| Dear Friends of Peace Pilgrim, THIRTY-SIX
FRIENDS of Peace Pilgrim in three groups (one group a week) paddled canoes down the Green
River in Utah last July. The Peace Pilgrim Wilderness Retreats are so popular that we had
to add an extra week both years. (For more information about next summer's Wilderness
Retreats see page 2)
We hear about the wonderful experience by phone, mail and in person. The scenery was
magnificent, the fellowship warm and friendly, the food was simple and delicious, the
spiritual sharing with Cheryl was inspiring. From all, we hear that the organization of
the trips by Jeff was outstanding.
Cheryl, one of the compilers of the Peace Pilgrim book, shared her experiences of being
with Peace Pilgrim on her inspirational tours. She told of her work among the poorest of
the poor in Haiti with Mother Theresa's Sisters and about her most remarkable recent
experience of overcoming cancer.
Recently she was here at the Peace Pilgrim Center helping us answer mail and sharing
thoughts about the future of our center. We talked about the need for more office and
storage space, more room for visitors and volunteers. The office long ago has filed up
both bedrooms of our small two-bedroom house and is encroaching on the living room. Books
fill the garage and spill out on the back porch.
We need a quiet, peaceful library where visitors can study Peace Pilgrim's writing, view
her video tapes and absorb her message. We need a place for visitors and staff to
"walk receptive and silent amidst the beauties of nature," a place for retreats.
An important part of the experience of being a visitor is helping to fill requests for
books, answering the mail and phone calls from around the world. All of us at the Center -
staff, visitors and volunteers - help in daily domestic routines.
We are very happy to learn that Cheryl is interesting in spending much of her time at our
center leading spiritual renewal retreats, using Peace Pilgrim's words as resource
material. She is well qualified to conduct retreats. She was a close friend of Peace
Pilgrim, who shared spiritual insights on inspirational tours to Alaska and Hawaii. They
had decided to plan a retreat on the mainland when Peace Pilgrim made her "glorious
transition".
If we should move to a center large enough to have retreats, there will be no slowing down
or de-emphasizing the work we are now doing. We believe that with more room for volunteers
our work would greatly expand. There are many projects we have long wanted to accomplish
to spread Peace Pilgrim's message even more, and volunteers would be very helpful in
releasing us to work on these projects.
We will be interested in your thoughts about where we might establish a retreat center,
preferably in or near California. Since we use your gifts for sending out Peace Pilgrim
materials - this year we have printed 60,000 Peace Pilgrim books and 100,000 STEPS - we
have little left for a larger center. Since some friends have asked us to let them know if
we needed help for a special project, we have established a Peace Pilgrim Center fund
where they and others can send their contributions. Write to us for more information about
our proposed Peace Pilgrim center.
--Cheryl, Jeff, John, Ann
****
OUR MAN IN ARABIA! (Back
to TOC)
Gary Guthrie, a Hemet volunteer who has helped collate Russian STEPS and fold our
newsletters, is now in Saudi Arabia teaching English as a second language. We wrote:
"I have been here only a week and it is going to take much longer than this to get
readjusted. I haven't started looking for an Arabic translator yet (for Peace Pilgrim
books) but that will happen as soon as I get my bearings.
"All around me I feel the devastation caused by war - by the greed and selfishness of
man. The air if filled with smoke from the burning Kuwaiti oil fields. It affects the eyes
and the skin. Wars can be prevented with less greed and selfishness. I firmly believe that
if more people would practice the principals taught by Peace Pilgrim fewer wars would
occur.
"I miss having lunch and doing volunteer work with you. I miss you all."
****
HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA
This year we published an attractive, quality, dust-jacketed, hard cover edition of the
Peace Pilgrim book. It has a picture of Peace Pilgrim as a young woman and a new appendix
recounting people's individual experiences with Peace Pilgrim. This book makes an
excellent gift. Order early if you want to have it in time for the holiday season.
****
ANNUAL WILDERNESS RETREATS (Back to TOC)
Our second annual Peace Pilgrim Wilderness Retreats were incredible experiences. We
canoed down the Green River to its confluence with the Colorado in southeastern Utah. We
enjoyed the calls of coyotes, breathtaking sunsets, and a magnificent double rainbow-two
days in a row! It was a glorious experience going down river with wonderful people who are
inspired by Peace Pilgrim.
We are again offering Peace Pilgrim wilderness retreats - the first from Sunday, June 28
to Saturday, July 4th, and a second one from Monday, July 6th to Sunday, July 12th. Again,
Cheryl Canfield, one of the compilers of the Peace book, will share her extensive
experiences with Peace Pilgrim. Vegetarian food and community gear will be provided.
Each trip down the Green River will be limited to 14 people, with two to a canoe. Because
we will be traveling only about 10 miles down river each day and the river flows about
three miles an hour (no white water), the trip will not be strenuous. We will take a day
to rest and explore midweek, and the following day will be the longest on the river -
about 16 miles. There will be ample opportunity to go on hikes and climbs. We will explore
side canyons and visit Anasazi Indian ruins ( 5 or 6 sites) throughout the week.
The entire journey is through pristine, awe-inspiring, beautiful wilderness areas, free of
the vestiges of modern civilization. The sun can be very intense, but jumping in the river
offers a cool reprieve. The cost is $260 each. The price includes a meal at a nice natural
foods restaurant in Moab where we will meet each other the day before the retreat begins.
The next day we will gather on the outskirts of Moab and be driven to our lunch pint,
about two hours away.
Car pools will be arranged where possible and planes, buses and trains can be met nearby.
Cars can be left safely at our outfitters.
If you are interested in participating, write to Jeff at the Peace Pilgrim center.
****
What participants said about this year's retreat:
The logistics and food - terrific! The scenery - fantastic! The people - wonderful!
