PEACE MESSENGERS

HANDBOOK “Information is shock resistance, arm yourselves” Naomi Klein This is a handbook for internal use. It is not commercial, non profit and destined for training SCI volunteers who will implement peace education workshops in SCI projects. The resources for printing where donated by SCI International, and you cannot buy or sell the book, you can only receive it from your branch, or by following a relevant training course. If you want to contribute to the book, or have any kind of feedback, questions or suggestions you can write to: [email protected]

We want to thank, from the heart, all the people and organisations that contributed in compiling this handbook… “Hear, O Humankind, the prayer of my heart For are we not one, have we not one desire, to heal our Mother Earth and bind her wounds to hear again from dark forests and flashing rivers the varied ever-changing Song of Creation? O humankind, are we not all brothers and sisters, are we not the grandchildren of the Great Mystery? Do we not all want to love and be loved, to work and play, to sing and dance together? But we live with fear. Fear that is hate, fear that is mistrust, envy, greed, vanity, fear that is ambition, competition, aggression, fear that is loneliness, anger, bitterness, cruelty….and yet, fear is only twisted love, love turned back on itself, love that was denied, love that was rejected… and love... Love is life---creation, seed and leaf and blossom and fruit and seed, love is growth and search and reach and touch and dance, Love is nurture and succor and feed and pleasure, love is pleasuring ourselves pleasuring each other, love is life believing in itself. And life… Life is the Sacred Mystery singing to itself, dancing to its drum, telling tales, improvising, playing and we are all that Spirit, our stories all but one cosmic story that we are love indeed, that perfect love in me seeks the love in you, and if our eyes could ever meet without fear we would recognize each other and rejoice, for love is life believing in itself.”

2 Welcome word Dear volunteers, dear peace messengers, dear friends,

I am extremely happy to have a chance to warmly greet and welcome you to the interesting adventure of reading the “Peace Messengers Handbook”. This handbook is a great outcome of the work and belief in SCI values of the dear group of volunteers in SCI – Peace Messengers Project. During my several years of involvement in SCI, I have heard many times about peace messengers, eco messengers or human rights messengers. It was at the same time clear for me what it is, but also brought different questions about how to organise such projects in SCI and how long should they last. In 2007 within the Volunteers’ centre of Vojvodina (SCI recognised group member at the time) and the active members’ meeting we discussed the opportunity to try to host a training course dealing only with the topic of peace messengers. Finally, we applied for it at the Youth in Action Programme of the European Commission and got it approved. The training course was implemented in February 2008 with some 20 very enthusiastic SCI volunteers interested in developing the concepts of peace messengers in SCI further. The training course was structured around following themes: Peace and interculturality, Intercultural learning, Conflict resolution, Human Rights, Discrimination / Exclusion, Racism and Xenophobia, Inclusion, Intercultural Dialogue and Peace Messengers as a whole. The training course was enriching for us both, participants and trainers.  One of the most important outcomes of the training course was the dedication of volunteers to the opportunity and plans of implementing activities of peace messengers in SCI on a more systematic way than it was before. The group of Peace messengers – Peace Messengers Project – was gathered at the above mentioned training course in Novi Sad, Serbia. From that moment on, they were greatly coordinated as a group of active volunteers that enjoy what they do and achieve great results in SCI with their pro-active approach to the promotion and further raising of the quantity and quality of the peace messengers’ activities and projects within SCI. This handbook, as one of the results of Peace Messengers Project, is developed as a very useful tool for all current and future peace messengers in SCI. In it one can find different approaches to peace and relevant topics connected to peace, SCI positions on peace issues, a bit about different people that were active as some kind of peace messengers in the world, plus other information, explanations and advices useful for preparing yourself as peace messengers. Within SCI, this handbook is a unique also by the quality of compiling different approaches, theories and concepts related to peace, in one. Many people have contributed to it and I wish to thank them all here! As they wish that this handbook stays as “ours”, they have chosen not to be named. I believe that their good work will be recognized within our Movement and our volunteers! With the kindest and warmest greetings, I wish you welcome to the Peace Messengers Handbook once again!  Amities, Danijela Juric International Executive Committee member (2008/2009)

3 Introduction In your hands you have the first edition of the Peace Messenger Project Handbook. This book was made to serve and inspire you on your adventures as Peace Messenger, or let you as interested reader learn more about the project. You will find important facts in this book, as well as enough material to use for discussions and workshops you want to organise. Let this book be your fellow, your guide and your teacher at times of War, and let it be an important memory on your bookshelf in times of Peace.

Messengers are subjects carrying and spreading a message. Human beings have always used messengers for different reasons. Throughout history we can see different networks of messengers coming and going. In the Roman Empire the Emperors used a courier network that grew to cover all of Western Europe by the middle of the 16th century. Messenger networks used to have horse riders in different times, formerly to exclusive use of the government or military and carrying no civil correspondence as a rule. What differentiates post riders from these earlier efforts was that they were open to the public and created for the public convenience.

Peace Messengers, in that sense, are just as well Messengers, not more and not less. The message to carry is a message of Peace, the post route Peace Messengers operate is that of work camps and other volunteer projects… initially anyway, we hope and support each one of you to continue your work as peace messenger on your path. More ...to become famous Peace Messengers for humankind in your time.

Enjoy reading this handbook …

You will find in PART 5 of this book a Glossary of terms, the terms that are formatted Italic troughout the book are explained there. In PART 5 you will also find an Abbreviation List for your comfort. 4 Table Of Contents

PART 1 : SCI-Workcamps-Peace 1. What is Service Civil International page: 2. Vision and Mission of SCI 3. The Values of SCI 4. Structures - Some important concepts used in SCI 5. History of Service Civil International 6. Peace Education in Service Civil International a. Peace Education; a working defenition b. Peace education in SCI c. Why work on level of peace education in SCI? d. Workcamps as a form of Peace Education e. Preparing volunteers going to conflict areas f. Developping our strength g. Coordination and continuity

PART 2 : Peace Messengers Project (PMP) 1. History 2. The concept of PMP 3. SCI and the PMP - What is a Workcamp - PVP Workcamps 4. Profile of a Peace Messenger (PM) - Roles and expectations - National PM - Travelling “nomad” PM 5. Suggestions for Methodology a. Facilitation b. Non Formal Education c. Use the tools creatively d. Self Fulfilling Prophecy e. Be true to your own style f. Bottom up approach g. Importance of Peer education and sharing of best practice h. Creative Behaviour -Trainer Method on stimulating creative behaviour i. Use of Symbols

5 PART 3 : Peace and War 1. What is Peace - Definitions 2. Peace in 2 levels A. Macro level - Peace with Nature - Peace between people -Active listening - Peace between Nations B. Micro level 3. What is preventing peace on each level A. Macro level a. War b. Colonialism c. Imperialism d. Nationalism e. Racism f. Cultural Relativism g. Xenophobia h. Free Trade i. Private Military Contractors j. Disrespect for Nature k. Technology l. Arms trade and the military industrial complex m. Terrorism n. Ignorance B. Micro Level a. Anger b. Greed c. Lust d. Being caught up in illusions/not seeing the truth e. Ego f. Fear 4. What is contributing to Peace on each level A. Macro Level a. Solidarity b. Human Rights c. Dharma d. Justice e. Land and Freedom f. Democracy 6 g. Direct Democracy h. Education -Jose Marti -Freinet -Steiner -Iederwijs i. Global non violent Social Order B. Micro Level a. Yama b. Niyama c. Healty Body d. Healty breathing e. Truth f. Simplicity g. Love h. Vegetarianism/Veganism i. Religion 5. Conflict Resolution a. Conflict b. Conflict Resolution c. Attitudes towards Conflict d. Language and Conflict e. An Approach to Conflict Resolution f. Direct Action f.i. A definition of Direct Action f.ii. Affinity groups f.iii. Action g. Basic Blockading h. Guide to public order situations i. Activist trauma support j. Legal support and other resources k. Civil Defense l. Civil Disobedience 6. The role of the media

PART 4 : Some examples of Peace Messengers

PART 5 : Usefull links, tools, method books,etc…

PART 6 : Attachments to peace 1. Adres list SCI Branches 4. Abbreviations 5. Glossary of terms 7 Part 1: SCI-Workcamps-Peace

This section will introduce you to SCI, her work, her structures and her history. Peace Messenger Project (PMP) is an International volunteer project group of SCI, and shares its aims and methods.

