News from Peace Begins With Me

We are at a crossroads. If we want to 'make it' on this planet some kind of change in direction is needed. More of the same will not save us from our own demise. Radical new ways of thinking and living is needed to sustain our existence. The recent collapse of our economic structures, our deepening destruction of the environment, our ongoing commitment to armed hostilities both at home and in distant countries means we need to awaken from this insanity. Insanity, as the saying goes, "is doing more of the same and expecting a different outcome".

So how do we change the world? How do we chart a different path? What else can guide us in our pursuit of happiness and success other than consumption and growth? Like the hamster on the wheel we seem to think the solution is to go faster. But, what if 'going slower' is what is needed? What if the solution begins by pausing to reflect and asking whether the direction we are headed is where we want, and need to go? Maybe, as Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People states, we need to pause in our efforts to climb the 'ladder of success' and evaluate whether the ladder is leaning up against the right building.

We are not good as pausing; at suspending our actions and reflecting, at being still. Many of us are not brave enough to admit that we are lost. Most governments and funding agencies only want to finance the 'doing' action of an organization. Little thought, energy, or resources are dedicated to the 'reflecting' action that is needed to succeed in a fast changing world.

The world is a different place than it was even a generation ago. The rate of change is increasing at a phenomenal rate. Whereas once a youth would confidently know their career path as it was taking over the trade or business of the father, now we are told that most of the careers our children will enjoy don't even exist yet. Hewlett Packard, the electronics manufacturer, made most of their profits this year from a product that didn't even exist a year ago. So how do we cope in such speedy and complex times? And even more than cope, how do we thrive?

Margaret Wheatley is an internationally known best selling author who has spent a lifetime studying the nature of human interactions and the impact they have. Wheatley contributed the list below of the five conversations she feels we must have with ourselves and others for the sake of our future:

1. Who is my neighbor? Community is the greatest untapped wealth we have available to us at this time. Do we know who lives nearby? What do we need to do to get to know each other better?

2. How can I cultivate curiosity rather than judgment? It's not our differences that divide us, but our judgments about each other. Are we willing to be curious to listen to the stories of those we've distanced ourselves from?

3. What is my role in creating change? We can no longer wait for leaders or laws to create the changes we need. It's up to us, and it's the only way the world ever changes--when a few friends start talking. Am I willing to assume the responsibility for creating the changes I want to see in the world?

4. Am I willing to reclaim time to think? As the world speeds up, we're forfeiting our most precious human capacities -- reflection, awareness, dreaming, relationship. The only way to restore these capabilities is to slow things down, to reengage in reflection, to pause and truly notice what's going on.

5. Can I be fearless? Fearlessness is not being free of fear. It means that we do not allow our fears to silence or stop us. What issues and people summon me to be fearless?

It's time to turn off the television, power down the computer, unplug the ipod, and reflect on the potential that each of these conversations hold for our self, our family, our community, and our world. Look for opportunities today to initiate and explore these conversations with those around you. Let us direct the change, thoughtfully and respectfully, rather than merely react to the change as if we have no power or imagination.

"Never doubt that a small group of committed individuals
can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever does."
Margaret Mead