Evening circles - beautiful! Were there bugs? Yes…Plenty! Was it hot? Yes…Very!
Did we get dirty? Yes…Filthy! But little inconveniences like these were so minor.
This was one of the best experiences I've ever had in my lifetime. -Estelle Delgado
To live so close to nature for those days made them sing for me. I can hardly describe it.
-Lea Wood
Majestic Canyonlands, sheer rock faces sharply outlining the muddy ribbon of the brown
Green River, winding its way slowly back into the heart of our ancient past. -Marilyn
Schirk
Being able to share with others of like mind is a great source of pleasure. -Al Lane
It was such an incredible experience for me - life altering as I have made mental shifts
leading to lifestyle changes. -Elizabeth Ely
Our Green River wilderness trip was wonderful! It was a bit more strenuous than we
anticipate, but that part is soon forgotten in memories of the grandeur of the scenery -
leisurely explorations into side canyons - unbelievably brilliant stars in the black night
skies. These delights - combined with getting to know some wonderful people, enjoying
great vegetarian meals, participating in meaningful group meditations - added up to a
highly memorable trip.
- Dorothy Cleland
****
PRISON ASHRAM PROJECT (Back
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For about the last 15 years, Bo and Sita Lozoff have dedicated their lives to helping
prisoners use their time in prison for spiritual growth.
While living in an ashram, they visited a friend in a nearby federal prison and were
struck by the similarity in the lifestyles of the prison and the ashram. This gave them
the idea of encouraging prisoners to cultivate listening to the still small voice within.
At first they were expecting to be working with middle-class prisoners in for their first
drug bust, but found that interested prisoners were from all backgrounds.
Bo and Sita have put together a book for using prison time for spiritual growth called We're
All Doing Time, which is sent free to prisoners anywhere in the world. It gives
various recipes for spiritual growth with prayer, service, meditation, and everyday life
situations. Bo has given workshops at over 300 prisons and has corresponded with numerous
prisoners.
Bo and Sita promote service projects, such as recycling within the prison, making audios
of books for the blind, making playground equipment for disadvantaged children. They also
work with Habitat for Humanity and other groups to help released prisoners experience the
joy of selfless service.
They operate very much like Friends of Peace Pilgrim, a cottage industry working out of
their home. Although others are charged, their books are sent free to prisoners.
I recommend their book, We Are All Doing Time to anyone, not just prisoners. It
draws from wise people of many traditions - Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Islamic, Jewish,
and Native American Indian - and provides powerful methods for spiritual growth. The
correspondence with prisoners makes fascinating and compelling reading. Bo and Sita's
special genius is putting profound spiritual truths in everyday language. These people are
a well-kept secret who deserve wider recognition and support.
To get We're All Doing Time and Bo's new book, Just Another Spiritual Book,
a superb, highly recommended video, and other materials, write to: Prison Ashram Project,
Rout 1, Box 201-N, Durham, NC 27705. - Jeff
****
Letter From Moscow (Back
to TOC)
Nina Nikitichna Yakovieva
Many thanks for the books. They are priceless. They ring Light and strong energies and
have played a decisive role for me. I gave up my former technical job and went to work in
a charitable center. I assume we will work with the blind. I am certain, that with God's
help and help from the Teacher, all will go well - although I have no experience in such
matters.
We give copies to whoever has a great need for them - 20 copies went to Leningrad, the
rest stayed in Moscow.
We'll continue to foster the dissemination of these books, to the extent allowed by the
monies we have set aside. It is beautiful to become aware that in the world there are many
people who think similarly for the sake of Peace on Earth and Love.
Currently our country is going through a difficult time, and I don't dare ask you for the
literature put out by you, since your difficulties are very understandable to me.
****
Back Issues of Our Newsletters
All back issues are available. Let us know which issues you would like. Our
photocopying and postage costs for the complete set are $4.
****
DISCUSSION WITH PEACE PILGRIM (Back to TOC)
Peace Pilgrim stayed most of six weeks with John and Ann in Whittier, California,
because they and Mary Eubanks had over 100 speaking engagements for her in the Los Angeles
area. John & Ann invited a few friends for an afternoon with Peace Pilgrim in their
backyard. We hope to offer a cassette tape of this session in the next newsletter. In the
following discussion the question is from Webster Cotton, the professor who made the video
tape of Peace Pilgrim talking to his class in the "Speaking Before a College
Class" video.
Webster Cotton: "Peace, don't people quite often get caught up in causes as a way
of escaping from dealing with themselves?"
Peace Pilgrim: "Some do. You will find some even in the cause of peace that have not
yet made peace with themselves and certainly not with their families."
Webster Cotton: "This was my impression, that many people in the peace movement were
running away from their worn selves; and were very angry, and very hostile and very
negative."
Peace Pilgrim: "Yes, this is inevitable, especially when a cause gets as large as the
cause of peace got at the time just before the people of this country, not the
government, but the people, stopped that war in Viet Nam.
:"Of course, there was psychological violence used - calling police 'pigs,' for
instance. Why, this is the most terrible form of psychology, because if you call a man a
pig he is apt to act like a pig, and some of them did. The other thing they did was to use
violence against property. They broke windows and burned down buildings, and this had the
effect of turning thousands of people away from the peace movement.
"I believe that if they had been able to refrain from psychological violence and
violence against property, the war in Viet Nam might have ended a good deal sooner. But it
is quite inevitable, of course, that you will find this in any movement that gets fairly
large.
"I remember toward the end of the war in Viet Nam some college students asked me to
lead a peace march. They showed me their discipline, and it said, "if somebody says
something mean to you, say nothing; if somebody hits you, do nothing.' And I said,
"Well, it couldn't be more peaceful, so I'll lead it.' I suggested that we sing
positive peace songs and that it be for peace, you see, and they were willing to go
along with that.
