violence in our name. We cannot escape responsibility for that violence. We can only choose either to acquiesce or to resist. [ ]

In equally true Gandhian fashion, he rejects the idea of severing connection with fellow humans, especially when they are neighbors: "I don't believe in walls. I do not think walls create good neighbors. . Walls create hate, especially if you build it in the middle of your neighbor's living room instead of your own backyard. As a Jew, the most alarming thing for me is that my people . are creating their own ghetto. It will not protect us. . It will make us give up any connection with our neighbors. It will make us feel full of power when we are really powerless.

Replacing the War System

From Michael Nagler:

Today we are reaching a similar crisis with the institution of war; despite appearances, people are becoming more aware that we cannot solve problems by waging war on them.  If you are not aware that this is happening, you are not alone; watch any news or “entertainment” program and you’ll see that competition, violence, and war are still considered “normal.” It’s rare to spot nonviolent alternative methods, since they are so rarely featured in mainstream media. [   ]

I encourage anyone who hasn’t already done so to familiarize him- or herself with the alternatives to war that fall into three broad categories: 1) living more lightly on the earth, since most wars today are fought over its diminishing resources; 2) diplomacy, mediation, and international institutions that can keep disputes from turning into wars, and 3) nonviolent mechanisms to deal with the wars that nonetheless break out, like the unarmed interventions just mentioned that are helping to reduce violence in trouble spots all over the world now.  I recommend that we all learn about these things and talk about them with family, friends, and our congressmen or women.  You may not get anything but raised eyebrows at first, but remember what Gandhi said about a real innovation: “First they ignore you; then they laugh at you; then they fight you – and then you win.”  Provided you have learned to fight nonviolently. 

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International Positive Week

From CelebratePositive.com:

International Positive Week is a celebration and global initiative in conjunction with the Culture of Peace Initiative, the United Nation's International Day of Peace, and the 2010 United Nations NGO Positive Peace Awards. The goal is to celebrate and shine the light on the world's most positive Communities, Athletes, Entertainers, Schools, and Businesses, while promoting the message of World Peace.

Peace Week, September 14-21

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A Million Minutes For Peace

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One Minute For Peace

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A Natural History of Peace

Robert M. Sapolsky