A Peace Gathering

This article is not a recommendation of Sunray Meditation Society. It is merely meant as an account of a resource for peace that might be of interest to some people.

Sunray Meditation Society recently held its 24th annual Native American Elders Gathering in the Sunray Peace Village near Lincoln, VT. The Society, which is international in scope and is based in traditional Tsalaga (Cherokee) teachings and in Tibetan Buddhist teachings, holds a number of functions each year in the its facility, all of them with the purpose of promoting world peace.

One of the attendees at this year’s gathering was CJ Frank, a friend of ours. CJ’s impression of the event was positive and she plans on attending again next year. She was impressed by the energy at the event. “I’ve been to many places where people go to pray,” she says, “churches, pow-wows and the like, but there was an energy [at the American Elders Gathering] that was special. It was energy so big you could cut it.” Especially memorable to her was the fact that all the teachers at the event said essentially the same thing—that peace begins with the individual. In order to spread peace, you must begin with yourself. Peace is brought from within you to others and then spread throughout the world.

“The teachings given there were universal truths,” she points out. “They are available anywhere. I didn’t have to go to Vermont to learn them. It is unfortunate to realize that I or anyone else has to journey to Vermont or to any other special place to be reminded of them.”

For more information on Sunray Meditation Society, visit their website at www.sunray.org.

Victory in Iraq

Victory in Iraq is, according to some, possible. Victory in Afghanistan is apparently questionable. What either consists of is undefined. What we, the people of the US, as well as the people of Iraq and the people of Afghanistan, will be left with at the point that victory is attained is unknown. The debt in money, life and suffering and the enmity we have created will be with us all for many years. The victories, when and if they come, may not be victories at all. Too late we may find out the truth of the saying that when you reach the point of going to war you have already lost.

The Battle for Peace by Tony Zinni and Tony Koltz

Book Review by Joe Stierheim

From a young lieutenant in Vietnam to Commander-in-Chief of US Central Command (CENTCOM), retired Marine General Tony Zinni has viewed combat from every perspective. He has also had direct involvement in humanitarian efforts in nations suffering from the onset of disease and natural disasters as well as political strife. All of these experiences have led him to advocate a new approach to such world problems. It is in the interest of developed nations, he says, to band together in international cooperation, identify nations and/or areas of the world in a state of decline, and then to furnish them, with that nation’s consent and cooperation, with appropriate aid – humanitarian, medical, social, political or military - to halt and reverse this decline before it reaches a critical stage. He cites the Marshall Plan after World War II as an example of an effort that prevented the decline of Germany and Japan and provided them with the means to become healthy, productive nations in the world community. A similar plan was proposed for the numerous small nations that became at risk with the fall of the Soviet Union. It was never implemented and that fact has been to the detriment of the world. The decline of any nation or people to a critical stage, he points out, causes repercussions that threaten the safety and stability of all nations. “Military responses by themselves will not do the job,” he writes. “We need a new strategic vision for our country – a vision that will focus our government and all its elements of power on the task of bringing stability and peace to the world.”

The Right and Wrong of War

Joe F. Stierheim

At the time of the Korean War I was a student attending college. I was not doing well in school. I was not happy. Many of my friends were leaving for the army, victims of the draft. I had a student deferment but I was not happy with that either. To me, the war was a just war. It was the first time that the nations of the world had banded together, under the flag of the United Nations, to stand against aggression. If that had happened in prior times, I felt, if the nations of the world had stood up to aggression as soon as it had occurred, the history of the world would have progressed quite differently and for the better. In early 1953 I waived my student deferment and volunteered for the draft. I left for the army in March of that year.

It was years later that I gained a different perspective on the Korean War. I found that the events that had precipitated the war were not quite what I had understood them to be. It had not been a simple act of aggression by one nation upon another. From the 7^th century, Korea had been a unified sovereign country. In the 19^th century Korea became threatened by imperial powers and from that time through World War II foreign interference with its sovereignty continued. Stated simply, the war came about through outside powers ignoring the desires of the Korean people and imposing—or attempting to impose—their will upon them. It was a war caused by and carried out with greed, fear, and a disregard for human dignity and rights.

In the many years since the Korean War, I have begun to question the reasons for and the necessity of war. Each war, in the minds of the people of the nations that take part in them, is a “just” war. At least that is the popular opinion. Those people in any of the nations involved in a conflict that think otherwise and dare to express that opinion are called unpatriotic or, worse, traitors. Their voices are silenced or ignored and the war is brought into being or continues.

Some wars, as common thought goes, are justified. Whenever that justification for war is discussed, the example of World War II arises. It was totally right and necessary, so reasoning goes, that the atrocities of Hitler and the Nazis were brought to an end. The misguided negotiations of Chamberlain were a mistake; war was the only answer. It is hard to argue the point. The excesses of the Third Reich were so horrible that one must agree that they had to be stopped. For most of my life I had shared that point of view and I saw no other recourse than war, but lately I have begun to question the logic of the entire situation. The war did not become a necessity because of the misguided or deranged efforts of one man. A complex set of events brought the war into being. After World War I, the “war to end wars”, Germany was left in economic ruins and was kept there by the Allies as a means of punishment. It was out of this, the poverty and degradation for the German people, that Adolph Hitler manufactured his opportunities for his rise to power.