"We came into the plaza at the Federal Building, two or three thousand strong, where
we had a permit to have speeches. And on the steps of the Federal Building were two or
three dozen counter-demonstrators, a pitiful little handful. So when I got up to speak I
thanked all those beautiful people who had walked with me, and I noticed they
weren't all college students - some of them had silver hair. And then I turned to that
handful on the steps of the Federal Building, and I said 'I thank you for coming out too
because this is so symbolic - the vast majority standing up for peace, and the small
minority standing up against them.' And you know, one of the young men from the steps came
over to me afterward and he said 'I haven't come to argue with you, I just want to tell
you that I realize today that you are on the popular side; I said "you bet we are,
and if you want to be on the popular side you better come over here and stand with us.'
And this is exactly what happens. You see, so many people never make up their own minds
about anything; if war is popular, they are for war; if peace is popular, they are for
peace. And all of a sudden, everybody started to climb on the peace bandwagon and the
people gained enough power to stop the war in Viet Nam.
"So you see, Web, actually, while you deal with difficult forces, when you deal with
great numbers of people, in some cases it takes great numbers of people to accomplish a
purpose."
****
RUSSIAN, SPANISH PEACE PILGRIM BOOKS (Back to TOC)
We now have both the Russian and Spanish editions of PEACE PILGRIM, HER LIFE AND WORK
IN HER OWN WORDS in photocopy form. If you would like copies write to us. The translations
of both are complete and in the proofreading stage. We could use additional Russian
language proofreaders. If you have Russian language ability and would be willing to help
in this way, write us. We hope to have both the Russian and Spanish versions in book form
by the middle of next year.
We just receives some copies of the French edition of our Peace Pilgrim book that has now
been published in France. - Jeff
****
EVERYBODY WINS (Back
to TOC)
A letter from Rhea Zakich, creator of non-competitive games:
In 1965, I began to examine my life. I had chosen to be a follower of Christ but I knew
I wasn’t living up to what
I professed to believe. The Viet Nam war was raging, and racial riots had broken out near
my home in Southern
California. I remember feeling powerless to change anything or make a difference in the
world. “What can ONE person do to help bring PEACE?” I asked myself. I prayed
that God would help me to begin LIVING my faith that I might be an instrument of peace.
I went into a Los Angeles ghetto to volunteer to help in any way I could. I met a Laubach
Literacy instructor, Helen Line, who became my teacher and mentor. It was through Helen
that I first met Peace Pilgrim in 1969. 1 remember sitting at her feet for hours,
mesmerized by her wisdom and her radiant spirit. I marveled at all the lives she had
touched and would touch as she walked across the country. I began to realize that ONE
PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! I was blessed to be with her on three other occasions in the
years following.
I began to dream bigger! “Lord, I want to make a significant difference! I want to
reach miffions for peace!” I had no idea how God would guide me in fulfilling that
dream, but the events in the next few years went beyond my expectations or imagination.
I became interested in communication and began to speak to groups of all sizes about how
to communicate, how to listen, and how to understand each other. I urged people to let go
of judgements and criticisms and see the beauty of each individual.
Then tragedy struck. I developed a mysterious throat condition that required that I live
in silence for several months. After two operations the doctors were not sure I would ever
speak again. My life crumbled. How could I be a wife and mother without a voice? I had no
preparation! No rehearsal! How could I do anything significant if I couldn’t
communicate with those around me?
I feared that, as a mute, I would not be able to function in the world, let alone teach
peace. Days of silence. Prayers. Pondering. Observing. Feeling. LISTENING!
Lo and behold! The idea came to create a game that would encourage people (who
I-lAD voices!) to take time to talk to each other about the things that are important to
them: beliefs, feelings, hopes, dreams, fears, desires, LOVE! A game that would offer some
ground rules so no one would fear being criticized or challenged. There would be no
judgements, no comparisons or competition and EVERYBODY WINS! Thus, the UNGAME WAS BORN!
Today, twenty years later, I marvel about how the Ungame has gone from my kitchen table to
all corners of the world. It is helping people learn to communicate in a loving, peaceful
way. Having sold more than two million copies (translated in seven languages), this simple
tool is being used in counseling centers, schools, churches, and
homes; affecting the lives of millions.
During the war in the Persian Gulf, I received a letter from a Rabbi in Jerusalem who was
watching the scud missiles from his window. “May I translate the Ungame into Hebrew
so my people can begin to talk about the fear, the pain and loss of war?” he asked.
Of course I said, “Yes.”
My voice has returned, thank God! And I continue my travels, talking about love and peace
expressed through better communication.
My latest endeavor has been to create a new game, called, “LOVE IS LETTING GO OF
FEAR,” based on Dr. Gerald Jampolsky’s book by the same name. Its purpose is to
create a time and place for persons to gather together to share beliefs, experiences,
feelings and ideas in an atmosphere of love and acceptance, that we might learn to live in
harmony with one another. For information about these games write to the Miracle
Distribution Center, 1141 E. Ash Ave., Fullerton, CA 92631 (714) 738-8380
****
THE MOTHER-CHILD REUNION PROJECT or “MARSUPIAL
MOTHERING” (Back to TOC)
This organization distributes baby slings to promote bonding and longterm
breastfeeding. There is no charge; donations are greatly appreciated to cover postage and
material costs of $7 each. Here is a letter from the founder, Hygeia Halfmoon:
Peace Pilgrim teaches us about becoming more peaceful adults, and this knowledge has
helped me to search out ways to begin the path of peace through mothering.
