|
|
CULTURE OF PEACE Comment by Larry Ross, May 9, 2007
Is it possible to stop the Bush war machine and other wars, and further a global culture of peace? UNESCO articles that follow have a number of programmes devoted to the idea of promoting a global "Culture of Peace". This is a very noble idea and many may prefer to follow this ideal than to seriously concern themselves with stopping and exposing the lies behind present US wars. However I suggest that the objectives intertwine and that we should stop war and promote peace at the same time. UNESCO has some useful and inspiring advice see below. Also see:
Television, Radio or Film Documentary Proposal from Laurie Ross posted July 31, 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
UNESCO National Culture of Peace Programme in Burundi UNESCO publishes second edition of The Art of Living in Peace UNESCO Prize for Peace Education (source: Social Sciences) Sri Lankan judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry wins UNESCO Prize for Peace Education UNESCO Prize for Peace Education (source: Education) L'orchestre Brenz Band nommé Artiste de l'UNESCO pour la paix (source: UNESCO transversal) Monsignor Etchegaray and the Grand Mufti of Bosnia and Herzegovina Mustafa Ceric to receive UNESCO's 2003 Félix Houphouët-Boigny peace prize First known Peace treaty on Earth - Remses
II of Egypt and Hattusilis of the Hittites, 1269 BC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For Those Who Care About Our FutureRevealing Major Cover-ups & Working Together for a Better WorldHow We Can Build a Brighter Future Together
Dear friends, Below is a very concise, inspiring summary from the informative website WantToKnow.info of what is happening in the world and what we can do about it. Even if you don't agree with the initial assertion that there is a powerful group of elites who want to control the world, I think you will find this an excellent summary which gives practical ideas on how we can build a brighter future together. With very best wishes, Fred Burks for the WantToKnow.info team
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.WantToKnow.info/brighterfuture Building a Brighter Future Together The Current Situation In order to give meaningful suggestions for building a brighter future, we first need to speak candidly about what's happening in the world at present. It appears that there is a relatively small, powerful group of elites who desire to gain as much control over the world as possible. Their primary means for establishing control are through diminishing purpose, advocating secrecy, and promoting fear and victimization . As they gain control, our freedoms and liberties are increasingly taken away, often without our even realizing it. The power elite understand that a subtle, yet powerful method of gaining control is to distract people from their deeper purpose in life. Thus television, radio, and movies are filled with ever more greed, violence, and empty sex. Our educational system increasingly prioritizes passing tests over developing intelligence and creativity. Unrestrained corporate control of the media limits what new we receive , and often shapes our decisions and the way we think. Our attention is being diverted from our deeper purpose in life to the superficial attractions of sex, consumerism, and money. Secrecy leads to control through preventing the exposure of hidden agendas, and through breeding distrust, suspicion, and even paranoia in the world. In the name of "national security," we are told ever more frequently that we should not know what is happening behind closed doors in government. Yet we are encouraged to keep vigilant watch over our neighbors, over those who question the government, and over those who look or act different from us, as they could secretly be terrorists in sheep's clothing. Rampant secrecy and suspicion are causing us to lose touch with the common humanity we share with all around us. Fear and victimization is another powerful tool of control. "America is under attack! Your job, savings, and retirement are no longer secure. You are either for us or against us. The terrorists want to kill us all." All of these messages are designed to push us into fear . And by encouraging us to focus blame on others, such as terrorists and "evil" leaders, the power elite push us away from feeling in control of our lives and towards the role of powerless victims. The more we slip into fear and being victims, the easier it is for us to be manipulated. As people lose touch with their sense of purpose in life, and as they succumb to secrecy, fear, and victimization, the power elite is able to exert ever more control over our world.
Towards a Brighter Future What can we do about all this? Ultimately, it is the collective secrecy, fear, victimization, and loss of purpose within all of us that has allowed leaders to take power who would subvert democracy, and who would take away our freedoms and liberties. By each one of us making a commitment to work on these issues inside of ourselves, and to inspire others to do the same, we can change our collective direction and build a solid foundation for a brighter future. Several actions can help us to take firm steps in that direction. First, develop intentions and purpose for your life. To live full, rich lives in today's complex world, it's vitally important to give your life clear direction by exploring what is deepest and most meaningful to you, and by developing life intentions and purpose based on this. Then choose to live your intentions and follow your purpose to the best of your ability every day. By choosing to live with clear direction and focus, life becomes deeper and more meaningful. This then weakens the seduction of consumerism and media hype which distract us from our purpose, and allows us to more effectively focus on building a brighter future. Avoid secrecy and encourage openness and transparency. One important way we can do this is to work together to inform friends and colleagues about the major cover-ups being hidden from the public. Then in our personal lives, when we notice ourselves keeping information from others, we can examine our motives for this secrecy. Are we withholding information out of our own self interest, or because this is really what's best for all involved? And on a deeper level, where are we avoiding the truth within ourselves? Choose to transform fear into acceptance and love. When we notice ourselves feeling fear, we can trace the roots of that fear, so that we are able to identify our core issues and deal consciously with them. We can open to guidance from friends, teachers, and spiritual sources in moving from fear to acceptance and trust. We can transform our fears through welcoming the ever-present love of God, and the love that lies always deep in our own hearts, and in the hearts of all around us. In doing this, we begin to recognize fear as an invitation to growth. Become aware of when you are playing the role of victim, and choose instead to take personal responsibility for building a brighter future. In blaming others for our problems, we often avoid taking responsibility for how much we are involved in creating these problems through the choices we make. When we catch ourselves playing the role of victim by blaming others for everything that's wrong in our lives, we can choose instead to look inside ourselves , and to explore and take responsibility for our role in what's happening. By focusing on improving ourselves, every one of us can make a big difference both in our lives and in our world. In choosing love and personal responsibility over fear and victimization, we move beyond the polarizing focus on "good vs. evil" and "us vs. them." We open to the realization that every one of us is doing what we believe to be right and best based upon our beliefs, circumstances, and upbringing. We focus less on judging and blaming ourselves and others, and more on loving and healing all of us. We see that each of us has a place in our heart that wants only to love and be loved. By challenging ourselves to move beyond fear, blame, and judgment, and by challenging ourselves to live with a clear intention to love, to heal, and to empower ourselves and all around us, we are choosing to build a brighter future for us all. And finally, come together in groups to support each other in making these positive changes . In these groups, we exchange information about all that is being hidden from us. We also share our life intentions and encourage each other to live these intentions. We support each other in transforming fear into acceptance and love. And we inspire each other to take responsibility for our lives and to be the best that we can be. When we gather in groups to support each other in these intentions, we join in building a growing network of inspiration and empowerment around the planet. These suggestions emphasize changing the world by starting inside of ourselves. It is important to do what we can to stop the destructive behaviors of the power elite . Yet when we focus on changing the outside world without first having a solid internal foundation, it's easy to fall into blaming others, and into the polarizing "us vs. them" ways of the power elite. By starting with change on the inside, we develop more balance and strength to then work towards positive change out in the world. As we change ourselves from the inside out, we send ripples of inspiration and healing out into the world. By joining together in groups to support each other in this, those ripples become waves which powerfully help to build a brighter future for us all. Note: Please help to spread this important summary by sharing it with your family, friends, and colleagues. The entire website at http://www.WantToknow.info is filled with reliable, verifiable information for those who want to know about key information that is being hidden from public view, and what we can do about it. And below are a few websites which help to remind us that we are all in this together. Take care and have a wonderful day and month ahead. Explore these empowering websites coordinated by Fred:
|
|