1.What is Service Civil International? Service Civil International (SCI) is an organisation working for peace and social justice through international voluntary work. Founded just after the First World War by Swiss Quaker Pierre Ceresole, she now has branches in many countries, mainly in Europe and Asia, many partners in Latin America, and Afrika, and branches in Australia, US and Mauritius.

The first SCI project was an international workcamp near Verdun, which lasted several months. The group did practical work in a village heavily damaged by the war. Participants came from countries, which had been each other's enemies. The volunteers wanted to show that living and working together in mutual respect was possible. At the same time, the camp was seen as a learning experience for all people involved. Today, although a lot has changed, these elements still are the basic ingredients of our work.

All SCI branches organise workcamps, the majority of which are in summer and last two or three weeks. The number of participants varies, but usually lies between eight and tirthy. The minimum age for most projects is eighteen. Camps may have co-ordinators or leaders, but in some countries the group is expected to co-ordinate herself. Sharing responsibilities is always important on our projects.

The work is usually practical, and special skills or diploma's are rarely required. Work could be building or painting, working on an organic farm, but also organising activities for children in refugee centres or preparing a street theatre on international solidarity. Voluntary work is a central element in SCI projects, for many reasons. We aim to provide opportunities for translating solidarity into practical action, for people who do not necessarily have extraordinary skills or expertise, but who do have a wish to contribute to peace, justice and protection of the environment. SCI has always seen its work as an alternative to military service. It is also a way to get to know communities or organisations from within, rather than talking or reading about them. In many workcamps, the practical part is combined with a study-part or a 'theme'. There may be guest speakers, excursions, or discussions. In

8 different ways, we try to balance solidarity and personal growth.

Apart from 'classic' workcamps, SCI organises seminars, campaigns, training- events and opportunities to live and work in a project for a longer period of time. Often, this medium or long term volunteering is with branch-offices or with alternative communities and peace centers.

Workcamps have been a tool to break down prejudices or streotypes and bring people to live and work together without recourse to violence, whereby contribute towards peaceful co-existence.

2. The Vision and Mission of SCI

Our vision is a world of peace, social justice and sustainable development, where all people live together with mutual respect and without recourse to any form of violence to solve conflict.

Mission: Service Civil International is an International non-governmental organization promoting a culture of peace by organizing international volunteering projects with local and global impact.

If you are interested read more about our Strategic plan (find it in your branch or on www.sciint.org).

3. The Values of SCI We base our work on the following values that colour all the work of SCI:

Volunteering - in the sense of acting out of self-initiative, without seeking material reward and for the benefit of civil society, as a method and a statement for social change, whilst never competing with paid labour nor seeking to contribute to strike-breaking Non-violence – as a principle and a method Human Rights – respect for individuals as stated in the universal declaration of Human Rights Solidarity – international solidarity for a more just world and solidarity between human beings at all levels Respect for the Environment – and the ecosystem of which we are a part and upon which we are dependent Inclusion - to be open and inclusive to all individuals who share the aims and objectives of the movement, without regard to gender, race, colour, religion, nationality, social status or political views and any other possible grounds for discrimination 9 Empowerment– empowering people to understand and act to transform the social, cultural and economic structures that affect their lives at all levels. Co-operation – with local communities as well as other local, national and international actors to strengthen the positive potential within civil society as a whole.

We believe that all people are capable of living together with mutual respect and without recourse to any form of violence to solve conflicts. We organise international volunteer projects all over the world because we know that peace can only be built if people with different backgrounds and cultures learn to co-operate and work together.

4. Structures

SCI is an international organisation with branches in over 30 countries. Most of these branches are in Asia and Europe. SCI-branches are to a certain extent autonomous: they have to agree with the constitution of SCI, their aims and their own constitution should not contradict the international constitution, they should pay a contribution to the international organisation and respect the agreements made at international meetings. However, activities and structure and methods vary. For example, some branches are run by paid staff, whereas others make a point of running their organisation without paying anybody. Some branches organise a lot of educational activities, others concentrate on very practical workcamps.

Some important concepts used in SCI: • a branch is a national version of SCI. You could say that the branches are the basis of the movement. They organise workcamps and other activities in their own country, and send volunteers to other countries. Branches send delegates to the International Committee Meeting (ICM), the highest decision making body in SCI structure, where they decide upon the directions and important issues for SCI. They can form international Working Groups, and propose candidates for the International Executive Committee. They have to pay a contribution to the International Structure. Some countries have two branches, for example Belgium and Spain.

• a recognised group is a member organisation of SCI, which wants to become a branch, but does not have that status yet. They do not have the same voting rights as a branch and cannot nominate IEC members. They pay the same as branches... they have the same obligations as branches.

• a partner-organisation is an organisation to which SCI sends volunteers 10 and vice versa. There may also be other forms of co-operation, such as study tours, training seminars, or sharing information. Partners may have a lot in common with SCI, but they have no official or legally binding connections with the movement. In some cases they are part of other international organisations. SCI has many partners in Eastern Europe, North-Africa, and Latin-America. Usually, we work with partner-organisations in countries where there is no SCI-branch.

• a Working Group (WG) is a group of activists from different SCI-branches who organise activities together and/or exchange information and ideas on a certain area of work. This could be a geographical area (SEE/Balkans, Latin- America), or a certain aspect of SCI-work (equal opportunities, conflict resolution). Although individuals and non-SCI people can join a working group within SCI, it needs the official support and membership of at least three branches. Working Groups can ask for support from the International Secretariat. They manage their own finances, but they are accountable to the International Committee. Each year, they have to write a report on their activities and their financial situation and present this to the International Committee Meeting.

• International Committee Meeting (ICM) : each year, there is a meeting to which all the branches send a delegate. Together, they form the International Committee. They discuss all sorts of international matters. Several reports have to be adopted (financial reports, reports of working groups, minutes of previous meetings,...). There may be discussions on political affairs. The International Committee Meeting also elects the International Executive Committee.

• the International Executive Committee (IEC) is a small group of people to whom the ICM delegates the international co-ordination of the organisation. They take decisions in between ICMs, they are responsible for managing International Secretariat, and see to it that decisions made by the ICM are adhered to. The IEC consists of an international president, a vice-president, a treasurer and members. Usually the members divide fields of work amomgst themselves so each member becomes responsible towards one aspect of the movement.

• International Secretariat (IS) : most branches have one or more paid workers. There are also people working for SCI on an international level. These people are responsible to the IEC. A lot of the work for international staff is to prepare international meetings and to keep everybody in the movement informed. Staff of the International Secretariat consists out of an International Coordinator, a finance officer, long term volunteers and 11 sometimes hired people (eg.: fundraiser).

5. History of Service Civil International

In 1914 the 'Fellowship of Reconciliation' (FOR) was founded, a group of British pacifists, among them many Quakers, who were looking for ways to bring people from different European countries together. The First World War had just begun, and they were shocked by the fact that people believed in the 'false religions' of nationalism and militarism, which turned them into enemies. As Christians, and often socialists, they believed that all people were really brothers and sisters, regardless of their nationality or religious beliefs. The FOR supported people who refused to treat others as enemies, especially conscientious objectors, and looked for ways to develop and demonstrate international friendship.

In 1919, members of this Fellowship and similar organisations from different countries met in Bilthoven, the Netherlands, in the house of Dutch anarchist and pedagogue Kees Boeke and his wife Betty Cadbury. The meeting marks the beginning of the International Fellowship of Reconciliation (IFOR), which has ever since promoted non-violence, peace education and inter-religious dialogue on peace. In 1920 a second, bigger meeting took place in Bilthoven. Here, some people felt that it was all too theoretical; something practical had to be done. Different ideas for action were discussed.

Pierre Ceresole from Switzerland presented his idea to form an international group of volunteers, who would help with post-war reconstruction in France as a way to spread a spirit of peace and reconciliation. Together with British conscientious objector Hubert Parris, who had participated in similar projects organised by the Quakers, Pierre found a village near Verdun where the project could take place. They also found three German volunteers. One of them wrote: "For a long time I have hoped for a chance to go and repair in France a little of what my brother - killed at Verdun - and his comrades were forced under military orders to destroy."

Soon people from Austria, Hungary, and the Netherlands joined, as well as Pierre Ceresole's brother Ernest, who had been an officer in the Swiss army. For five months the group worked in the village of Esnes, repairing a road, rebuilding houses and clearing fields so that they could be used again for agriculture.

Some of the local people supported the project, but others felt that the presence of Germans was an insult to the French population. In April 1921 12 the German volunteers had to leave. Since the rest of the group did not want to continue without them, this was the end of the project. Yet, the idea of an international service for peace had begun to grow.