Much evidence has shown that societies where babies are carried continuously in baby
slings seem to have a more peaceful civilization. These “carried” babies are
always happy, experiencing such wonderful pleasures as security, confidence, touch, and
love.
After learning of this truth, and becoming a mother myself, I began a home business making
and distributing baby slings. For the longest time I struggled over what price to request
for these slings. Then I was introduced to FRIENDS OF PEACE PILGRIM. Through this
organization all of the literature — even the audio and video cassettes — are
offered free of charge, although donations are appreciated. Well, I decided if Peace
Pilgrim was right about the way of peace — “Overcome evil with good, falsehood
with truth, hatred with love,” then maybe she knew something about the concept of
money as well.
I took that leap of faith and announced to the mothering world that there is no charge for
our baby slings, although donations are appreciated to help support our cause. From the
moment I turned this corner in business philosophy, everything blossomed! We are so busy
filling orders and answering questions about mothering that our lives are filled with the
love of our work. The messages offered by Peace Pilgrim truly can be practiced in all our
affairs.
For those in need of a baby sling, send parent size S-ML-XL to MOTHER CHILD REUNION at P0
Box 514, Tahlequah, OK 74465 or call 918-456-3629.
****
THE CARTER FACTOR (Back
to TOC)
Habitat for Humanity builds low cost housing for and with the help of poor people
throughout the world. No interest is charged for loans. You may have seen Jimmy Carter on
TV working with his carpenter tools, helping to build houses. This is his story:
After leaving the White House, Rosalyn and I were inundated with invitations to
participate in worthwhile projects around the world. As luck, or God’s will, would
have it, a number of workers from the nearby Habitat International headquarters in
Americus, Georgia, came to our Sunday School classes in Plains. The glowing descriptions
of their work were very impressive, and led us to invite Millard Fuller abitat founder and
President] to visit our home... .to explain more about how we might be of help.
Out of this first encounter have come some of our life’s greatest blessings. We have
become small palters in an exciting global effort to alleviate the curse of homelessness.
With our many new friends, we have worked to raise funds, to publicize the good work of
Habitat, to recruit other volunteers, to visit overseas projects, and even to build a few
houses.
I have been an active church member and, as a high public official, responsible for the
evolution and funding of massive humanitarian projects. However, Habitat has opened
unprecedented opportunities for me to cross the chasm that separates those of us who are
free, safe, financially secure, well fed and housed, and influential enough to shape our
own destiny, from our neighbors who enjoy few if any of these advantages of life.
Working side by side with these families in building their new homes, we have not only
learned about their hardships, but about their strong family ties, capabilities,
ambitions, dedication, and generosity. We have also been inspired by the transforming
effect that a decent home can have in their lives. Wayward children begin coming home at
night, plans for college emerge, and new responsibilities of citizenship become important.
All in all, the few contributions we have made to Habitat have been far outweighed by the
personal blessings we have derived from these experiences. We are truly grateful. from
HABITAT WORLD
****
HOLLYWOOD, California — I first read about Peace Pilgrim in an Ashram/Spiritual
retreat library in India. I found them very inspiring and philosophical, something we all
can incorporate into our own daily lives and spread it that way. Walking has always been
my inspiration. It allows me to think and expand my consciousness simultaneously. Ralph
Waldo Emerson wrote,”Few people know how to take a walk. The qualifications...are
endurance, plain clothes, old shoes, an eye for nature, good humor, vast curiosity, good
speech, good silence and nothing too much.”
****
Christopher Maier on Peace Pilgrim (Back to TOC)
Looking for outer results can be deceptive — it presumes a strict dichotomy of
inner from outer, spiritual from political work. The pilgrimage of Peace Pilgrim offers us
a model in which these distinctions have been transcended. The inner and outer realm of
practice have been integrated.
She defined her pilgrimage as a pilgrimage for a purpose, rather than to a place or a
final goal. This is a subtle yet critical distinction. With no objectified goal fixed as
its end, she could only guide her practice from within. We, likewise, can evaluate and
guide our own spiritual-political projects in terms not of effectiveness, but of
faithfulness, faithfulness to the light we already have.
Peace Pilgrim’s public practice unfolded from a will to serve the good of the whole,
yet with no desire to impose a will on the whole. She made it abundantly clear that she
was not encouraging others to undertake what she was doing. All have their own role to
play, in the universe. For this reason she started no organization and belonged to none
herself. She approached no one; those curious and concerned about peace approached her.
She set out to walk her path, not to find followers, yet she walked her path publicly,
eager to meet others, open to dialogue, and through dialogue to inspire people to find
their own path...
****
THE LOOMIS PEACE AWARD (Back to TOC)
This year, the Samata International Yoga and Health Institute in Marina del Rey,
California, gave the Loomis Peace Award to John and Ann for spreading Peace Pilgrim’s
message throughout the world. The award was given at the estate of film composer David
McHugh in Malibu, California.
Dr. Evarts Loomis, for whom the peace award was named, was acknowledged for his role in
advancing holistic health. He is the founder of the Meadowlark Health Center, the first
holistic health retreat in the United States, two miles from our Peace Pilgrim center.
Peace Pilgrim was always invited to speak at Meadowlark whenevc*shc was in the area. Ann
drove her from Whittier the last time.
We have been able to spread over 200,000 Peace Pilgrim books and over 600,000 STEPS
booklets freely around the world because of the prayers and support of you Friends of
Peace Pilgrim. Of course any honor we receive belongs to all of you.
****
NEW HAMPSHIRE — “There has never been a ‘just war.’ There will
never be a ‘just’ war. We as human beings set on this planet were not given the
authority to determine the length of time another human being should exist here.”
These words are the beginning of a paper by Karen Krainski for a class at the University
of New Hampshire. In this paper she examines each point for justifying a war as given in
“Jus ad bellum” and refutes each one. To support her position she quotes from
Peace Pilgrim many times. We will send anyone a copy upon request.
