Exploring Ways To Make Peace Within
Ourselves & the World

Women In Black Denver, Colorado

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Why Do I Write This Blog???

The easiest (and probably the most honest) answer to that question is: I don't know. It all started in the summer of 2005, when I went to Crawford, Texas ( a.k.a. the home of the prez's ranch, a.k.a. the home of Camp Casey) to support Cindy Sheehan. I wanted the world to know that, contrary to what one could read in the mainstream media, the peace movement was alive and well and large numbers of Americans did not support the war in Iraq. I wanted people to know that thousands of Americans were willing to travel to Texas and tolerate the heat, humidity, and bugs in order to support a grieving mother whose new purpose was to shine a light on the lies that led to the war and to bring home our troops so that no other mother would have to know the pain that she felt.

Over time, this blog has become more of an exploration of who I am, my spirituality, and how life works. I love life's complexities, exploring the shades of gray. I want to, as Rainier Maria Rilke said,

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer."

Maybe my blog is just one big question about what is needed in order for people to take the time to love and cherish each other and our earth. Maybe someday, I will "live along some distant day into the answer."

In the meantime, thank you for joining me on my journey. I welcome you to share yours with me

 

Saturday, September 03, 2005

Standing in the Sun

Every Saturday, I stand with others from noon to one-o-clock. We stand with signs saying that we don't want war, that we want to bring the troops home. Many drivers are silent. Many honk or wave. And some are very angry and say ugly things. I am sad that they are so angry. I wish that we could talk - or that I could have the opportunity to listen and understand. But standing on a busy street corner is not the venue for such things.

Last week, I engaged with an angry woman. I didn't say anything angry or mean, but I wish that I wouldn't have engaged at all. I wish that I would've taken the opportunity to open my heart and listen to her. Funny, I just send love to the people who drive by and yell mean things, but when this woman walked up and confronted us angrily, I tried to reason with her. Goes against everything that I am TRYING to learn from Nonviolent Communication.

I was just watching a video from Camp Casey - made the last weekend of August. In it I heard a great line that peace activists should remember: The best way to counter their style is with a smile.

I send my open heart, my smiles and my prayers to that woman I met on the street last weekend. May I stop the war here.

posted by Carol at 2:44 PM

1 Comments:

Anonymous BARB OVERTON said...

CAROL, THIS IS A GREAT "BLOG"...
YOU ARE A GREAT WRITER ALSO :)
THE WHOLE WORLD IS ANGRY OVER SOMETHING......I THINK THAT IS PART OF THE PROBLEM. I THINK OF ALL THE GREAT AND WISE LEADERS/TEACHERS......JESUS, BUDDAH, GHANDI, MOTHER THERESA, ETC. THEY ALL ADVOCATED LOVE & NON-VIOLENCE......ALL DIED IN THE NAME OF IT.....ANGER ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING.....LOVE ACCOMPLISHES ALL......I THINK WE NEED TO EVALUATE OUR "NEXT LIFE"...TO COME BACK WHEN THINGS ARE MORE PEACEFUL.......I AM SURE WE HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ANGER,HATE, WAR, ETC. THRU MANY LIFETIMES ALREADY !!!!! ANYWAY, HANG IN THERE.....LOVE, BARB.

11:57 AM  

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