As Gandhi is very very often quoted as saying, "be the change you want to see in the world."
In order to have peace in the world, we need peace within ourselves. Some days, like those in the past month, that is very hard for me. It is hard to be a calming, loving, merciful being when I see injustice, arrogance (other than my own), and plain old fashioned stupidity. I find myself thinking, "If I'da killed him when I met him, I'd be out by now." And this really isn't productive.
Today, I am going to write ten reasons I blog for peace that have to do with strengthening myself. "Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me."
84:
I blog for peace so that I can strengthen my tolerance of differences, because peace cannot exist without tolerance and mercy. An efficient dictatorship may look peaceful --- low crime, trains running on time --- but that isn't peace. I'm not saying that I tolerate everything, but I would like to recognize and avoid the canonization of my culture. Cultural norms are not necessarily holy.
83:
I blog for peace so that I can find the sameness in humanity. We have sought the safety of our tribes since time began. We need "us" and "them" to help us define ourselves. That's way film makers have the Earth attacked by aliens in order to unite the Earth. But there is always a "them." A "not us." I want to define myself without seeking a "not me."
82:
I blog for peace so that I can find the courage to stand up in the face of wrong, even if it's uncomfortable. I'm not likely to be in a life-threatening situation, but I'd like to be brave enough stand up even in the face of death.
81:
I blog for peace so that I can develop the wisdom to know when to stand and when to be still.
80:
I blog for peace because I know that peace is strength, violence is weakness. Remember the song, "Coward of the county?" OK, he ends up seeking revenge and killing the guy, but his father's words are the important part. It takes a Man to ignore taunting in order to do the right thing. Or a Woman. Not a saint. I could go on all day about how the Romans militarized Christianity, but I won't. You're welcome.
79:
I blog for peace to help me be peaceful. I want to be the person who calms the waters, not the one who stirs up drama. This is a very personal thing, but a key to the peace within me. I am attracted (or attract) people who live life as one crisis after another, and everyone demands my immediate attention. Calm down people! The world is not ending. And if it is, I'm sure as hell not spending any more time on this stuff.
78:
I blog for peace because:
"Fear is a disease that eats away at logic and makes man
inhuman." Marian Anderson.
I blog for peace because I am angry and frustrated and fearful. And those things don't help my blood pressure, my family, or the world in which we live
77:
I blog for peace because I can only be the best person I can be right now.
76:
I blog for peace because I am a better person than I was before.
75:
I blog for peace because I want to be a better person tomorrow.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Reason 85: I blog for peace because it's my way of making a joyful noise
I blog for peace because it's my way of making a joyful noise.
Randall, somewhere in here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/peacebloggers/ mentioned music, which was cool, because I've been trying to find a way to hook the blog for peace to music.
I love music. It is probably not true that I married my husband because of his incredible music, but it sure didn't hurt. I love to hear my children sing, even if their idea of beautiful music is rap or metal and mine... isn't.
On the other hand, I don't make music. Until recently--- when Mark and I joined the hand bell choir at St Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Now, Laura, the infinitely patient and talented music director, said that we would be fine. We would have fun. We would sound wonderful.
And we are having fun. And Mark sounds wonderful. And I sound... well, not horrible. And I'm getting better.
I haven't tried to perform music since Mrs. Bailey kicked me out of the 6th grade choir. That was after I got kicked out of the 6th grade band.
I REALLY wanted to play the flute, and Mr. Sistrunk, bless his heart, tried to teach me. But it seems that being able to make the flute make a sound is an essential part of playing the flute. Not being able to make a sound with the flute was bad, but not as bad as the various frightening sounds I made when I attempted the clarinet and the saxophone. And so I went back to home ec, where I didn't hurt anyone.
And what does this have to do with peace? Well, I don't know. Oh wait, how about: we all have a part to play, no matter how small or how large. And we all can find a way to make a joyful noise, sing out for peace, ring out for justice, hammer for love between our brothers and our sisters, all over this land.
Amen.
Randall, somewhere in here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/peacebloggers/ mentioned music, which was cool, because I've been trying to find a way to hook the blog for peace to music.
