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Ki phol chai? What fruits do we wish to see? This was one of the opening questions of our three-day peace training with the Taize-brother sponsored Peace Committee. Literally, the question is one of results; what results do we envision arising not just from the training, but also from our broader communities through our Peace Committee. This question encompasses and arouses a multitude of thoughts and pictures in my mind. The most important is that of a fruit tree. For fruits grow not on their own, but on a plant, a tree, a vine, or a stalk; and that plant grew out of a seed. That seed is what we need to plant, which fruit we wish to plant is important, but the most important thing is to plant the seed, because without the seed, the plant, and therefore the fruit will not have the chance to grow.
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The most insightful moments for me during these sessions were the moments of self-realization. Those precious moments when participants discovered something new about themselves and their relationship to their communities and each other. For instance, the realization that they have power in many situations and they must take care to use that power positively or justly, or the understanding that listening goes deeper than the words people say to the feelings and values underlying those words. The questions raised during these discussions were deep and transformational, questions of ones role in their community, of how power can be used positively, and of how listening can be improved and what to listen for. These insights were a powerful reminder of what our goal is in peace education, but the most important message we transmitted during this training is what I will call Creative Solutions.
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Ami ki phol chai? What fruit do I wish to see from this Peace Committee? I hope this Peace Committee comes to an understanding of peace as a wholistic and powerful goal of humanity. A vision for the empowerment of not only Mymensingh, or Bangladesh, but the world.
Shanti.
Steve.
1 comment:
I have read your musings on peace with great interest. The one I see as most true is the need for a common purpose. er
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