Between 1923 and 1927, four big projects were organised by Pierre Ceresole and his friends. The number of participants got bigger all the time, and so did the support of local people and sometimes governments. The volunteers repaired buildings after avalanches or floods. In 1928, a huge camp was organised in Liechtenstein, the tiny country between Switzerland and Austria. The river Rhine had flooded and over 700 volunteers from 17 countries joined in the reconstruction work. Volunteers could travel for free on the Swiss and Austrian railways.

A similar project was carried out two years later in Lagarde (France). This time, most locals saw the presence of German volunteers as positive.

On camps like these, the work was hard, and 'military' virtues like discipline were seen as important for this 'peace army'.

It was a disaster of a different kind, which brought about the first camp in the United Kingdom. As coal mines closed down in the 1930's whole villages were made unemployed. In one such village called Brynmawr, in the south of Wales, SCI volunteers from around Europe came to work with local unemployed miners. Together they converted a rubbish dump into a small park with a swimming pool. A new aspect of the value of international voluntary work was discovered: the camp can be a boost for the local community, and encourage people to take initiatives to improve their own situation.

After the camp in Wales, a British SCI branch was set up, called International Voluntary Service for Peace (IVSP). A similar story can be told about India. In 1934, an earthquake caused huge chaos in Bihar. Pierre Ceresole decided to go there, and started a project, which was to last three years. In 1950 President Rajendra Prasad invited SCI to help build Faridabad, a camp for refugees from Pakistan. This led to the formation of the Indian branch.

Many SCI-volunteers were active during the Spanish Civil War, helping with evacuations, food bridges and support for refugees. This work was often difficult and dangerous. During the second World War, it was especially IVSP which kept going. They were officially recognised by their government as a possibility for alternative service. British volunteers travelled through the continent after its liberation to help with all sorts of relief work, often under very primitive circumstances. They inspired many people to start their own 13 SCI groups, and soon Dutch, German and Italian branches were up and running.

In the 1950's SCI expanded rapidly, which also meant it had to create more formal structures. An exchange between Europe and Asia began, and contacts with Eastern Europe and North Africa were developed.

In the 1980's European East-West co-operation was an important area of work, while the issue of unemployment was also a growing concern. The 1990's, to end this story, seem a period of almost too many issues, with SCI people involved in East-West and North-South work, war in the former Yugoslavia, refugees, ecology, and 'Fortress Europe'. SCI is continuously going trough a 'strategic review' with a lot of thinking and talking about the internal structures, democracy, efficiency, the meaning of peace work in a changing world and the power of money in our organisation. In the middle of all this, a lot of people still are touched by a very simple but powerful idea which someone had eighty years ago. Main conclusion of the strategic review has been that SCI is a peace organisation, choozing a practical way to build peace.

6. Peace Education in SCI In following chapter we have taken bits and pieces out of the official SCI Policy document on Peace education. This document can help to understand, border and define what is understood under Peace Education in SCI ; a. Peace Education: A Working Definition We don't want to give a very narrow definition of the term 'peace education', because trying to define 'peace' is in itself a form of peace education. What we are trying to do here is give a working definition that will give us some common ground when we discuss the quality of peace education within SCI. We understand peace, just like war and justice, as a human creation. Peace means the absence of physical and structural violence inflicted by human beings. Phrased positively, it means a way of living together, in which people give their fellow creatures the space and, if necessary, the mutual support to live their lives to the fullest. This includes social justice, mutual respect, community spirit, freedom of opinion and speech, a healthy environment and sustainable use of natural resources. Peace is not a static situation that can be created once and for all. Working for peace is a continuous process in which parts of what we are hoping for are sometimes reached but not possessed and controlled. Working for peace can and should happen on different levels (spiritual, psychological, interpersonal, social, economical, political,…) Peace Education means to learn about and to learn for peace. Learning about peace means obtaining knowledge and understanding of what goes 14 on at these different levels, what contributes to peace, what damages it, what leads to war, what does 'peace' mean on each level anyway, what is my role in it, and how are the different levels connected? Learning for peace means learning the skills, attitudes and values that one needs in order to contribute to peace and to help maintain it. This means for example learning to deal with conflicts without the recourse to violence, learning to think creatively, learning to apply the methods of active non-violence or learning to deal with cultural differences in a constructive way. The word 'education' sounds very formal to many of us. In many languages the word can be translated in several ways, one for example implying a school setting, another suggesting a parent-child relationship. We are using the term here for any consciously undertaken activity that facilitates learning. This could be workshops on a camp, study sessions at a board meeting, training courses or seminars, but also anything that workcamp leaders do, officially or informally, to help people learn from their workcamp experience. b. Peace Education in SCI Does peace education have a more specific meaning in SCI? Yes it does! 1. SCI has always seen its workcamps as a form of peace action and of peace education. People learn about and for peace on workcamps, because they are living and working in an international group, they meet up with people who are willing to do voluntary work and meet people from different cultures, and they get acquainted with local situations, mechanisms and activities that are relevant to peace or its opposite. Workcamps are an ideal context for peace education. 2. Workcamps are also an ideal setting for organised, more specific educational activities, such as workshops or study sessions. In the workcamp you have an international group of people to participate in discussions, which means a wealth of opinions, different experiences, perspectives and information. Workcamps are usually places where the group works together with a local organisation, which means the topic of a workshop can easily be linked to their work and so be made very 'real'. The links between theory and practice can be made very clear. Also the group and its efforts to live and work together provide material and illustrations for the study activities. 3. Also, and not separately from the other two points, SCI has values, a spirit, a history and a vision to share through workcamps. We have a tradition of non-violence, internationalism, voluntarism, anti-militarism, practical solidarity and putting ideals into practice. We have specific answers to a lot of questions around peace, although they are not all set in stone. We give answers by what we do and how we do it. 4. SCI trains some volunteers to be send to conflict areas, to be peace workers. We want our volunteers to do their work in a spirit of nonviolence and internationalism and to actively contribute to a culture of peace in the context they will be working. We ask our volunteers to think about how their leadership style, their way of communicating and their interaction with their environment can reflect the spirit and values of SCI. c. Why do we need to work on the level and quality of Peace Education within SCI? SCI sees its workcamps as a form of peace education. But are they, automatically? 15 Can they be, when many of the volunteers on our camps do not know what SCI is or stands for, and are not aware of the fact that the project they are participating in is a peace project? Many workcamp evaluations reveal that SCI has difficulty really making its average workcamp high quality peace education. Co-ordinators have enough on their plate as it is, just trying to get the practical side of the project organised. In order to work specifically on the educational side of the camp, we need human resources. Most branches find it difficult to find enough co-ordinators, or activists to visit camps. The co-ordinators we do have, need training, and need to meet certain criteria. Sometimes branches feel they cannot afford to refuse someone as a co-ordinator, 'just because' he or she is not very good at dealing with conflicts, or running a workshop. Many project partners are not very helpful in organising study sessions or just an exchange of ideas. And even if we have a project with volunteers who know what we are about, with a project partner who is willing to organise study sessions and a creative and skilled leader, how can we help a group to really learn when the project is only two weeks and people cannot have 'normal' group discussions because of language barriers? d. Workcamps as a form of Peace Education In SCI we work hard to make all our workcamps a learning experience for the people involved. We want the volunteers, but also co-ordinators, people from the project and/or the local community to learn about and for peace. The setting of an international workcamp provides many learning opportunities such as living in an international group, getting to know a local project or community, learning about the philosophy of SCI and being encouraged to live as a temporary alternative (ecological, multicultural, peaceful) community. When organising our projects, we make sure that all these aspects are there, although usually one aspect is more prominent than the other. Living in an international group does not automatically lead to the kind of learning we are looking for; to the volunteers acquiring new skills for peace, and getting a better understanding of peace and their role in it. In order to facilitate a real learning process, this is what we encourage as actions: -To make sure all volunteers know that they are sent and/or hosted by SCI, and that this means they participate in a peace project. They know that one of the aims SCI has for her workcamps is that participants learn about and for peace. -Promoting SCI Peace Strategy trough our websites, in workcamp brochures, leaflets and infosheets. Also at preparation events for volunteers going on a workcamp, and in the introduction session of each camp. -For all our workcamps and preparation events, to have a session or other educational activity to inform volunteers about the work and philosophy of SCI, and to exchange ideas about this -To enhance reflection and discussion about the group life at each workcamp. Many of our projects have an SCI co-ordinator. He or she discusses expectations about the group life with the volunteers, in the beginning of the camp. He or she also organises a midway evaluation of the project, where the contribution to peace and the learning in the group are major topics for discussion. -If there is no SCI co-ordinator in the group, the branch could make sure there is either a visiting activist or a local person to do introduction and evaluation sessions, which do not just dwell on practical aspects, but are a tool for peace education. 16 -At the end of each project, there is a group evaluation, facilitated by the co-ordinator or a visiting activist from the branch. The most important topic of this evaluation could be: what did the project contribute to peace, what did we learn about and for peace and what are we going to do with what we have learned? -On many of our camps, there are more elaborate study sessions or workshops on peace related issues. They can be organised and run by a project partner, by the branch, or by 'messengers'; specially trained teams of people visiting several SCI projects to run workshops on such themes as human rights, ecology or non-violence. -Between 2005 and 2009, we will experiment with the concept of Pacifist Voluntary Projects (PVP): workcamps and longer term SCI projects where pacifism, non- violence and specific anti-war activities are central. In these projects, extra investments are made into a study programme and into the facilitation skills of co- ordinators. -Questions around peace education are very important in the preparation stage of any workcamp. Those who are most involved in the organisation and co-ordination of a particular camp, discuss what the 'learning opportunities' of their project may be, and how they can make these most fruitful. For each camp it is then decided, whether our aims can best be achieved through planned study sessions, excursions, a workshop by a visiting activist, or informal learning.

