- Growl under the
burdens,
- Breathe to reawaken our collective destiny,
- Return to the
wisdom of our ancestors, and
- Roar with exuberance to protect this world
of infinite wonder.
We saw these stages unfold through the breathtaking beauty of
puppets ranging from the size of a child's hand to 11 feet tall, on a
cloudy, blustery day. Yet, the sun broke through the clouds when the
huge puppets of the Land, Water, Earth and Sky encircled the pageant's
ceremonial site, and the crowd of thousands cheered in delight and
disbelief. Then again as the Tree of Life puppet was re-awakened and
raised to bless all of us, the sun came shining down on us, and this
time the crowd united in UPROAR, roaring as if we were one. I am sure
that all who were there will carry that power within us for a long time.
The challenge, then, is to keep nourishing that Roar of power,
individually and collectively. The opportunities to be fully present in non-violence as an ethic and strategy are many at FNVW:
*
individuals transforming conflicts in prisons and jails and during
re-entry
* people of faith & of ethics recovering the non-violence rooted in
Islam, Christianity and other faith & secular traditions
*
families of all configurations living in a community of non-violence,
committed to justice, every summer
* precincts gathering as neighbors as well as caucuses to make the peace
and justice vote the vote that matters most
If these
opportunities sound like what you have been looking for, to be fully present in transforming society, please call me at Friends for a
Non-Violent World's office: 651/917-0383.
Let's cause a mighty UPROAR!
Erika Thorne
* Designed and coordinated by In the Heart of
the Beast Puppet and Mask
Theater (
www.hotb.org) with hundreds of community volunteers, the festival is a miracle
to behold. Anyone can get involved. Some families are in their
second and even third generation of participation.