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June 2, Thursday Film
"I Am"
7:20 9:00 PM Little Theatre
This is an engaging
non-fiction
film that poses two
practical and provocative
questions: what's wrong
with our world, and what
can we do to make it better?
Gandhi Institute is
sponsoring Thursday
evening screenings,
facilitated discussion
after 9:00 show.
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MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence
211 Interfaith Chapel Box 270501 Rochester, NY 14627
585-276-3787
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Volume 2, Issue 6
June, 2011 | | |
Dear Friends,
Earlier this year I met with elementary school students at Rochester's School #25 to discuss Gandhi. You can see a few of their beautiful faces in the photo! Here are some samples of their words linking Gandhi's life and values with Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez:
Gandhi and Rosa Parks
The same thing Rosa Parks did as Gandhi was respect others. They also cared about others and treated people equally. They both protested and were arrested for what they believe in.
Gandhi and Cesar Chavez
Gandhi and Cesar Chavez are similar because they both don't like violence. They both want people to have their rights. They don't want people to be treated like dogs because they work on a farm or because they are Indian.
Reading the words of these students reminds me of a concept from the field of behavioral economics called 'choice architecture', an unconscious set of structures that help frame decisions. According to author David Brooks in his book The Social Animal, 'The mind stores certain 'if...then...' rules of thumb, which get activated by context". What this means is that the range of possibilities that we are exposed to as children and young adults frames our capacity to imagine the future. If our frame for the future does not include understanding about nonviolence, conflict resolution and models for overcoming injustice, then our possibilities diminish. By the same token, whatever learning in these areas can be offered to young people, the more likely they will be to instill this understanding in their 'choice architecture' and to access it for solving problems.
This is why I celebrate students and teachers like those at school #25 who study and think about the lives of heroes like Gandhi, Chavez and Rosa Parks, as well as the many people young and old who worked with my colleague George Payne recently through a collaboration with the Rochester Broadway Theatre League (see below). All of us can help shape the future by sharing our interest and commitment to nonviolence with others.
We can remind people of the power of one...the difference that one person can make.
Kit Miller,
Director,
MK Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence
This issue is dedicated to the people of Pakistan, to our unrecognized brothers and sisters who are even now working for peace, in the midst of violence.
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Calling all Educators! Weekend nonviolence training for teachers | | |
The Metta Center in Berkeley, CA is holding a retreat for educators at Dillon Beach (west of Petaluma) August 12-14, 2011. Learn about nonviolence, explore challenging topics for educators from a nonviolence perspective (such as creating a nonviolent atmosphere in your classroom), network with other educators on the cutting-edge of nonviolence education, and build curricula, lesson plans and other activities to gear you up for a new school year. This course is designed for all levels of education, including home-school. Cost is $300, including lodging, meals and materials. Spaces are limited. To register, email stephanie@mettacenter.org for an application. |
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Gandhi Institute Teams up with The Rochester Broadway Theater League to Teach Nonviolence | |
 Can we live in a world without prejudice? Can respect truly be won by battling another? These questions are central to the plot of West Side Story, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet and one of the most successful Broadway productions of our time. The story is about two warring New York City gangs: the Jets led by Riff and the Sharks, led by Bernardo.
The major themes in West Side Story are relevant to the study and practice of principled nonviolence. Gandhi believed that all humans belong to the same family. The only way to truly combat prejudice is to show people how all life forms are essentially interconnected. When we fail to realize this fundamental truth about human existence we drift into prejudicial territory. Gandhi also possessed an unshakable confidence in the power of love to transform hate. He once said that, "it is the law of love that rules mankind. Had violence ruled us, we should have become extinct long ago." The tragedy of the modern world, and West Side Story, is that so-called civilized human beings conduct themselves as if violence is our only option.