What kind of learning do we hope will take place through our workcamps? These are our main aims: Volunteers will; - gain more community skills, such as conflict resolution, listening skills, and democratic decision making - have a better insight in their own prejudices, and have increased their understanding of and respect for different cultures and lifestyles - have seen selfishness challenged and community values fostered - learn about threats to peace, in relation to the work of their project and/or current global issues - learn about ways in which local projects and communities can work for change - have participated in a way of life different from their own, and formed an idea about what they see as positive and negative in this lifestyle -volunteers gain some insight into the connections between local realities and global economy and politics -volunteers know about the philosophy, the roots and the range of activities of SCI -volunteers can place themselves and their volunteering in the bigger picture of SCI as a peace movement. Methods used for specific educational activities, for facilitating discussion and reflection and for working with groups of volunteers are different in different branches, and even in each project. This is in itself a big inspiration for us, and we welcome the different skills, teaching styles, creativity and background of all our activists. There is not one way in which study parts on workcamps or workshops on the philosophy of SCI 'should be done'. However, some basic principles guide all our educational activities: -we respect the individual learning style and learning process of each participant. It is not our aim to get all volunteers on workcamps to reach the same point at the same time. -As we said before, we want not only the volunteers, but also other people involved in 17 the workcamp, such as members of the local community or activists from partnerorganisations, to learn from the experience. -all activities take place in an open spirit, where any question can be raised or opinion can be expressed, provided this is done in a respectful way -SCI trainers, facilitators and workcamp co-ordinators introduce SCI values and ideas into the discussion and teach these by example -SCI trainers and facilitators will not claim to have the right answers or ideas -as much as possible, we will use a variety of methods in order to overcome language problems and be culturally inclusive. To help workcamp co-ordinators and visiting activists fulfil their demanding role, branches can be asked to invest in training, support and a climate of inspiration and learning. e. Preparing volunteers going to conflict areas SCI works in many (geographical) areas where there is violent conflict between different groups, for example Palestine, Sri Lanka or Kosovo. They may be doing construction work or renovating buildings, they often work with children or in community projects. In any case, we see them as peace workers, who are present in this conflict area as an expression of solidarity and a support for peace building efforts. If we want our volunteers to be a help rather than a hindrance, we need to prepare them well. Learning about and for peace is a crucial element of their preparation. Preparation weekends or seminars are compulsory for all volunteers going to conflict areas. The length of these events and the level of training given to volunteers depend on the nature of the work they will be doing, and on whether they are going on a two week workcamp or a longer term volunteering project. Preparation events are run by teams of activists who together have the experience, expertise and skills to train volunteers up to the necessary level. Volunteers who have worked in the area before will be part of these teams, as well as people who can deliver high quality skills training sessions. SCI has a pool of trainers in conflict resolution skills, mediation and intercultural skills. They help set up and deliver training on international level or at branch level. They exchange deas and learn from each other, so that important information is spread through the rganisation and methodology and vision are constantly developing further. SCI organises raining for trainers on a regular basis, for people who are involved in preparation events in heir own branch. In different parts of SCI (branches, working groups, trainers' pools), material has been eveloped that helps us pass on our knowledge and experience, and serves as a source of nformation and ideas for activists involved in the preparation of volunteers. These publications are updated if necessary, and new resources are developed. International SCI publications on working in conflict areas, conflict resolution and peace building, can be found in each international, national or local SCI office, and can be consulted by all activists. Key people in our work in conflict areas, such as trainers, co-ordinators and members of international working groups are encouraged to participate in relevant training events and seminars organised by other peace organisation. Our international trainers' pool keeps itself informed about training activities of other organisations. When possible, and when it suits the needs of both, we organise training events in co-operation with other peace 18 organisations. f. Developing our strengths We believe that SCI can only be a real peace organisation, if people within the organisation are inspired people, working in a climate of openness, respect and a shared motivation. They need to look critically at their own work and functioning, and deal with internal conflicts in a constructive way. In a time when NGO's become ever more business-like, it is important for SCI to create the space for reflection, friendship, informal learning and sharing our stories. We make a conscious effort to include, at every SCI meeting, 'moments of inspiration'. This may be listening to a personal story from a peace project, watching a film together, listening to poetry or just a moment of silence. At any seminar or training, be it about fundraising, leadership or non-verbal communication games, ethical questions are specifically raised, because as an organisation, we want to learn together how all our actions either contribute to peace, or do damage. As an international organisation, we have a lot of first hand experience with intercultural communication, but also misunderstanding. Our own attempts to work together in a spirit of friendship, and to transcend national and cultural boundaries, are in itself attempts to peace making. We often fail. There are many conflicts within SCI, and they often have their roots in misunderstanding, different values, different perceptions of the world and different positions in the world. We want to learn from this experience and use it in order to become better peacemakers. This can only happen when we deal with conflicts openly, and are motivated to solve them. We make sure there are a number of people within SCI who have the skills to mediate when necessary, and to make sure that learning experiences will be made of use. g. Co-ordination and continuity SCI branches all have their own ways of organising training events and passing on the experience from one generation to the next. Most training and learning takes place within branches. However, there is an ongoing need for the exchange of ideas, for advanced training and training for trainers, and for international publications and resources. In the coming years, we will set up a system to identify more specifically the needs for international co-operation in training, so that we can make sure the many international seminars SCI organises, actually meet the needs of branches and of SCI as a whole. At the same time, we will investigate more the possibilities of organising training in cooperation with other peace organisations, and of using external training opportunities more effectively. SCI has recently published several useful tools for peace education, among them the Space for Peace' Resource Pack, a Human Rights Handbook, a Conflict Resolution Resource Pack, the 'Best Peace Practice' book and the 'Someone had an idea…' SCI philosophy resource pack. All branches and groups of SCI have at least one copy of these materials, and they are regularly brought to the attention of trainers and other activists within SCI. We try to keep prices low for these publications, so that they are affordable for anyone who wants to work with them. These materials do not dictate how training should be done within SCI, but they are a way of connecting different training events and trainers with each other. SCI has developed a web site dedicated to peace education and training: 19 www.spaceforpeace.net

... which facilitates co-ordination and communication among activists. The site contains a regularly updated ‘Who is who’, an overview of resources and reports of training events. Many SCI publications on peace education and related issues can also be downloaded from this web site.

6. Literature

-Service Civil International 1920-1990. 70 years of voluntary service for peace and reconciliation. Special issue of Action' (SCI quarterly), October 1990.

-Daniel Anet, Pierre Ceresole. Passionate Peacemaker , Macmillan Company of India, Delhi etc. 1974.

-Liesbeth Vroemen, We kunnen pas echt in vrede geloven als we eraan beginnen , doctoral thesis feminist theology, Nijmegen 1995.

Books about SCI and Pierre Ceresole:

-Rodolfo Olgiati, Nicht in Spanien hat's begonnen. Von Erfahrungen und Erlebnissen internationaler Hilfsarbeit, Bern 1944.

- 'We shall live in peace' , published in commemoration of the fifth anniversary of SCI by the Asian secretariat, Kandy 1970.

-Helene Monastier, Alice Brugger, Paix, Pelle et Pioche. Histoire du Service Civil International de 1919 a 1965.

-Daniel Anet, Pierre Ceresole. La passion de la paix , Editions de la Baconniere, Switzerland 1969.

