Human Engagement Ends War:

 Beyond data and endless analyses

Wednesday, 30 March 2011

 

 

"Who has not found the Heaven—below—

Will fail it above—

For Angels rent the House next ours,

Wherever we remove—"

            --Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

"Eighty percent of success is showing up."

            --Woody Allen

Moving
Beyond Facts
Beyond Leaders
To Relationships
    THE RIGHT INFORMATION AND DATA with logical arguments will persuade citizens and government "leaders" to enact treaties and respectful solutions that transform conflicts and dignify
everyone.
     Not so.
     Facts are not enough to treat mass psychoses, clarifies crisis prevention and management specialist, Ian Mitroff -- http://mitroff.net

     MASS PSYCHOSIS and emotions rule us right now.
     Fear and exaggerated self-importance paralyze the adult brain and arrest creativity.
     We are again primitives who rationalize cruel acts and old thinking.

     Global leaders -- elected and self-proclaimed -- are losing popular support.
     Sadder and deeper, they reflect and follow us citizens with our own out-of-proportion fears and illusions of individual survival -- psychoses.
     We are all abdicating moral authority, quickly throwing war at most serious problems.

     War is so last-century and obsolete.
     And the age of heroes is over.
     Only with face-to-face, heart-to-heart contact can fear change into trust and goodwill.
     Psychoses can then heal, because we citizen-leaders -- including "enemies" -- are one another's best doctors.
    If we decide, we citizens can engage and succeed like adults.

 

"Out beyond ideas of rightdoing and wrongdoing, there is a field.

I'll meet you there."

            Jelaluddin Rumi (1207-1273)

 

        Israeli social scientist and senior lecturer, Julia Chaitin ( JChaitin@urim.org.il ) is crystal-clear in yesterday's Jerusalem Post:

 

Seeking a responsible adult

by Julia Chaitin 

The Jerusalem Post -- 29 March 2011

http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=214338

 

     "I am looking for the parent-leader who understands that punishment only leads to despair, sadness, fear, anger and a learned helplessness.
     "I search for the responsible adult who understands that enough is enough, and who is clever enough to understand that if the endless cycle of attacks and responses has not succeeded in solving the problem, we need to engage in different types of behavior."

     For example, Julia supports Gazan Palestinian and southern Israeli adult citizens seeking to humanize one another by listening to the "other voice" -- http://www.othervoice.org/welcome-eng.htm
    Citizen engagement across old boundaries is growing around Earth.
     You can replicate these examples where you live.


Golden Rule Day
April 5th, 2011
Worldwide
     THE GOLDEN RULE is the principle of reciprocity -- the foundation of 13 of the world's great religions.
     Without exception, it insists, each human being is to be treated with dignity....especially when we are tempted to rationalize "reasons" to avenge humiliate, violate, punish, and destroy.
     Tuesday, April 5th, 2011 -- International GOLDEN RULE DAY -- will be honored at the United Nations.
     ANIMATING THE GOLDEN RULE -- http://www.thegoldenrulemovie.com/ -- is a new film by Canadian Tina Petrova ( Visionary_Mediainc@yahoo.ca )
     The video affirms the universal power of compassion, with self-reflection through rap, art and drama skits of high school students who  embody living by the Golden Rule.

 

 Screening:

ANIMATING THE GOLDEN RULE

Golden Rule Day

Tuesday, April 05, 2011 -- 1:15 sharp-2:45 pm

            866 United Nations Plaza

            Offices of the Bahai (1st floor)

            New York, NY

                        Limited seating

                        RSVP required to ProjectJarmony@yahoo.com  or (212) 726 1617

 

     In our globalized world, we have rapidly become neighbors forever.
     The Golden Rule -- treat others as you want to be treated -- is no longer an aspiration but urgent human necessity.


Interfaith Adults
in New York
     May 15, 2011 in New York City citizens of many traditions will not wait for governments to connect and explore:

Community Trauma & Healing

Transforming & Resolving Conflict

Stereotypes

Concepts of the Stranger and Other in our texts and cultures

     Take heart in the dazzling array of co-sponsors powering forward their exemplary growing, authentic, sustained community building -- beyond fear, toward familiarity.

 

Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Arab American Association of New York, Bay Ridge Jewish Center, Brooklyn For Peace, Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, CAIR New York, Community Church, Congregation Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives, CONNECTFaith, Grace Church, The Interfaith Center of New York, Muslim Consultative Network, Park 51 Community Center, Park Slope Jewish Center, Pax Christi Metro New York, Plymouth Church of the Pilgrims, Progressive Muslims Meet Up New York, Union Theological Seminary-Interfaith Caucus, The Zen Center of New York City, The House of Peace

 

      The Dialogue Project -- http://thedialogueproject.org/ -- sponsors this day, while year-long initiating successful encounters among new immigrants, between long time residents of diverse faiths and ethnicities, and with Palestinian, Israeli, Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers.
     Modeling how to end war and dignify each other, all year they create face-to-face engagement to explore difficult subjects and their personal narratives, while learning how to listen-to-learn and acknowledge the supreme value of each others' story.

 

The Dialogue Project's

9th Annual New York City-Wide Interfaith Teach-In

Building Trust, Relationships, and Partnerships face to face, one encounter at a time.

May 15, 2011 -- 1:30-4:00 pm

Contact KYLE@thedialogueproject.org or 718-768-2175

Facebook announcement

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=155585581169305

Google announcement

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1W6uG6eYWUKUB61XNHdwJfo78i9mP-EXaXz5fCf40hQc/edit?hl=en&authkey=CNuumf0P

My Best Friend
Is Muslim
     My Best Friend Is Muslim -- http://www.mybestfriendismuslim.com/ -- is a brand new blog.
     Recognizing the hazards of ignorance and the power of story during a March 2011 online chat with her friend, Lindsay, led Ateqah Khaki -- mybestfriendismuslim@gmail.com -- to help citizens tell their personal stories of successful relationships.
     Ateqah put out the call:

 

"More than 3 million Muslims live in the United States today.

The American Muslim community is diverse in every conceivable way.

American Muslims are doctors and teachers; artists and engineers.

Siblings and grandparents; neighbors and best friends.

Do you have a friend who is Muslim?

Help set the record straight about Muslims in America.

Share your story or photo."

 

     SHARE YOUR STORY, as we did:

 

My Dialogue Partner Is A Muslim

http://www.mybestfriendismuslim.com/post/4045927031/my-dialogue-partner-is-a-muslim


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