****
(note: Pages 6 and 7 of Newsletter 14 contained a list of
"Peace Pilgrim Offerings" from Friends of Peace Pilgrim. For a current list go
to the CURRENT OFFERINGS PAGE.)
****
PEACE STUDIES (Back
to TOC)
Since 1986 Frank Noffke has been dedicated to World Peace. He is Peace Advocate to
Education Centers in Orange County, California and Pentwater, Michigan. He is a member of
the Consortium on Peace Research and sent us their directory of 230 colleges that offer
Peace Studies Programs. book to all of them.1 He is an organizer and speaker of Peace
Studies Sessions at the Association of College Unions International Conventions 1990 and
1991, where he has given out many PEACE PILGRIM books, STEPS and stacks of our
newsletters.
In August he led an Elderhostel Peace Studies Class called THE STRUGGLE FOR WORLD PEACE at
Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. Lee Noftke, his wife, presented Peace
Pilgrim on Inner Peace in a workshop. He wrote, “They gobbled up Peace Pilgrim books
and STEPS. Thank you again for your great work. The failure of the U.S.S.R. coup was due,
in my view, in large measure to the people-to-people movement. Your great efforts, friends
of Peace Pilgrim, played a great part in that!”
Last year Frank wrote an article in the Bulletin Of The International Association Of
College Unions and here are some excerpts:
In the last six years, the number of peace organizations in this country has grown from
1,450 to 7,000. Educators for Social Responsibility with 100 chapters in 36 states are
conducting dialogue with Soviet counterparts.
The efforts of adult leaders, however, are not enough. We must include our mature youth,
who have new, creative ideas, energy and concern. Unfortunately, college students, one of
society’s most effective and able age groups, seem to be missing from the world peace
movement. As future leaders of our country, they should have the chance to help bring
peace to the nation and the world.
[He explains how this can be remedied. Perhaps his articles and talks at these
conferences helped to bring about the “phenomenal growth of peace studies
programs” the following excerpts are about:]
****
PEACE STUDIES PROGRAMS (Back to TOC)
from Nuclear Times, Summer 1991
Peace brigades from college campuses across the country invaded Washington, D.C. in
early April for the Peace Studies Association’s third annual conference. It comes at
a time of phenomenal growth for peace studies programs.
The first program was established in 1948 at Manchester College in Indiana...~There were
programs] on a handful of U.S. campuses at the height of the Vietnam War. By the early
1970s, only three remained.
It was the next wave of peace activities — the movement to freeze nuclear weapons
— that reawakened peace education. By 1980, there were 30 programs and today there
are approximately 250 undergraduate and graduate
programs across the country.
Six schools in the Washington, D.C. area started the Capital Area Peace Studies
Conferences to give students the chance to present papers to their peers....”a unique
opportunity for students to participate outside the classroom and integrate their concerns
for social justice with their academic work,” said a graduate student. “Students
rarely get the chance to get feedback from other students...here they are sharing and
learning rather than just trying to get a good grade.”
****
DEMOCRATIZING DEVELOPMENT (Back to TOC)
The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) and the World Development Movement
(WDM), a London-based organization, share a deep concern for fostering a type of
international development that will benefit all members of society, not just a select few.
The FCNL, in cooperation with the WDM, has developed the “Poverty Effort
Proposal,” which attempts to help eliminate global hunger and poverty by changing the
policies of the World Bank and regional development banks. It would shift the emphasis of
development loans from a government’s economic performance to its efforts to
eradicate poverty, and thus protect its human resources.
Countries would qualify for aid to the extent that they demonstrate a commitment to
eradicating poverty. This would help stop foreign aid from simply lining the pockets of
the already well-to-do. Recipient countries would be required to develop a national
poverty eradication strategy with active involvement by grassroots organizations.
Throughout 1989, an FCNL lobbyist met with various Capitol Hill staffers to promote the
Poverty Effort Proposal. The House Banking Committee agreed to sponsor a bill embodying
the principles of the Poverty Effort Proposal. It was passed by Congress and signed into
law in November 1989. Even better, FCNL persuaded the Treasury Department to advocate the
proposal in international negotiations on lending to poor countries. The proposal was
accepted, and as a result the World Bank method for allocating aid has changed.
****
LITHUANIA — I am a psychologist from Kaunas. Thank you ever so much for STEPS, the
most wonderful booklet that I’ve received from my friend in Switzerland. I am very
interested in and inspired by the ideas and life of Peace Pilgrim. With real joy I read
about the possibility to receive her book free of charge, because our money here is still
not convertible...Thank you in advance on behalf of my family, friends, colleagues and
clients, to whom I am intended to present it, as well as read it myself.
LENINGRAD — Nine! — While reading your newsletter you feel as if you belong
to a great brotherhood of fine people. It’s wonderful that the book is translated
into Russian. It will be wonderful that many Russian people will have an opportunity to
read this book and will be influenced by fine ideas of this earthly goddess.
****
PEACE PILGRIM, AN EXAMPLE OF TRANSFORMING
GROWTH (Back to TOC)
Last year Dr. Michael Piechowski, professor at Northland College, Ashland, Wisconsin,
requested our Peace Pilgrim books and wrote, “I am deeply touched reading this.”
He requested twenty more books, the audios and videos. He also wanted to know more about
her early life for his study of transforming growth. He was writing a paper called
GIFTEDNESS FOR ALL SEASONS, INNER PEACE IN A TIME OF WAR to illustrate higher levels of
development as formulated by Kazimerz Dabrowski.
Dabrowski (1902-1980) was a psychiatrist who lived most of his life in Poland. He was a
mental hospital administrator, a researcher, lecturer, a poet, musician, and philosopher.
