Quotes from my Collection

Image via Wikipedia

Mankind must remember that peace is not God's gift to his creatures;
peace is our gift to each other.
(Elie Wiesel, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize, born 1928)

Peace cannot be achieved through violence,
it can only be attained through understanding.
(Albert Einstein, Nobel Prize winning physicist, 1879-1955)

If you judge people, you don't have the time to love them.
(Mother Teresa, 1979 Nobel Peace Prize, 1910-1997)

Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things,
man will not himself find peace.
(Albert Schweitzer, French theologian and missionary, 1952 Nobel Peace Prize,1875-1965)

More House Arrest for Aung San Suu Kyi

Image via Wikipedia

In my last post I said that I wanted to focus more on good news, although I also stated that I would continue to post about things that had me upset. Today, I want to combine these two approaches into one post. I'd like to briefly profile a woman who is known for her dedication to the ideals of democracy, peace, and nonviolence, and to ask you to take action on her behalf.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been a hero of mine since I first heard about her, back in the early 90's. To quickly sum up her biography, she is the duly elected leader of the Burmese people (Burma is also known as Myanmar), a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, author of "Freedom From Fear" and other books, and has been under house arrest for 14 of the past 20 years.

Her house arrest has just been extended for another 18 months. This is widely viewed as a ploy by the ruling military junta to prevent her from winning the upcoming elections to be held next year - the first election since she won a huge majority back in 1990.

Some background from the BBC (this was written before the verdict was announced):
The choices facing Burma's military

News report of the verdict:
Burma court finds Suu Kyi guilty

Amnesty International (USA):
Online Petition

Avaaz.Org
Online Petition

Aung San Suu Kyi on non-violence:
Watch the video

I wanted to close with a quote from Aung San Suu Kyi, but it's hard to pick out just one, so I chose three instead. I recommend reading here for more of her words.

"The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation's development. A revolution which aims merely at changing official policies and institutions with a view to an improvement in material conditions has little chance of genuine success. Without a revolution of the spirit, the forces which produced the iniquities of the old order would continue to be operative, posing a constant threat to the process of reform and regeneration. It is not enough merely to call for freedom, democracy and human rights. There has to be a united determination to persevere in the struggle, to make sacrifices in the name of enduring truths, to resist the corrupting influences of desire, ill will, ignorance and fear."

"Those of us who decided to work for democracy in Burma made our choice in the conviction that the danger of standing up for basic human rights in a repressive society was preferable to the safety of a quiescent life in servitude. Ours is a nonviolent movement that depends on faith in the human predilection for fair play and compassion.
Some would insist that man is primarily an economic animal interested only in his material well-being. This is too narrow a view of a species which has produced numberless brave men and women who are prepared to undergo relentless persecution to uphold deeply held beliefs and principles. It is my pride and inspiration that such men and women exist in my country today."

"Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one's actions, courage that could be described as 'grace under pressure' — grace which is renewed repeatedly in the face of harsh, unremitting pressure."

What the world needs now is more good news

Image by Denis Collette...!!! via Flickr

Tomorrow is my final exam for PACS 201: Roots of Conflict, Violence and Peace, so I’ve been busily reviewing as much of the course material as I can. (No, I didn’t just start studying today! But I’ve been trying to do a quick final run-through before the big day.) A couple of the readings got me thinking about ideas I wanted to post, and I really liked the way one thing led to another.

People successfully resolve conflict in a peaceful manner everyday, all over the world. It’s not news. In this light, perhaps it is a good thing that it’s mostly only “bad news” that gets all the media attention. After all, if what’s being reported is what’s uncommon, I’d rather it was bad stuff that was uncommon, wouldn’t you? The downside to this, however, is that what is reported starts to seem like it must be more common than it is, since it’s all we hear about, and this can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I am perhaps as guilty of this as the evening news. While I have sometimes posted about positive things that are being done in the world, it has been too easy much of the time to use this blog to write about the latest bit of bad news that’s got me upset. Which I’ll still continue to do. BUT. I want to balance the bad news with as much good as I can find to share with you, and I invite you to help me out by pointing me in the direction of good news items you’ve come across.

One of the people I learned about in this course is Elise Boulding. I’ll quote wikipedia to give you a quick bio:

Elise M. Boulding is a Quaker sociologist, and author credited as a major contributor to creating the academic discipline of Peace and Conflict Studies. Her holistic, multidimensional approach to peace research sets her apart as an important scholar and activist in multiple fields. Her written works span several decades and range from discussion of family as a foundation for peace, to Quaker spirituality to reinventing the international “global culture”. Particularly of note is her emphasis on women and family in the peace process.

She is considered to be one of the most influential peace researchers and activists of the 20th century.

I also found an interview with her on the Spirit of Ma’at website which I hope you will take the time to read. In it she talks about the vast numbers of people who are, right now, working for peace, and she says that if only more people realized how much peace work was already being done, it would “change world consciousness.” She wants us to be aware, and to share our awareness, of the good work that is being done and who is doing it.

I had already come up with my “let’s share some good news here” idea before reading this interview, so I read this as a call to action. Elise Boulding is just one of the people I’d like to bring your attention to. There will be many more. If you know of anyone you’d like to see mentioned in PeaceRipples, leave a comment here, or email me. We could all use a little more good news.

Types of Peace

Image by ginnerobot via Flickr

Peace can be described using a few different classifications. These definitions come from my Roots of Conflict, Violence and Peace course.

Direct or "Negative" Peace: This is the absence of direct violence, but doesn't mean that there isn't any conflict. An example of direct violence would be war, or any sort of armed conflict. The absence of such violence doesn't mean that people are content, though. A situation where people are oppressed but not rising up against their oppression (yet) could be seen as an example of direct peace.

Structural or "Positive" Peace: The absence of structural violence and the presence of conditions which favour human well being. Structural violence is unseen, institutionalized violence where you can't necessarily point a finger at who's responsible for it. Conditions which favour human well being include social justice, human rights, and ecological balance.

Cultural Peace: Comes from the transcendence of cultural violence, and often includes a spiritual dimension.

Comprehensive or Holistic Peace: Includes all aspects of peace - Direct, Structural, and Cultural.