SESSION I – Introduction to the Peacemaking Study Program
2/04/07

Lighting of Chalice

Opening readings: “I found one day in school a boy of medium size ill-treating a smaller boy. I expostulated, but he replied: ‘The bigs hit me, so I hit the babies; that’s fair.’ In these words he epitomized the history of the human race.” – Bertrand Russell, Education and the Social Order

"[We] must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love" – Martin Luther King, Jr., in Singing the Living Tradition, #584

Discussion questions:

A). What are examples of everyday violence and peacemaking that we experience?

Following are definitions that some have developed for violence and peacemaking, which could be used for this discussion:

Violence: That which causes harm - physically, psychologically, or through economic and social systems.

Peacemaking: The process of building trust, harmony, collaboration, mutual understanding of differences, where there might otherwise be divergence and conflict.

B) To what extent are conflict and violence caused by human nature and human physiology and to what extent are they socially created?

C). When is violence or war ever justified? Is a world without war possible?

D). What would be needed to create a potentially peaceful international system?

Likes and Wishes:

Closing readings: A human being is part of the whole, called by us the 'universe,' a part limited in time and space. All of us experience our self, our thoughts and feelings, as something separate from the rest--a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.--Albert Einstein

Extinguish chalice

OPTIONAL READINGS FOR DISCUSSION:

Question A: The inner-city riots of the 1960’s brought community, business, education, labor and government leaders together out of a concern over high drop-out and unemployment rates among Philadelphia’s youth. From this union was born the Academy Model for school reform. As a result of the success of the Academy Model, Philadelphia, business leaders commissioned a study to evaluate how the City might further benefit from this successful education model. Today the Academy Model is flourishing with enrollment at approximately 8,000 students. History page for non-profit Philadelphia Academies, Inc. website

Violence is often a response to perceived threat, and we can experience threat in many ways. For example, we might be threatened by the possibility that someone else will get the promotion we want, by someone on a church committee trying to dominate us to get their agenda through, by someone we admire seeming to snub us. Perceived threats – to our sense of self-worth and social status as well as physical survival – can elicit psychologically or physically violent responses. Judy Morgan (CSW core Peacemaking team)

Question B: Many would probably agree that we are ‘hard wired’ to have needs, drives, and fight/flight reactions but it’s how these impulses are channeled that determines whether we’re violent or not. Physiology and heredity can play some role, but genetic variations or environmental interactions in early development also lead to important individual differences that increase possibilities for conflict. What are our individual experiences, if any, that inform that connection? What are our concerns with the effects that our families and social institutions as well as our religious and moral ideas have on our common well being? Larry Shafer (CSW core Peacemaking team)

Knowledge itself is no guarantee that we will be able to adjust our behavior. And that, perhaps, is a more accurate description of the state of where we stand. The world order cannot adapt quickly enough to deal with present crises, despite having knowledge of the catastrophes that will inevitably follow as a consequence of the failure to act. Padraig O.Malley (Ed) in Introduction of recently released book Sticks & Stones: Living With Uncertain Wars

Question C: Today, the United States enjoys a position of unparalleled military strength and great economic and political influence. In keeping with our heritage and principles, we do not use our strength to press for unilateral advantage. We seek instead to create a balance of power that favors human freedom: conditions in which all nations and all societies can choose for themselves the rewards and challenges of political and economic liberty. In a world that is safe, people will be able to make their own lives better. We will defend the peace by fighting terrorists and tyrants. We will preserve the peace by building good relations among the great powers. We will extend the peace by encouraging free and open societies on every continent. – 2002 U.S. National Security Strategy

For many groups, the refusal to accept criticism over one’s military and economic strategies unfortunately serves as fertile soil for a spiral of violence. Considering the superpower status of the US, that spiral cannot but be asymmetrical, with repeated attempts made to undermine the arrogance of American supremacy. The danger from individuals and groups, who sow death and destruction without our historic ethical scruples, will only increase. The technically advanced pre-emptive strikes that characterize the war on terror cannot change that in any way. No more than the cowboy rhetoric, with the world divided into ‘good guys’ (with white hats) and ‘bad guys’ (with black hats) and proponents who state, very simplistically, that: “who is not for us is against us”. – Dr. D.E.M. Verweij, Professor of Strategic Analysis, Royal (Netherlands) Military Academy in upcoming book on Just War emphasizing analysis of problems with pre-emptive war

Question D: This requires a knowledge of human nature, a systematic view to appropriately address concerns with aspects of history, religion, and ethics to achieve balance, and finally a context with enabling institutions to carry this out (such as an emerging world order based on covenants of universal human rights) supported by enabling mechanisms (such as the United Nations and other multilateral institutions). That would be in accord with our principles and purposes.

Consider alternative responses to a series of possible positions, such as:

No system has ever worked perfectly, but justice is what originally and still matters.
Empowering individual responsibility will continue to be the most effective approach.
Education in our common interests in solving problems can succeed in uniting diverse interests.
War is no longer an effective option in a world with nuclear weapons and advancing technology.
Human rights enforcement may sometimes require the threat of use of military force.
Economic solutions have begun to seem to be effective alternatives to poverty, inequality and war.