He witnessed the terrible suffering of two world wars and the holocaust. Based on his
personal experience he formulated the “Theory of Positive Disintegration” to
emphasize the role of suffering and inner conflict in advancing development.
Dabrowski visualized five levels of personality development. In the lower levels people
are egocentric, unprincipled, crowd followers, lacking inner direction. The highest level
(level 5) is a life inspired by a powerful ideal, such as equal rights, world peace,
universal love and compassion.
Piechowski presented his paper at the Wallace National Research Symposium on Talent
Development at the University of Iowa, May 1991. Three persons whose lives illustrate
transforming growth are examined in his paper:
those of Peace Pilgrim, Etty Hillesum, and Ashley, a university professor. He writes at
length about each one:
“All three lives have much in common yet are extraordinarily individual and unique.
Peace Pilgrim exemplifies the highest level of development and offers a direct view of a
life simplified and perfected into a consummate union with the ‘all pervading spirit
— which binds everything in the universe together and gives life to everything.’
Hers is the pure gold of level 5...Peace Pilgrim’s intelligence is evident in the
clarity of her expression (in high school she was captain of the debating team).
“All three reached the view that inner life determines the outer situation, not only
for the individual hut on a world scale. Apparently, at a certain level of development, it
becomes supremely clear that we are not separate islands but ‘cells in one body of
humanity.’ Consequently what goes on in each cell, in the privacy of one’s mind,
affects the whole. Hence their conviction, and in Peace Pilgrim’s case borne out of
direct knowledge, that peace in the world will be secure only as each and every one of us
works toward inner peace.”
Piechowski concludes with: “I see their significance for us in the fact that they led
ordinary lives, held no positions of prominence and had no religious training to speak of.
Yet from within their inner being came a search for God and the realization of their
destiny. All three responded to the
desperate call of their brothers and sisters with a willingness to serve. They took up the
task of preparation to fulfill their destiny, the fourfold preparations outlined by Peace
Pilgrim: (1) taking the right attitude toward life, which is to see life’s problems
as opportunities for growth; (2) bringing their lives into harmony with the laws that
govern this universe; (3) finding one’s special place in the Life Pattern; and (4)
simplifying one’s life so that one becomes free. All three have a sense of preparing
themselves and being prepared for their mission. They all came to the firm conviction that
we each create our personal and collective reality, that we must not harm even in thought
because thoughts are real and powerful. Whether we know it or not, we emit their energy
into our environment. All three share the perspective of nonseparateness that we are all
cells in one body of humanity, that our lives and destinies are interconnected. The
choices we make — for personal gain or for the good of the whole — shape the
world situation toward war or toward peace. These are not ideas with which we grew up, and
neither did they. They came upon them within the depth of their inner self, of which Etty
said, ‘everything we need is within us.”
The above was taken from information sent to us by the INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF ADVANCED
DEVELOPMENT, 777 Pearl St., Denver, CO 80203. Write to them if you want to read more of
these studies, including Etty’s growth during the holocaust.
A Russian, Grigorii Pomerants (1982), wrote that he did not believe the human rights
movement could yield any political results in Russia. But he went on to say of the
activists:
“What they are doing is hard to justify in terms of outer expediency. But in their
hopeless cause there is something else besides the impossibility of political success: the
possibility of remaining a human being — a step toward what Dostoyevsky called a
strongly developed personality. Before our eyes arose a kind of all-inclusive Leo Tolstoy,
with his ‘I cannot remain silent.’ Thus there grew before our eyes ISoviet
Physicist] Andrei Dmitriyevich Sakharov, losing his position, money, work, and outer
freedom. He grew, and he remained each person’s equal. No one is oppressed by his
worldwide shadow.”
****
PEACE PSYCHOLOGY (Back
to TOC)
The Division of Peace Psychology, approved by the American Psychological Association
(APA) in August, 1989, is a growing organization of over seven hundred psychologists,
including some of the most distinguished scholars active today in areas such as social,
clinical, and experimental psychology.
The goals of Peace Psychology are to encourage peace research and to apply the knowledge
and methods of psychology to nonviolent conflict resolution, reconciliation, and the
prevention of war. The organization fosters communication among researchers, teachers, and
practitioners who are working on these issues.
****
PEACEMAKERS TELEVISION (Back to TOC)
John Owen, the producer, sent us a video of one of his programs, shown on thirty
stations coast to coast. The following is from his letters to us:
"Peace Pilgrim changed my life. She can change yours too. That's the message fro
today from Peacemakers Television."
Our commercial says, "Call now for Peace Pilgrim's booklet, Steps Toward Inner
Peace. It's easy to read, inspirational, and full of the wisdom that can help lead you
to more inner peace. Plus, it's free! [address given]
...In 1985 I discovered Peace Pilgrim at the Lenten Desert Experience at the Nevada
nuclear test site, a nonviolent direct action campaign to protest the testing of nuclear
bombs. Art and Mary Hoag, camping in their motor home south of the test site, were
offering hospitality to any who stopped by. Their most important offering was Peace
Pilgrim books and booklets. I was told they were free, that there is never any charge for
Peace Pilgrim materials. I couldn’t believe it.
Going to the test site for five days, I found myself getting calmer, more centered and
sensitive, peaceful, filled with strength and joy. Truly, the Holy Spirit was present.
After the Test Site experience and having found Peace Pilgrim for the first time, I felt
much closer to God. Finding her was exciting to me because she was the first person I knew
of who had inner peace and was working in the world for global peace. I knew that all
Richard, a discouraged peace activist friend of mine, needed — all that any of us
needs — is a dose of inner peace, an inoculation by the Holy Spirit against the
disease of hopelessness and despair. So I took him to another Nevada Test Site Experience
organized by the Franciscans. It was very small, very spiritual, while remaining in touch
with the rocks and the desert in a highly profound way. I learned this was the Franciscan
way as practiced 800 years ago in Francis’s time.