-Alfred Bietenholz-Gerhard, Pierre Ceresole, der Grunder des Freiwilligen Internationalen Zivildienstes , Bad Pyrmont 1962.

- One Million Volunteers – By Arthur Gillet who was incharge of UNESCO. This book is all about volunteers and most part of the book speaks about SCI and it’s contribution towards the growth of volunteerism.

20 Part 2: Peace Messengers Project

1. History One older Peace Messengers projects started in 2000 with the international campaign entitled “ECO-Messengers for Green Volunteering” organized by East-West Working Group and with the aim to raise youth’s awareness on environmental issues. This campaign was composed of three basic elements: - An international planning seminar - An EVS exchange programme, whereby young people were first trained, and later carried out awareness-raising environmental workshops at a series of on-going summer youth projects in twelve different countries - An evaluation seminar, where the “ECO-messengers” met to evaluate the programme and exchange good or bad experiences

The main concept of this project was that young people, after receiving a proper training, go for a 3-month EVS project to a foreign country. Their projects were based on the idea to visit various youth projects (social, environmental, cultural) and to conduct workshops on an environmental theme there. They got also an opportunity to get acquainted with the situation in that country and with the work of local NGOs working on that topic. In that project, a group of young people acted as multipliers to spread the gained experiences and knowledge to other young people from various countries. The methodology of Eco-Messengers was used to develop future educational and raising awareness work of “Peace Messengers”.

The ECO-messenger projects were followed by the Human Rights Messengers in 2003, organized by GATE (Group of Action Together in Europe). In the seminar “Back to the Roots”, organized by GATE in 2001, the peace messengers project clearly complimented the decision of that year’s International Committee Meeting to put more focus on peace and non-violent conflict resolution and to use international workcamps as a key tool in achieving the mission. In Spring 2002 was held the seminar “Peace Messengers are Coming”, launching a two-year Peace and Human Rights Campaign. The key action of the campaign was the “Human

21 Rights Messenger” project, which aimed to develop a human rights network and create and inspire new human rights activities within SCI branches and partner organisations. Sixteen volunteers from fourteen countries were selected in early 2003 and in May 2003 they gathered in Zagreb for a two week training course. From there they headed to their host country to spend 5 and a half months conducting non-formal human rights workshops. The messengers worked predominantly in SCI workcamps but also tried to form contacts with other NGOs that could potentially (if followed later by the branch in question) encourage new or continued relations between SCI and like- minded organisations.

In February 2008 SCI branches and partners participated in Peace Messengers Training in Novi Sad, with the focus on racism, xenophobia and discrimination. The participants of this training course decided to stay in touch with each other and created the informal Peace Messengers working group. The group has drafted action plan of Peace Messengers with the main focus peace messenger session in as many workcamps as possible. This has the purpose to raise awareness about SCI as peace organization and to enhance workcamps as peace education tools. Besides camp season Peace Messengers organize also other peace activities and projects, like training courses, awareness raising campaigns, peace actions etc. Peace Messengers working group is involving other branches and strengthening the cooperation between them.

2. The Concept of PMP Peace Messengers are volunteers who visit workcamps to run peace education workshops. The aim of these workshops is to raise awareness towards workcamp participants, trough reflection about peace and offering tools to bring about peace in their surroundings, and eventually become Peace activists. Workcamp participants are also brought to reflect on their workcamp experience as a peacebuilding experience and how it is the first step of a personal journey towards peace.

Peace Messenger workshops can take any shape and form, depending on the Peace Messenger’s training and facilitating skills, on the project visited, on the resource available... It can be a game, a debate, a presentation, an art workshop and so on. It can also deal with any subject related to the three levels of peace -peace with oneself, peace with the others, and peace with nature- : human rights, non-violent communication, anti-racism, environmental awareness.

3. SCI and the PMP The Peace Messenger Project is a project group of SCI volunteers and 22 branches. Therefore PMP shares the mission and vision of SCI, and primarily works in and for SCI projects, mainly in workcamps and PVP workcamps – PVP stands for Peace Voluntary Project, a label given to camps that spend extra time and attention on peace related issues.

-What is a workcamp A workcamp is a volunteer project, bringing people from different Cultures together. All SCI branches organise workcamps, the majority of which are in summer and last two or three weeks. The number of participants varies, but usually lies between eight and twenty. The minimum age for most projects is eighteen. Camps may have co-ordinators or leaders, but in some countries the group is expected to co-ordinate herself. Sharing responsibilities is always important on our projects.

The work is usually practical, and special skills or diploma's are rarely required. Work could be building or painting, working on an organic farm, but also organising activities for children in refugee centres or preparing a street theatre on international solidarity. Voluntary work is a central element in SCI projects, for many reasons. We aim to provide opportunities for translating solidarity into practical action, for people who do not necessarily have extraordinary skills or expertise, but who do have a wish to contribute to peace, justice and protection of the environment. SCI has always seen its work as an alternative to military service. It is also a way to get to know communities or organisations from within, rather than talking or reading about them. In many workcamps, the practical part is combined with a study-part or a 'theme'. There may be guest speakers, excursions, or discussions. In different ways, we try to balance solidarity and personal growth.

-PVP Workcamps PVP stands for Peace Voluntary Projects. It is a label given to workcamps who spend extra time and resourses on extenstive study parts concerning peace related issues and/or pro-active peace work. And also, very important characteristic of PVPs is the fact that leaders are regularly and pro-actively pointing and mediating any possible conflict that might occur in the group and thus the volunteers are practicing how to deal with such difficult situations also when they finish with the workcamp. The PVP label is given to camps who match certain criteria.

Criteria for ‘Pacifist Voluntary Projects’ (PVP) within SCI (according to Strategic Plan 2004-2009 / Specific Strategic Objective 1.1, decided at ICM 2004) A. Criteria related to the content of the project 1. There is an extensive study part on peace related issues and/or alternatively, the 23 work is directly connected to pro-active peace work (public campaigning, peace education…). 2. The pacifist content of the project is also treated in public (media contacts…). 3. The project partner takes a supportive attitude to the pacifist content of the project, or is directly involved in terms of study part or pro-active peace work 4. Participants in the project should learn something on conflicts, their roots, and non- violent strategies to solve conflicts. They should be empowered to take an active stand on peace issues at home after the project.

B. Criteria related to the branch’s internal “quality management” 1. The relation between the actual project and its pacifist character is briefly explained in the project description. 2. The branch formulates the specific pacifist goals to be achieved in the project and adds these to the infosheet for the volunteers. 3. A competent person of the branch visits the project at least once. 4. In addition to the usual evaluation questionnaire, volunteers have to evaluate the project according to these specific goals in writing. 5. The branch makes an overall evaluation in the end, resulting in a document comparing the actual outcome to the specific goals formulated.

4. Profile of a Peace Messenger

Peace Messengers are usually trained during a Peace Messenger training organised by the PMP-group (Peace Messenger Project group) of SCI, hosted by a branch or partner of SCI. After the training they go to one or more workcamps or volunteer projects to organise awareness raising workshops and discussions on Peace related topics. The workshops they organise and the topics they cover depend on the peace messenger (interests, field of knowledge...). Usually the peace messenger communicates with the branch and the workcampleader (if there is one) when she will come, how long she will stay and what she will do. -Roles and expectations It is foremost important as Peace Messenger to realise we are not “experts” (maybe we are, however it is not expected from us as peace messengers). We are not going out there to tell volunteers all the answers to all the questions. It is good to inform the volunteers about that. 24 We are simply messengers, with a message of peace. We are out there in the workcamp to stimulate discussions. It is more important that we create situations where the volunteers can exchange their own knowledge and stories about Peace than that we teach them. Each messenger is unique, with a back-pack full of different information and messages. Our message can be a game about human rights that one practiced in a training course, it can be the information learned at a UN Peace Seminar or the personal story of a Long Term Volunteer project at the Palestinian border. Our role as Peace Messenger is that of a messenger, not more, if the volunteers on a project are informed of this we will prevent causing wrong expectations about our role. -National PM “Glocal; Think Global, Act Local” As Peace Messenger we can go to workcamps in our own country. Usually our branch supports us and sometimes even pays for our travel costs. So as National Peace Messengers we go to an International training course, and then go back to the country where we will visit projects. We can visit one project or more, depends on our capacity and the needs of the national branch. Usually the peace messenger visits the workcamp for one or 2 days, however it happens that they decide to stay because it is such a great group. In case you would like to stay longer always do this in consultation and agreement of the workcampleader and the branch. That is very important, for different reasons, some of them might be: influence on group dynamics that you might have as the one coming later than the others, your influence as a messenger throughout a workcamp, practical organisation about you as an extra participant, your insurance as additional volunteer on a workcamp, etc. -Travelling “Nomad” PM Travelling Peace Messengers travel to another country than their own and provide workshops in foreign projects. It can even be that they travel trough different countries, visiting the workcamps. Usually travelling Peace Messengers are invited by the branches, and they have to visit only the workcamps that the responsible branch has planned them to go for many reasons already mentioned above. It is possible to agree with branches in advance and to agree upon the mutually desired wish list of workcamps to visit and do the workshops in.