I love music. It is probably not true that I married my husband because of his incredible music, but it sure didn't hurt. I love to hear my children sing, even if their idea of beautiful music is rap or metal and mine... isn't.
On the other hand, I don't make music. Until recently--- when Mark and I joined the hand bell choir at St Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Now, Laura, the infinitely patient and talented music director, said that we would be fine. We would have fun. We would sound wonderful.
And we are having fun. And Mark sounds wonderful. And I sound... well, not horrible. And I'm getting better.
I haven't tried to perform music since Mrs. Bailey kicked me out of the 6th grade choir. That was after I got kicked out of the 6th grade band.
I REALLY wanted to play the flute, and Mr. Sistrunk, bless his heart, tried to teach me. But it seems that being able to make the flute make a sound is an essential part of playing the flute. Not being able to make a sound with the flute was bad, but not as bad as the various frightening sounds I made when I attempted the clarinet and the saxophone. And so I went back to home ec, where I didn't hurt anyone.
And what does this have to do with peace? Well, I don't know. Oh wait, how about: we all have a part to play, no matter how small or how large. And we all can find a way to make a joyful noise, sing out for peace, ring out for justice, hammer for love between our brothers and our sisters, all over this land.
Amen.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Reason 86 to blog for peace: Education not War
My son has spent his first week in a conventional middle school. It is a new experience for him, since he spent 6th grade at Carolina School for Inquiry, a K thru 6th grade child-centered, multi-age, inquiry based public school & last year at a virtual school. Now he is caring a 20 lb book bag, changing classes, eating school lunch, spending time with people he didn't know before Monday. For an introvert and a thirteen year old, this is hard. But he's a trooper, and I'm cautiously optimistic.
What does this have to do with peace? Well, middle school isn't really a peaceful place, is it? The theory is great. Take kids whose hormones are exploding like popped pimples, whose intellectual development is leapfrogging over the factory-model teaching formula of traditional public schools, and whose social awareness is limited to their hair and their latest crushes; throw them together with a bunch of other kids like them and feed them junk food.
Oh, no, wait, that's not Best Practices...
Middle school has a great deal of potential. Kids ARE developing quickly, but they are still kids and haven't lost their enthusiasm and joy (unless it was already beaten out of them in third grade.) There are lessons in social responsibility, personal responsibility, and personal development. There are lessons in meta-cognition --- how do I learn best? what do I want to learn? how can I organize myself to be the best I can be?
But we don't want to "throw money at the problem" of inadequate education. We want to continue to do the same thing over and over again, to see if the same things get different results. (Which is the definition of insanity.) Then we test and test and test. As someone once said, that's like "treating" an illness by taking the patient's temperature over and over again without any change in treatment. (Which is the definition of malpractice.)
But we are willing to throw money and people at war machines. I mean, look at Afghanistan. Again, we are doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. (See definitions above.)
So, let's quit throwing money and good people at war machines & toss some money and good people toward authentic education of EVERYONE.
Just a thought....
What does this have to do with peace? Well, middle school isn't really a peaceful place, is it? The theory is great. Take kids whose hormones are exploding like popped pimples, whose intellectual development is leapfrogging over the factory-model teaching formula of traditional public schools, and whose social awareness is limited to their hair and their latest crushes; throw them together with a bunch of other kids like them and feed them junk food.
Oh, no, wait, that's not Best Practices...
Middle school has a great deal of potential. Kids ARE developing quickly, but they are still kids and haven't lost their enthusiasm and joy (unless it was already beaten out of them in third grade.) There are lessons in social responsibility, personal responsibility, and personal development. There are lessons in meta-cognition --- how do I learn best? what do I want to learn? how can I organize myself to be the best I can be?
But we don't want to "throw money at the problem" of inadequate education. We want to continue to do the same thing over and over again, to see if the same things get different results. (Which is the definition of insanity.) Then we test and test and test. As someone once said, that's like "treating" an illness by taking the patient's temperature over and over again without any change in treatment. (Which is the definition of malpractice.)
But we are willing to throw money and people at war machines. I mean, look at Afghanistan. Again, we are doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. (See definitions above.)
So, let's quit throwing money and good people at war machines & toss some money and good people toward authentic education of EVERYONE.
Just a thought....
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