Have you ever experienced going on a retreat out into nature for a few days, getting close
to the Holy Spirit, then coming back to the city and being jarred by the dissonance of our
culture? Scripture talks about being in the world, yet not of the world. Once you have
experienced inner peace, you know exactly what Jesus was talking about.
Richard was amazed and inspired. He said, “This is fantastic! People have to know
about this! Let’s make a documentary about it.” Not knowing anything about what
we were doing, except how to recruit competent volunteers, eighteen months later we’d
finished the documentary, TRY TESTING PEACE, which is still distributed through the
Fellowship of Reconciliation.
Neither PBS nor video rental stores would take it. We then discovered public access cable
television, which was delighted to receive our program. The major cable companies in Los
Angeles played TRY TESTING PEACE over and over. Ours was the kind of programming they were
looking for. We started a half hour series about peace and justice issues.
In 1988 I started my own TV series, PEACEMAKERS. On one of my first shows I showed the
Peace Pilgrim video, SPEAKING TO A COLLEGE CLASS. We now have a one-minute spot that runs
at the end of our programs where we offer free copies of STEPS to anyone who writes or
calls. After six months we have received over a hundred requests for Peace Pilgrim
booklets. We’ve distributed hundreds more STEPS through leaving them on the counter
of my local public access television studio.
We give away STEPS and also our television programs. We have produced over two hundred
programs over the past three years. The programs are about the whole peace picture, as
Peace would have said — peace among nations, peace with nature, peace among people,
and the all important inner peace. These programs are offered free to any who will arrange
to have them broadcast on their local cable system. Virtually all cable television systems
have public access stations which will broadcast shows produced or furnished by people in
their franchise area.
Watch Peacemakers on your local cable station, or have your local cable station program
the show. The franchise agreements of most cable companies require them to show locally
produced or sponsored programs upon request from anyone in the local service area. You
don’t have to be a subscriber. If your local cable company is not showing
Peacemakers, please ask them to do so.
Peace Pilgrim is a constant source of guidance for me. Each day brings opportunities to
bring my life more into alignment with the life pattern discussed by Peace...My peace work
is inspired by the Hoags and Peace, that the works of the Spirit must be freely given
without charge. As Peace Pilgrim said, “When people are ready, spiritual truth will
be given.” So STEPS is given free. Our TV programs are given free. We accept
donations, and even though donations have been small, the income from our jobs has
provided all the money we need to do the work. And today Peacemakers TV is seen on 30
stations coast to coast.
If any of you would like to show PEACEMAKERS in your community, write to PEACEMAKERSTELE
VISION, POB 521, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or call (213) 223-2966.
****
The following is taken from Southern California Quarterly Meeting Report of the
Society of Friends:
In 1957 a small group of devoted pacifists were the first to protest the atmospheric
testing of nuclear bombs. In Las Vegas, they held workshops and leafletted. Their
literature states, “We act from our religious conviction that peacemaking is an
essential part of a religiously rooted life...We believe our acts...must be in harmony
with the concept of human brotherhood. For this reason we can support neither war nor
preparation for war, and consider testing nuclear weapons blasphemy against the Creator of
Life...We can no longer acquiesce in these tests.
****
PEACE PILGRIM VS THE BOMB (Back to TOC)
It is symbolic that the Peace Pilgrim book was compiled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a
short distance from Los Alamos, where the first atomic bomb was assembled. The atomic bomb
is the ultimate expression of the concept that peace can be maintained by the use of fear,
of threats, sometimes erroneously called, “peace through strength.”
After finishing the first draft of our Peace Pilgrim book in 1982, Ann and I needed a
place to stay while we edited the book. Peggy Pond Church, an award winning author and
poet, became aware of our needs and invited us to stay in her apartment, adjacent to her
home in Santa Fe.
Peggy’s father started a boys’ school in an isolated area which later became Los
Alamos. At the beginning of World War II Peggy was living at this boys’ school where
her husband was teaching and her three sons were attending. In the middle of the school
year the government condemned their property for the atomic bomb project. Peggy often said
that they were the first casualties pf the atomic bomb. So Peggy’s life was touched
by these two different concepts — the bomb and Peace Pilgrim. - John
The following is one of. her poems:
PROPHECY
Once on the eve of Christmas
when all strange things may hap.
I saw Mary the mother
with her baby upon her lap.
I saw the mother, Mary,
holding God’s little son.
She said to him, Small one, tell me
when shall man’s wars be done?
Then the Child spake and answered,
These wars shall end, said he,
when no man shall wound another
for fear of wounding me.
These wars shall end and surely
as angels have always known,
when all women weep for one hurt child
as though he were their own.”
****
I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I know the only ones among
you who will be. truly happy are those who will have sought and found how to serve.”
- Albert Sweitzer
****
ONTARIO, CANADA — Being a creature of this economic world I find it hard to fathom
how you can carry out your work without a specified fee, but as I write this I realize
that I want to contribute to you. It’s somewhat similar in a small respect to the way
Peace lived her life.
SPOKANE —I am absolutely amazed at the simple universal truth which is unfolded in
the Peace Pilgrim book. For years I have had a feeling that there must be a simple way of
stating the message of God’s love which would be totally nonsectarian and universal.