For the past several weeks I shared this message with over 300 high school students in eight secondary schools in Rochester. I found that many students relate to the struggles that the characters go through in West Side Story. In order to show how all human beings are essentially alike, I utilized Dr. Marshall Rosenberg's theory of Nonviolent Communication. I began by handing out a sheet with a variety of human needs listed e.g., the need for safety and appreciation. I then drew a line down the middle of the chalkboard separating Riff (the leader of the Jets) from Bernardo (the leader of the Sharks). Next, I asked the students to list certain needs that each character tried to meet by joining his respective gang. Here's the surprise: as different as Riff and Bernardo seem to be, the two lists are always identical. Using these types of activities, I enjoyed helping students to grasp the interconnectedness of humanity by revealing how we all share the same basic set of needs. As Gandhi reminds us, "For a nonviolent person the whole world is one family. He will thus fear none and none will fear him."
George Payne |
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Kelly Rickert, Student Board Member | | |
 | | Kelly Rickert at UR Microfarm |
You have been interested in nonviolence since your freshmen year. What prompted and sustained that interest?
I have actually been formally interested in nonviolence since my senior year of high school when I took two classes in nonviolent philosophy with Dr. Barry Gan at St. Bonaventure University near my home. I don't recall exactly what it was that prompted me to take that first class, but I think it probably had to do with exploring a subject that was different from anything I had already seen in my high school curriculum. Also, "Peace" is a somewhat trendy topic, and this probably influenced me a bit as well. After studying the philosophy, however, I really appreciated the topic most for its applicability and because it made sense. The first texts of my formal education in nonviolence were Gene Sharp's 3 part series in Nonviolent Action, and I really liked how practical it is as a philosophy. Gandhi's actions were great in their steadfastness, but I think too often he is dehumanized in our perception of him as some saintly figure. Perhaps to react nonviolently is not common or what is always expected, but I am always struck by how much sense the nonviolent act makes as a strategy.
Making the decision to try and live in a nonviolent way is a choice, and one that we are all capable of trying to make.However, I also think that my continued interest has a lot to do with "coming-of-age" in the violent, post-9/11 world, a tumultuous one where violence really has not proven to be an effective means for dealing with conflict. I have also grown up in a time period of global awareness, and it is difficult to truthfully claim to be unaware of the impact my lifestyle choices have on peoples around the world. Awareness of the environment is a huge topic my generation has really always had an awareness of. Being conscious of these responsibilities that I hold both as an individual and as a member of one of the wealthiest and most powerful nations, my interest in nonviolence has become a way to try and manage these responsibilities.
You are completing your second year as a member of the Gandhi Institute's board, as a student representative. Has there been anything in particular that stands out for you in relation to that commitment?
I saw Kathy Kelly speak about the wars in the Middle East during the Season for Nonviolence this year, and I was really just left thinking, "what in the world are we doing?" It was very upsetting because she so clearly portrayed the act of war as not only as an entirely destructive one, but a futile one as well. My interest in nonviolence is how I cope with this despair, it keeps me from fearing the future.
I feel fortunate to have been able to serve on the board of an organization; the chance to do so sort of fell into my lap. I have never been on the "board" of anything before, and it took me a little while to actually realize what this commitment meant, because it's definitely different from how I would participate on a sports team, for instance, or a student group on campus. It was also an interesting experience for my relationship with the other board members, many of whom I look up to as mentors and would never regard as a "peer" in any other setting. So that was really different.
Acting in my role outside of meetings or events, however, trying to talk about the Institute and nonviolence among my peers, I really came to value the education in nonviolence that I do have. Because although I do think it is a philosophy that does make sense, it is not one that a lot of students I know have knowledge of. My friends often might talk about wanting "peace", but (again) they think of it as some far away thing, not realizing the everyday actions that might actually be steps towards this ideal. I regret that the University does not offer a chance for students to have the same initial exposure I did in an academic setting to the philosophy of nonviolence. It is because of this lack of opportunity in an academic setting that the Institute's role and the programming it provides is especially important for students on campus.
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Swadeshi Now