5. Suggestions for Methodology In this chapter we will give some ideas and methodological values. It is good to understand the difference between Methodology and Method. While Methodology is the theory behind the Method, the Method is a practical exercise, workshop or session outline… In this handbook we will focus on Methodology, for concrete Methods we refer 25 to the PART 5 in the book (PART 5 Usefull links and method books).

Following are merely examples and advice, we encourage Peace Messengers to create their own style and to be innovative. a. Facilitation As Peace Messenger one role we can take is that of facilitator. That means that we will facilitate Peace Education for volunteer groups. That is contrary to teaching or giving answers to the questions. As facilitator in fact it is not necessary that we have any knowledge on the subject (peace) at all. It is our job to organise space and time for the volunteers to meet, start the discussion, border the discussion and rephrase conclusions, bring clarity in the discussion, facilitate everybody to speak out their knowledge... As facilitator we usually do not take part in the discussion. Even if it attracts us because the topic is interesting, we try to listen more than to speak.

As Peace Messenger we are working with groups of people, and that is a treasure of knowledge, perspectives and individual wisdoms. That is why it is important to facilitate often, make the people learn from one another.

Of course sometimes it is important or required for us to give some facts, theoretical input or teachings on the matters that we, as peace messenger, are experienced in. However we try to combine that role of teacher with facilitator. Take turn between the role of teacher and student.

b. non formal education Formal education can be seen as the classical school context, the teacher stands in front of the group and there is a one way stream of teaching, of knowledge transfer, from the teacher to the students, there is a vertical, one way structure. This setting can be usefull and required sometimes, however as peace messenger we are visiting mainly camps in summertime, therefore the non formal setting maybe more feasible and desirable most of the times.

26 The non formal setting is using much more peer education, experiental learning approach, learning by doing, volunteering, and has usually a more horizontal structure. Facilitation skills are more important in this setting than authority on the subjects. c. Use the tools creatively There are many user manuals, training books, toolkits and other resources available today to help us when planning a training or peace workshops. We add in PART 5 of this handbook many usefull links. Use these tools, and always try to be innovative and creative while using them, don’t just copy paste. Add little changes to exercises you find, or make combinations of different prescribed methods, challenge your self. d. Self Fullfilling Prophecy Self Fullfilling Prophecy is an important concept to keep in mind while working with groups. It is a sociological term to point out an important psychological and group dynamic process that will always influence our work. A self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly causes it self to become true. Or as Merton explains it; “The self-fulfilling prophecy is, in the beginning, a false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come 'true'. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error. For the prophet will cite the actual course of events as proof that he was right from the very beginning.”

Why is self fulfilling prophecy so important? When we will go out to make a training or workshop as peace messenger, and we are thinking (predicting); “They will not listen to me”, the chance that they will indeed not listen are much higher, following the effects of our prediction. This is not a spiritual or metaphysical concept; interpersonal relations, expectations, motivation psychology and behavioural patterns can explain a great deal of this proces. Scientific tests have shown that it is even so when a teacher thinks badly of a very clever student, some how, directly and indirectely, this clever student will after time show bad grades. e. Be true to your own style Every trainer, workcampleader or peace messenger has her own style. One may like to organise many outdoor games, being very active and energising the volunteers like a crazy monkey, while the other maybe prefers to provide a lecture linked to a political debate, to give a lot of important information to the volunteers.

27 This is all good, moreover, it is important to discover and recognise our own style. Because when we know ourselves, we can adapt situations and methods to this knowledge, making it easier and safer to be out there, and thus making our workshops more worthwhile for the listener. So, we discover our own style trough practice and self study, and adapt our methods accordingly. It is also important to realise that our style is not a static thing. Everything in this world changes, constantly, even our minds. There is no reason to get stuck to one style, rather we can try to adapt to situations and regularly evaluate ourselves. If workshop after workshop we go home with an unsatisfied feeling, this is often a sign for taking two steps back, self evaluation and change of methodology.

When we are working in a team - for example together with the workcampleader or with 2 Peace Messengers in one camp - our style becomes an even more important issue. Each person has a different style, and the more our style differs from another, the more risk for conflict or difficulties in the planning and implementing of our workshop. The easiest way out is to divide the work, making each responsible for one part of the workshop. Easy, but often this will cause a superficial effect to the audience. Ideal way out is to integrate each others’ styles from the start. Initiating open communication about it with our colleague(s) and finding ways where we can empower each other rather than hinder one another. This does not mean we change our style,… we adjust to the other style and fill in those parts of the workshop that suit us best. Try to find ways to fullfill each other. Agree to disagree. It is a difficult proces to work together with someone who has a totally opposite style to us. At the same time it is the best opportunity for self reflexion, meta-peace education and conflict resolution practice. For that we need to be honest, open minded, self reflective and creative in finding solutions to the given situation. For that we need also time, so in case we lack time, sometimes the workshop has priority, and we may find that easy way out by dividing the work.

28 f. Bottom-up approach “Grassroots” and “bottom-up” are similar concepts. It refers to the structure of roles, leadership and status given to people within a group proces. In the courthouse for example we see a very clear top-down approach. The Judge is the one who decides. Or in a classical kingdom, the decisions are made at the top (the king), not influenced too much by the bottom (the people). Bottom-up or grassroots approach chooses to have decisions and ideas coming from the people/participants, influencing the top level (if there exist a top level at all). To use the grassroot approach as peace messenger in a workshop means that we will listen first to the volunteers in our workshop. We will not plan into detail the whole session and implement it as such, no; we will rather let the volunteers speak first. Listen to their needs, what is their level of understanding of peace, what knowledge is there present in the group for us to bring out by our workshop... As such we develop our workshop on the spot, organically, in cooperation with the volunteers. We advice to experiment with this approach. Do not make it too difficult; try at your own level to adapt your workshop to the situation, step by step, staying true to your own style. g. Importance of peer education and sharing of best practice As already been said, we are working with people who have a lot of knowledge and skills. It is good to try and use that source by facilitating exchange and peer learning. Peer education means that the volunteers learn from one another. Sharing best practice refers to the process in which volunteers tell each other about activities or projects they are involved in or heard of, that had good results. Sharing best practices is often more important than listening to some definitions or playing a beforehand planned game. There are many methods we can use to facilitate good group discussions where there is mutual understanding and where volunteers can learn from each other. Do not think it is as easy as dividing groups, sending them off with a question written on a paper and invite them back to plenary in an hour. It needs much more creative input and practice of facilitation skills from our side as trainers. We encourage all peace messengers to follow trainings and educate themselves in these methodologies. h. Creative Behaviour “I must create a system or be enslaved by another mans, I shall not reason or compare, my business is to create.” William Blake

29 Following Trainer method tries to explain how Creative Behaviour is prevented, and how to overcome the obstacles when stimulating Creative Behaviour. Trainer Method on stimulating Creative Behaviour To enhance creative behaviour there are few obstacles we must defeat. First of all we could understand that creative behaviour can be learned or stimulated. Creative behaviour is born trough a combination of interwoven skills. We could classify them in 4 categories: a. The Cognitive level; thinking patterns and fantasy. (learning to play with ideas, ability to generate new ideas,...) b. The Emotional level; how to handle ourselves. (to perceive and accept own thoughts, feelings and norms, learning to cope with fear of failure, developing self confidence,...) c. The Social level; how to handle the other. (learning to cooperate, clear communication and group decisions, tolerance,...) d. The Technical level; how to handle the material (to know the possibilities of the material, and how to use them,...)

