Taking THE THIRD SIDE:

Ending insecurity and war

Tuesday, 01 February 2011

"The Age of Nations is past.

The task before us now, if we would not perish, is to

shake off our ancient prejudices, and to build the earth."

-- Pierre Teilhard de Chardin   (1881-1955)

"This is the great new problem of mankind.

We have inherited ... a great 'world house' in which

we have to live together black and white, Easterner and Westerner,

Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant, Muslim and Hindu ... Because

we can never again live apart, we must learn somehow to

live with each other in peace."

-- Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community

"When the forms of an old culture are dying,

the new culture is created by a few people

who are not afraid to be insecure."

-- Rudolf Bahro  (1935-1997)

     First, SEE:

Beyond Insecurity

The Middle East in 2018

3-min video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9DETCGjpVQ

THE THIRD SIDE:
BEYOND INSECURITY

We have become separate and distanced.
     Disengaged and unfamiliar.
     Thus ignorant and insecure.
We have taken "sides."

We forget who we are, our shared origin story -- Abraham.
Abraham is about unity -- the unity of the nuclear and larger family.
     Abraham's basic value was respect -- kindness toward strangers, hospitality.
     Abraham is the symbolic Third Side of the Middle East .
The Third Side hears and supports both peoples equally, reminding us we are all part of a greater, interdependent whole.

     War, terrorism, isolation humiliates and kills the stranger in order to create fear.
     The Third Side -- Abraham -- is about dignifying a stranger as a friend, welcoming him into one's home to create understanding and trust.
The Third Side -- hospitality, relationships, acts of goodwill -- is the vaccine against war.

The walk from no to yes

Ending war by taking the Third Side

William Ury

19-min video -- 30 November 2010

http://blog.ted.com/2010/11/30/the-walk-from-no-to-yes-william-ury-on-ted-com/

ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS
TAKE THE THIRD SIDE

Parents Circle - Families Forum (PCFF) -- http://www.theparentscircle.com/ -- is a grassroots organization of bereaved Palestinians and Israelis whose immediate relatives have been killed by "the other side."
Face to face, they meet regularly to grieve and help each other heal.
     These Muslims, Jews, and Christians model the highest courage and reconciliation as an alternative to distance, fear, hatred, and revenge.

     One participant, Yuval Roth, found a way to channel his anger into peace after his brother Udi was kidnapped and killed by members of Hamas.
     In 2006 he created Derech Hachlama, On The Road to Recovery -- http://www.roadtorecovery.org.il -- for 200 volunteers to give Palestinians a lifeline by driving them to receive health care.
     In 2010, they drove 60,000 kilometers -- nearly 40,000 miles.
     For more information, write to RoadToRecovery10@gmail.com

CNN Heroes

Israeli extends helping hand to sick Palestinians

CNN -- February 1, 2011

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/01/cnnheroes.roth/

     "I lost my brother, but I didn't lose my head," Roth said.
     "This activity gives me an essence for life.
     "I have learned the price of the conflict is a lot more than the price of making peace.
     "We are all human beings."


TASTE OF PEACE
AND ABRAHAMIC
HOSPITALITY

The Abrahamic principle and practice of hospitality and breaking bread together is perfectly illustrated by the diverse chefs of TASTE OF PEACE -- http://www.tasteofpeace.webs.com/
Four Holy Land chefs on the multiethnic team contribute their collective talents and time to create award-winning food for the table and a story for our souls.

Sarkis Yacoubian -- Christian Armenian chef instructor from Jaffa

Johnny Goric --  Christian Palestinian executive chef at the Intercontinental Resort, Jericho

Charlie Fadida -- Jewish Israeli executive chef at the Sheraton, Tel Aviv

Imad Shourbaji -- Muslim Palestinian sous chef at the Tel Aviv Sheraton

     "The idea is to show peace through the dishes we do," says Sarkis Yacoubin who founded Taste of Peace with Johnny Goric.
     Chef Yacoubian can be reached at info@tastepeace.tk

In the kitchen there's no nationality or religion  

Israel21c -- December 16, 2010

http://israel21c.org/201012168631/social-action/in-the-kitchen-theres-no-nationality-or-religion

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     Across the ocean in North America, another handful of Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Dialogue gathered the best of their dishes to create a useful cookbook for others:
Recipes for the table and for relationship building can be freely downloaded online:

Palestinian & Jewish Recipes for Peace

100 pages -- highly illustrated

http://traubman.igc.org/recipes.htm

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These and hundreds of other success stories are preserved at http://traubman.igc.org/messages.htm