|
|
What can we do?
an article by Donna Henes, Urban Shaman
Lately I have been receiving letters practically daily
from folks who are depressed, frustrated, and disillusioned by the
frightening direction of our government's policies. "What can I do?"
they ask me. "I feel so helpless."
In light of the widespread
oppression, manipulation, intimidation that surrounds us today, we most
certainly need to say something. We need, in fact, to talk to everyone
who we meet, actually engage on a human level with those who we
encounter as we make it through our day.
A good example is
Dianne, one of the wonderful people who regularly attends my healing
circles. She not only prays for the homeless men and women who live on
her block, she calls them each by name. I am so impressed and inspired
by her personal outreach to these "untouchables." Everybody is, after
all, somebody.
I have an outgoing message on my answering
machine that doesn't even say, "Hello." It just starts right in with,
"You know there really is still a chance for peace and that chance will
definitely increase if we each do our piece. So let's make peace -- in
our homes, in our own hearts, in our relationships, in our communities,
in all of our dealings and in the world. Peace be with us all."
A
few weeks ago, I came home to a message from the plumber who was making
an appointment to fix my sink. After listening to my taped pep talk, he
answered in his gravely Brooklyn brogue, "Yeah, what is this war all
about, anyway? Why are we fighting those people? They never hurt us."
This, from someone I would have assumed to be a proponent of the war.
The
electrician, another guy who really shocked me, loves the message and
calls in daily just to hear it! Once I was here when he called and when
I picked up, he complained. "Let me call back again," he implored. "I
want to hear the message. It makes me feel good." The reason, he
explained, is that it is not political. It is personal. And it touches
his heart.
|
|
 |
DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
Promoting a culture of peace on a daily basis
Can conscious decisions to do this really make a difference?
As a reader, you are invited to join in the discussion of
this article based on any of the above question(s): just click on the
question, read the previous comments and add a new reply. You may also
enter a new discussion topic on this article - see bottom of this page.
Thematic forum(s) in which this article is being discussed:
CULTURE OF PEACE IN EVERYDAY LIFE
Latest reader comment:
As
PhD student in a Faculty of Education in Brazil, I found very important
the discussion on the contribution of education to a peaceful world.
I
think peace curriculum is possible since there is respect for cultural
diversity, such as ethnical, religious, race, sex, gender and others in
school's curricular and pedagogical practices as a means of
building/developing values of tolerance and respect. There should be
space in curriculum for students's voices, experiences and
contributions. This way they will feel respectable and will also learn
to respect the others.
Education may contribute a lot since it
may help children and youth to become sensitive toward the importance
of promoting peace among individuals, groups and nations.
|
|