Creative Behaviour is being hindered by certain external causes in the environment and certain internal causes within our self; 1. Fear of failure is the fear to do not good enough, to be laughed at. The thought; “others can do it better”. So we can speak of a lack of self confidence. 2. Conformism is to be very alert to the norm that in a certain situation is demanded from my behaviour. It is looking for: “What is being expected from me” in stead of “What do i want to do here”. To be conformist thus means: to search for the correct solution and in this search to refer back to already acquired habits and norms, because that is perceived as the safest way. Thus Conformism and Fear of failure go hand in hand. 3. A negative learning environment: In many learning-situations the chozen learning-strategy is “correcting the mistakes, correcting errors”. Correct solutions are being considered logic. The pointing out of mistakes can cause “resistance” and the will to learn can decrease. 4. The lack of model behaviour. Everybody learns through imitation. A lot of behaviour you learn by copying it from someone else. As child you learn to speak by copying the sounds your parents make. Also at a later age you learn a lot by imitation of models: language, thinking methods, social codes, cultural codes (sport, arts, fashion, rituals,...). Good models for the learning of problem solving behaviour are scarse. On top of that the differences in age and cultural backgrounds decrease the chance that model behaviour is being copied. 5. Wrong insights: People often experience few thoughts that cause obstacles: - The I have to thought: “It must be good immedialtely, if not i better don’t start with this.” “It must be totally original.” - The it is not allowed thought: “ I cannot fail.” 30 “ I am not allowed to try.” - The always and never thought: “I will never be able to dance.” “I will never be able to speak to an audience.” These insights or thoughts block each trying in advance. Like that a vicious circle is being created: who does not try does not experience and does not learn any skills. To enhance the learning and to stimulate the learning (through our mentor or trainer attitude) we handle the following principles: To oppose these obstacles... We propose following principles...

Fear of failure Safety Conformism Freedom Negative learning environment Positive feedback Lack of model behaviour Model learning Wrong insights Give insight

1. Safety as principle to respond to fear of failure. When we feel safe about some activity or assignment, the chance we fear failure decreases. Safety can be created for our self, or for the groups/individuals we target with our training or facilitation. Following ideas can contribute to safety: - Leave the participation to the activity as a free choice, - Give as much co-responsability as possible to participants when setting up an activity, - Try offering choice between different activities, - Give clear information BEFORE starting an activity, - Start the training/activity with a comforting introduction, - Work slowly, step by step, - When presenting an activity, make sure you: . Explain the objectives . Explain the requested behaviour . Demonstrate the requested behaviour . Summarise shortly all previous topics . Ask participants if they have understood you well, and if they have questions - Adapt activities when you see this is necessary for your group, - Evaluate/talk about the activity when it is finished. 2. Freedom as principle to respond to conformism. Only when there is a relative amount of freedom, participants can escape from the carnage of conformism and be creative. However be careflull with freedom, too much freedom can lead to chaos, mostly when participants are not used to it. Give freedom in small doses. To enhance freedom during your sessions, you can take into account following ideas: - Participation to the activity is free; who does not want should not participate, - As trainer, try not to correct the participants, allow mistakes as those can be learning opportunities for participants,

31 - Do not offer too much help in activities, find balance between creative problem solving and offering help when participants really “get stuck”, - Use evaluation moments to check how participants feel about freedom during the activities. 3. Positive feedback as principle to a negative learning environment. Psychological experiments have proven that punishment does not contribute to a positive learning environment; moreover, it is an obstacle for creative behaviour. Punishment is not just offering painfull stimulus to participants, becoming angry as trainer is also punishment. Or to stop the activity, punishment can be very openly but also under the skin, it all relates to your attitude as trainer. Some of the side effects of punishment: - it creates resistance with participants, - it decreases self confidence with participants, - it decreases the feeling of safety in the group, - it increases the tendens to conformist behaviour and thus decreases creativity, - it causes negative feelings, especially for the one who punishes. But what to do when you cannot punish your group when they are misbehaving? We propose following strategy: We wait until we see the participant show the expected –creative- behaviour. When we observe that, we give positive feedback. To any other behaviour we do not give any reaction. There are exceptions; the lack of negative feedback can cause uncertainty with participants, or for some situations negative feedback can be a stimulans for someone. In case you feel you need to give negative feedback, we advice following rules to be taken into account: a. Use “I” in front of the sentence; explain that you see the situation as such. Example; “I think you should use more colours” and not “you don’t know how to use colours”. b. Be very concrete; explain exactly the concrete behaviour of the participant that caused for you such toughts and sensations. Example; “I cannot understand you when you speak so quietly” and not, “you are too quiet”. c. Be usefull; transform your critics into usefull working advice. Example; “let us practice to make more volume when we speak” and not, “your voice is just not loud enough”. d. Be fast; do not leave too much time pass between the feedback and the behaviour it refers to. e. Leave opportunity with the participant for answer; the participant should also be able to phrase her idea, do not put your opinion as the absolute truth. f. Start with positive feedback; always begin by saying what you find positive about the presentation of the participant. Agree with the group that everybody use this system. 4. Model learning as principle to counter lack of model behaviour. In the process of model learning we can distinguish two levels; -first level is the “processing” ;you observe the model behaviour; example: you see the dance teacher show a step”, -second level is the “execution” ;you make the behaviour your self; 32 example: you make the observed dance step. Model learning is important when you are in front of a group (eg as peace messenger) because participants will always copy to a certain extend your behaviour, wheter you want that or not, so we must be conscious of this. Following principles of model learning are worth concidering while doing an activity: - Unfriendly behaviour towards participants can cause that they will not see you as a model, on the contrary, - Behaving very different from the participants can cause a gap, - When explaining an activity, game or exercise; a. provide insight in the objective of the activity, b. Explain the requested behaviour during the activity, c. Demonstrate the requested behaviour, in a way that is feasible for all participants, don’t show off, d. Summarise above points e. Ask if it is understood and if there are questions. - It is often good to participate in activities, but be carefull for group dynamics, - Make sure to build in choice moments and evaluations. 5. Insight as principle to counter wrong insights. Which insights should the trainer provide? - Insight in the objectives of the activity, - Insight in the fact that nothing is obligatory and failure is acceptable, - Insight in the fact that what skills the participants do not have, can always be learned, provide space and time for that, - Insight in the reason why participants are learning something, in the importance of the objectives of the activity, - insight in the methods and methodology you use as trainer. When can the trainer provide insights? - During an introduction speech, - During the introduction of the activity, - During evauations, - During individual talks with participants How can the trainer provide insights? Before it is done through explanation; keep explanations short and fun to listen to. After it is done through feedback; Keep feedback after the activity clear and short. i. Use of symbols A symbol is something such as an object, picture, written word, sound, or particular mark that represents something else by association, resemblance, or convention. For example, a red octagon may stand for "STOP".

33 All language consists of symbols. The word "cat" is not a cat, but represents the idea of a cat. Psychology has found that people, and even animals, can respond to symbols as if they were the objects they represent. The explicite use of symbols is today most visible in commercials. Artists and psychologists are being hired by companies to design propaganda destined to convince people to buy their products, using symbols as a Trojan Horse to enter and influence the minds of consumers. Also Nationalism provides a good example where symbols are used to influence the masses, creating a strong link between an idea and a symbol. Think of the swastika used by the Neo Nazis, or the SS troops.

What can we learn from that? Amongst others, that it works, so we can also use symbols for our peace work. Symbols usually give a very strong message, while the receiver just need to lay her eye on it; that means minimal effort with maximum gain in any awareness raising campaign. Troughout the handbook you will find examples of symbols used by Peace and Human Rights activists.

34 You can download many other symbols on the web page of SCI PeaceAction Mailing list; For this you need to subscribe by sending an email to this adres: [email protected]

Examples of actions using these symbols are; printing out peace symbols and hanging them all over your city, use the right symbol in a text to illustrate a statement, make stickers of symbols and spread them, make badges of symbols, … Peace Messengers can also use symbols to stimulate reflection and discussion about topics.

PART 3: Peace and War

Previous chapters intended to give practical information on the Peace Messenger Project. Part 3 tends to dive a little more into the subject of Peace and War and serves as a source of inspiration.

1. What is Peace? - Definitions The concept of peace ordinarily has been used in the sense of the quality of mind in which the individual feels harmony, satisfaction, equanimity and blissfull experiences of her existence. In the socio-political sphere, it is generally used in the sense of “absence of any outside interference or disturbance”. However, the modern peace scientists use the concept in a much wider sense, comprehending all the spheres of life. In the true sense of the term it is a positive and holistic concept. The eminent sociologist and peace scientist John Galtung writes: “Peace has to be discussed and understood not only as peace amongst nations, but also within societies, amongst and within Human beings and certainly also with nature.”