Suppose this poverty and degradation of the Germans had not taken place. Suppose after the First World War the Germans had been helped to reestablish themselves as a peaceful and productive nation, something that they were helped to do after their total defeat in World War II. If that had taken place, could the rise of Hitler and the Second World War have been avoided entirely?

As a world society we have forgotten an important principle that even the most primitive groups of people regard as being self-evident, that of the necessity to cooperate with and help one another. When all of the individuals of a society are healthy, then the society as a whole is healthy. If one member of the society becomes unhealthy, or worse, is brought to or kept in an unhealthy state by other members of that society, then the entire group suffers. This principle can be applied to the society of nations as well.

My original perception of the Korean War and its reasons for being had been wrong. I had thought of it as being right and I now think of it as having been wrong. I have come to believe that the right or wrong of war is simply that—a matter of perception. I have heard of a belief held by some that there is no such thing as right or wrong—there are only consequences. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that arguing the “rights and wrongs” of war is a meaningless exercise. It is the “rights and wrong” of things done in peacetime that cause war and it is there, in peacetime, that our efforts for ending war must take place.

First Steps and More

By Monte Holland For Christians, the subject of peace is often associated with religion. The Christian looks to the life and teachings of Jesus for clues to peaceful living. Jesus was non-violent and taught, by word and example, the value of such a life. He taught the value of loving your enemy instead of retaliating against evil with more evil. This is difficult to do, but in his teachings Jesus expressed the belief that all men are capable of living up to such ideals. Such ideals, however, are not confined to Christianity. Peace is a part of life whether a person ascribes to one of the monotheistic faiths, one of the other world religions, humanism, or even if he/she claims agnosticism or atheism. The individual’s approach to peace may vary based on their faith system, but the basic need for a peaceful existence seems universal among mentally healthy people. In fact, I challenge you to find an area of life that does not involve peace—or the lack, thereof. Peace may be thought of as the absence of war—which leads to needless death, displaced persons, disrupted families, hunger, poverty, rape, and fear. But war is only one aspect of the absence of peace. Peace is multi-layered. It is needed in every aspect of human endeavor. The need for a lack of violence extends to the community, the home and the personal life of each individual. It is of the utmost importance in vocational fulfillment and in all loving relationships (erotic, brotherly, and agape). The goal for all of us is the elusive “Peace of Mind.” Our starting point in asking questions about the role of peace in our various life pursuits may well be our belief system. But no single belief system is more essential or greater than another. If we make the effort to live by the basic teachings of our belief system, no matter what it is, we will be shown how peace fits into our personal ethic. Our belief system will define the first steps toward peace, and each step of our journey thereafter. Peace is not an isolated discipline. It is a sub-category within the various activities which we choose to participate in. Peaceful ways edify us as we journey through life.

Methodist Call for Peacemaking

This site is not, nor does it intend to be, aligned with any one religion. Peace in the world is not the property of any religion or group. However, when a call for peace comes from any source it is noteworthy. In the General Conference of the United Methodist Congregations held on May 2, 2008 in Ft. Worth, Texas, a resolution was passed dealing with the need for peace. Following is an excerpt from the resolution.

A Call for Peacemaking

God's earth is aching for peace. Domestic strife, interpersonal violence and abuse, civil conflict, ethnic and racial clashes, religious schism and interfaith rivalry, terrorist attacks, wars between nations, and threatened use of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons – all of these prevent us from achieving God's shalom. In response we who are disciples of Jesus Christ are called to be peacemakers for the transformation of the world.

The biblical foundation for peacemaking is the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught, "Blessed are the peacemakers" (Mt.5:9), "Don't react violently against the one who is evil" (Mt 5:39, Scholars Version), "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Mt 5:44), and pray to forgive those who trespass against us (Mt. 6:12, 14-15). Paul echoed Jesus' teaching when he instructed Christians in Rome, "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:14-21). He told the church in Corinth that through Christ we have a "ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:17-18).

For the United Methodist Church peacemaking is an essential task for achieving success in other initiatives. Working with the poor to eliminate poverty, caring for children, and conducting global health initiatives can be most successful in stable and just societies free from armed conflict. To have sufficient resources for these tasks requires global peace and disarmament in order to redirect vast amounts of public funds now spent on armed forces and weaponry. Moreover, a strong concern for peace and justice is a necessary feature of vital congregations.

Therefore- the 2008 General Conference of the United Methodist Church calls upon: United Methodist children, youth, and adults as devoted disciples of Jesus Christ to become peacemakers wherever they are -- at home, school, work, in the local community and the wider world -- and to show the love, compassion, and concern for justice that Jesus taught and lived.

BOOK REVIEW A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

Ishmael Beah writes of his experiences in Sierra Leone, first as a victim of war, then as a boy soldier fighting for the government, and finally as one who, with the help of UNICEF, escaped from it. At the age of 18, he emigrated to the US and eventually, in 2004, graduated from Oberlin College.

His entire story is remarkable but it is especially so in several respects. First, it describes how it is possible that a young boy can be transformed into an efficient and seemingly heartless killer. Second, is the story of how he was rehabilitated from this life to once again find his humanity. No less amazing is the description of the efforts of the staff in the rehabilitation center and the skill and patience they exhibited in dealing with Beah and others like him. The entire story furnishes evidence that there is hope even in the most appalling circumstances.