Captain Paul Chappell

(Portrait by Robert Shetterly) 

Friday, March 23, 2012

University of Rochester

Interfaith Chapel

7:30pm 

Free!  

(Donations gratefully accepted.) 

 Visit our new website!

www.gandhiinstitute.org   

Introduction to Nonviolence   

Saturday,  

March 3, 2012  

This workshop is designed to introduce the principles and practices of nonviolence through experiential activities and group based learning.   

For more information please contact us.

P) 585-276-4962  

E) gpayne2@ur.rochester.edu

      

Have you visited  

Occupy Rochester yet?     

http://www.facebook.com/OccupyRochester    

Roshi Bodhin Kjolhede of

 the Rochester Zen Center

64 DAYS OF PEACE
IS JUST THE BEGINNING  

BeTheChangeRochester.org

"We who seek justice will have to do justice to others."                                              

                                                            -Gandhi

Friends,

We're halfway through the 64 day-long opportunity to be the change called the Season for Nonviolence.  How is your Season checklist looking? 

• Receiving daily email reminder to help me each day keep the peace: Sign up for the SNV daily reminder!  

• Took the pledge for nonviolence and asked friends, family and co-workers to do the same: Take the Pledge!

• Planning to create, attend or promote a Season for Nonviolence event with my community: Create a SNV event! 

One of my heroes, Paul Chappell, will be visiting Rochester this month to lecture on Friday, March 23 and work with participants from the Youth Activist Movement on Saturday, March 24.  If the problems of the world seem insoluble to you at times, Paul is great medicine.  See below for an interview with him. 

Please keep in touch!

In peace and hope,

Kit Miller

Director

"If you want to see the brave, look for those who can forgive. If you want to see the heroic, look at those who can love in return for hatred." -Bhagavad Gita 

Americans Who Tell the Truth is coming back to Rochester! In celebration of the 2012 Season for Nonviolence, 14 portraits from this nationally acclaimed exhibit will be shown in the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County Lower Link Gallery from March 7-April 2. The exhibit is free and open to the public. 

Robert Shetterly's paintings & prints are in collections all over the U.S. and Europe. We are excited to announce that Robert will be in Rochester to talk about his portraits on Sunday, March 11 at 2:00 p.m. in the Central Library Lower Link Gallery.

For more information about the exhibit contact 585-276-4962.




Robert Shetterly will also be leading a free painting demonstration on Friday, March 9 at 1:00 pm

 

This event is free and open to the public. The demonstration and discussion will be held at the Creative Workshop of the Memorial Art Gallery. Seating is limited. 

 

Please call Rachael Baldanza at 276-8959 to register.

Paul Chappell  

    Friday, March 23, 2012

    University of Rochester  

Interfaith Chapel

7:30pm  

 "Captain Chappell has given us a unique look at war and peace from the perspective of a soldier, and his new ideas show us both why peace is both necessary and possible in the 21st century."

-Desmond Tutu

 A Short Interview with Paul K. Chappell  

 What advice can you share with young people who are thinking about joining the military?

      I would tell them to gather as many facts as they can in order to make an educated decision.  Local peace groups often have useful resources that can help them make an informed choice. 

 How do you relate budgetary cuts to social service programs with the amount of money our nation spends on the military?

      General Eisenhower said, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children." Eisenhower's warning is just as relevant today, because war is bankrupting our country, and we can use this money in ways that will better serve the American people. But first we have to show that war does not make us safe, because when people believe war makes them safe they are willing to spend almost anything.

 How has your experience as a soldier prepared you for your new career as a peace strategist?

    One thing that has always impressed me about the military is the emphasis on training. Soldiers are well trained in the art of waging war, and we have to be just as well trained in the art of waging peace. Also, many of the warrior ideals that I learned in the military, such as discipline, selflessness, resilience, and strategic thinking, are vital for waging peace.

 Is world peace possible?

      Ending politically organized war between countries is possible based on the evidence that we can observe from military history and human nature. But it depends on what we do. People often ask me, "How long will it take us to end war?" I respond by saying, "That's a great question, and I can answer it by posing another question. How long does it take to run a mile? A person can run a mile in under four minutes or walk it in over an hour. A person can also fail to complete the mile because he or she stops halfway through or quits before taking the first step. Similar to running a mile, how long it takes to end war will be determined by what we do. Depending on the quality and quantity of our actions, we might end war in twenty years or two hundred, or we might never end it and humanity will become extinct. It's up to us.