I believe this is it...Peace Pilgrim gives me an option to share universal truth with
people without the stigma of any religious organization...God bless you. I am finding this
almost too good to be true! This is the closest expression in writing of what I really
believe and where I am in my spiritual pilgrimage of anything I’ve ever read! I can
hardly believe what I’m reading. — Tom Durst
Tom is publishing choice quotes from PEACE PILGRIM as one-page articles and giving
them out by the hundreds. If you want a copy of his “one-pagers” (there are now
5) write to: Tom Durst, North 6734 Sutherlin, Spokane, Washington 99208. Please include
postage.
Now I am giving you a new command — love one another, just as I have loved you, so
you must love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, because
you have such love for one another.
John 13: 34-35
****
BOTH SIDES NOW (Back
to TOC)
An ecerpt from WAR IN RETROSPECT in this Journal of Spiritual & Political
Alternatives
The predominant religious identification in the U.S. is Christianity....The conduct of
the Gulf violated many of the basic precepts of this heritage, which considers violence to
be evil and puts forth the radical notions that we should love our enemies, practice
nonviolence (turn the other cheek) and forgive our adversaries lest we become evildoers
ourselves. War fever blots out all we have been taught in our places of worship....
Schools uncritically supported the war effort. Young people were left with the impression
that the war was justified and the president should always be supported. They seldom heard
dissenting views in the classroom, leading to the notion that dissent is subversive and
unpatriotic. Do schools ever glorify the courage of peacemaking? Is it any wonder that the
values of a violence-prone society spill over into our schools?
****
NEWPORT, WASHINGTON — I was part of the Washington, North Idaho, Northern
California United Church of Christ Peace Exchange delegation that is in its ninth year.
The Russian STEPS booklets were very well received. Thanks to you, Peace Pilgrim is in
Rostov, Moscow, Minsk, Vladimir, Suzdahl and Padaisk and more. I gave them to Sunday
Schools, guides, teachers. We met with groups and individuals for nearly three weeks. I
look forward to greeting the Soviets who come to visit here and plan to send some copies
back with them. We went to build bridges of communication and to listen and make our world
a better neighborhood. Thank you!!! for the special part you played in this incredible
experience. As I write the WONDERFUL folks who were our hosts, I will tell them they can
contact you if more copies are needed.
****
EARTH TREATY (Back to
TOC)
“Is it too late to save the Earth as we know it, and humanity’s place on
Earth?” This was the theme of the Earthwalk Conference held in the Blue Mountains of
New South Wales, Australia in April, 1989. Attending the conference were over 200 people
— environmentalists, indigenous elders, politicians, educators and ministers. They
listened to perspectives and suggestions of indigenous elders from North America,
Australia, New Zealand and Nigeria.
One of the results was the adoption of a Proposal for an Earth Treaty between the people
and governments of all nations and our Mother the Earth — a treaty that would be a
commitment to take action to counteract the current global ecological crisis.
The idea of an Earth Treaty inspired Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary-General to
the United Nations, to write: “Every human being should write one, as the heart
dictates and be guided by it all his/her life...Not only ordinary citizens should write
their Earth Treaty, but also people in the highest and most responsible positions, in
particular heads of states....”
In January 1991 the Center For International Cooperation (CIC) launched the Earth Treaty
Project — an international, youth- oriented network for the environment. Individuals
and groups, especially children, are encouraged to make a personal commitment to care for
the environment and to write an Earth Treaty. It is a specific statement that expresses
what one can do and will do to help restore, protect, conserve, or preserve the
environment. For instance, some pledge to help keep a lake or river pure and clean, to
recycle and reduce waste, to plant trees and a garden. One child wrote: “Everybody
has a job in the world to help it last longer.”
Involvement in Earth Treaty activities is a good way for young people all over the world
to work on a common goal: that of restoring our Earth. It gives children a sense of
selfworth while concentrating on a vital project. And it connects the youth into a global
network furthering world community and friendship.
Schools, universities, correctional facilities, camps and religious retreats are adopting
the Earth Treaty Project as a way to “save our planet.” It is being adopted by
teacher training programs. An Earth Treaty Project Kit is available for $1. The kit (5
Pages) includes a set of questions and suggestions that one can review before writing an
Earth Treaty.
The CIC is collecting copies of Earth Treaties to be presented at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development that will convene in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in
June, 1992. Write an Earth Treaty and send a copy to The Center For International
Cooperation, P0 Box 488, Washington, Virginia 22747. Also write for a list of books,
videos and organizations.
****
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE - A High School Students Video
(Back to TOC)
Excerpts taken from information supplied by the OakMeadow Environmental Project.
In 1988, high school students at Oak Meadow School in Ojai, California were discussing
pollution and misuse of natural resources. Although many said there was nothing they could
do to reverse the environmental degradation, the group decided to take action — to
make a video that would inspire other young people to help save their planet. This video,
made with the help of a professional producer, is entitled, “We Can Make A
Difference,” in which young people from the Ojai area voice their opinion about what
they can do to clean up the planet.
The video has been a phenomenal success. It won an award at the Chicago International Film
Festival and was aired on a national PBS special. It is a top-selling educational video.
The students were honored with the prestigious GLOBAL 500 award for their
contributions to global environmental concerns. Only 70 awards were presented (with more
than 10,000 applicants). Past recipients include Jacques Cousteau and Jimmy Carter. This
is the first time in history that the award has been given to American students.
Enough money was raised to take their video to the United Nat ions in Geneva, Switzerland.
The U.N. called an International Environmental Youth Conference, where the video was
presented to more than 3,000 students from around the world in the General Assembly in New
York.
The students also developed a workshop about how young people can help clean up the
environment — a race all nations can win — an ENVIRONMENTAL RACE.
The Oak Meadow students have truly become environmental ambassadors and discovered the
answer to the question that began as a class debate “Can young people today make a
difference?”.
For more information write to the Oak Meadow Environmental Project, Box 1003, Ojai, CA
93024
*****
(Back to TOC)
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