35 There are many definitions of peace. A negative definition would be a Pentagon definition of peace as a pre-hostility condition. Many peace study scholars would define it more positively as the absence of violence, wether overt (war) or covert (structural violence or injustice). In their eyes peace therefore is not the absence of conflict, but the absence of violent resolution of conflict, for conflict in an ever changing world is a natural phenomenon. It is not the avoidance of conflict that our schools should teach through examples and curriculums but the positive and non violent resolution of conflict.

According to Gandhi Ji, peace is an outcome of the application of social and economic non violence, when they materialise sufficiently. Mankind can avoid military violence only trough non violence. The basic problem of the whole world today is the establishment of peace. The way of non violence (Ahimsa) leads to peace.

Peace is not an abstraction; it is a reality craved for by all mankind. True peace is rooted in a social order which respects equality, liberty and justice amongst man; it thrives in an atmosphere which assigns priority to living man over traditions, ideologies, wealth and comfort. We can not have peace until all the nations treat each other in a mood of freedom and friendliness, until we develop a new conception of integrated social life. Peace is not merely a cessation of war, but a positive sense of identification with and concern for others. Instead of war, peace must abide in the minds of man. We urge that peace is a pre-requisite of development. But today the fear of war and the urge for self-preservation propel governments to increase their defence expenditures at the cost of social and economic development. Peace is constructive and dynamic. It is a condition in which people of the world are enabled to work for their development. Peace is the presence of fellow feeling and of respect for sentient beings as sentient beings regardless of the race, nation or creed. Only total peace can prevent total war. If we all seek peace, the world will one day become a real human family as embodied in the ancient Indian saying: “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” (the whole world is one family).

36 2. Peace in 2 levels We will make a distinction between 2 levels of Universal Peace. A Macro level, representing everything what is outside of us; the others, nature, society, governments... And a Micro level, representing all that is within us; psyche, feelings and emotions, perceptions of ourselves, soul, spirit and physical body.

The 2 levels are not separate from one another. The Macro level influences the Micro level and vice versa. Example; when a war starts between 2 nations (macro level) that have an impact on the psychological conditions of the people living within those nations (micro level). Or the other way around, when somebody feels and acts very angry (micro level), this will influence the people around her (macro level).

This is an important phenomenon to take into concideration when we want to understand the essence of conflicts and find methods for constructive conflict resolution. There is no war without people allowing it in their hearts and minds.

A. Macro level Thus macro level is everything that we can see around us, the outside world or reality. There are other people, organisations, governments, nations, countries, nature, animals, plants, the sky, storms, stars, planets, and so on.

All these concepts and objects of our perception can be measured on a scale; between “conflicting” or “at peace”. The way we perceive things differs from person to person. It depends strongly on our cultural learned way of perceiving things if we find something very conflicting, or not so conflicting, or not conflicting at all. People perceive the outside world different according to their education and cultural habits. There is something as a “reference frame” (system of norms and values, level of understanding the truth) inside of each one of us causing us to see the outside world trough different colored eye glasses. One example; in many indigenous societies in the American continent it is unbelievable to buy or sell land. The earth is considered as Mother, and who would be so cruel to sell her mother? Seen from the perspective of those indigenous people, selling land is considered a very conflicting phenomenon in the macro level. On the other hand colonial forces from the old Europe where selling all the land of the American continent. Trough their perspective of reality this was not a conflictuous behaviour but an every day economic transaction, business as usual, justified by their overseas kingdoms and churches.

37 Following this, is it possible for us to formalise universal concepts of what is right and wrong in the Macro Level? Can we decide somehow on what conflict is and what it is not? Should there be a standard acceptable by all sentient beings? One answer given in International level is the concept of Universal Human Values, humanity, often translated into certain human rights, to ensure that each human is entitled to live an autonomous live without constant risk of invasion by other people or governments. The basic Anarchist principle and sole rule is one of the few that summarises all attempts to establish a code for Universal Human Rights, shining in its simplicity and completeness: “Everybody is free to do what he or she wants, as long as that freedom does not invade the freedom of others”

-Peace with nature “... the old Lakota was wise. He knew that the man’s heart, away from nature, becomes hard, he knew that lack of respect from growing, living things soon led to a lack of respect for humans, too. So he kept his children close to nature’s softening influence”. Chief Luther Standing Bear

Nature is all around us, has always been there and will most likely outlive the human species. Nature is what made us, carries us, feeds us and eventually will kill us. Nature has always been a subject of scientific study as well as an inspiration for artists. The oldest science known to this planet speaks of Sanathan Dharma, the natural law, which is supposed to be the birthplace of all culture and religion. Sanathan Dharma is based on the concepts of Truth, Simplicity and Love, encouraging people to engage in service to humanity.

In our age of materialism and fast technological development nature has been reduced to shares in the stock market, planets are perceived as rocks, forests have fences around them and animals are loosing their wilderness and their species. Many people have repeatedly protested this cold and respectless attitude. Today we have come to a point where it is becoming hard to deny that our materialistic attitude towards nature is sustainable. The concern growing today is not so much because of an international community fearing to loose its nature, it is more of an international community realising they will be blown of from the face of the earth when balance with nature is lost.

One famous United Nations report on human environment tells us that “the emotional attachment to our priced diversity need not interfere with our attempts to develop the global state of mind which will generate the rational 38 loyalty to the planet as a whole. As we enter the global phase of human evolution, it becomes obvious, that each man has two countries, his own, and the planet earth. Now that all habitable parts of the globe are occupied, the carefull husbandry of the earth is sine qua non for the survival of the human species and for creation of decent ways of life for all the people of the world”.

While writing this we are in Novi Sad, Serbia, in the VCV office. It is easter time in the year 2009. We are taking part in the first meeting of a new project group in SCI, that will focus on awreness raising on Environmental issues connected to SCI; climate change, sustainability, ecological friendliness,… The group is named GAIA:

Thematic Group on Sustainable Development and Climate Change Main objectives Our main objectives are.. 1. developing a thematic group a. building up the group b. linking local initiatives c. raising awareness about branches initiatives (and resource collection) d. clarifying the connection between SCI and peace/environment 2. reducing our footprint, enhancing our handprint a. raising the awareness of SCI volunteers and bodies b. reducing the ecological footprint of SCI activities c. building capacity 3. outreach a. networking with environmental NGOs b. strengthening the role of SCI within movements of like minded NGOs

39 - Peace between people In our contact with other people the relationships can be characterized as peacefull or not peacefull. Communication is the link between human units, and thus by observing the communication we can observe the level of peacefulness, as well as the causes for interpersonal conflicts.

The traditional communication theory starts from the concepts of Sender and Receiver, scetched down in the “communication cycle”.

Interpersonal communication always takes place between a Sender and a Receiver. The Sender sends a message (a word, sentence or story) to a receiver. The receiver usually sends feedback back to the sender. The message and feedback can be verbal (words) or non verbal (body language, face expression…). Often conflicts arise when the receiver does not, or misunderstands the message of the sender, or the receiver’s feedback is misinterpretaded by the sender. There exist many techniques and communication trainings and – tools to prevent and handle such communication related conflicts. Another cause for conflict to arise is when the content of the message is in contradiction to the receiver her perception of norms and values. In this case the conflict resolution will have to focus more on the level of mutual understanding and tolerance, if not on concept refraiming and reconciliation. We think it is usefull as peace messenger to follow trainings in communication skills, and especially in non violent communication and Intercultural communication skills.

Active Listening We must be able to listen attentively if we are to perform to expectations, avoid conflicts and misunderstandings, and to succeed - in any arena. 40 Following are a few short tips to help us enhance our communications skills and to ensure we are active listeners: 1. Start by Understanding Your Own Communication Style Good communication skills require a high level of self-awareness. Understanding our personal style of communicating will go a long way toward helping us to create good and lasting impressions on others. By becoming more aware of how others perceive us, we can adapt more readily to their styles of communicating. This does not mean we have to be chameleons, changing with every personality we meet. Instead, we can make another person more comfortable with us by selecting and emphasizing certain behaviors that fit within our personality and resonate with another. In doing this, we will prepare ourselves to become active listeners. 2. Be an Active Listener People speak at 100 to 175 words per minute, but they can listen intelligently at 600 to 800 words per minute. Since only a part of our mind is paying attention, it is easy to go into mind drift - thinking about other things while listening to someone. The cure for this is active listening - which involves listening with a purpose. It may be to gain information, obtain directions, understand others, solve problems, share interest, see how another person feels, show support, etc. If you're finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say it - this will reinforce their message and help you control mind drift. 3. Use Nonverbal Communication Use nonverbal behaviors to raise the channel of interpersonal communication. Nonverbal communication is facial expressions like smiles, gestures, eye contact, and even your posture. This shows the person you are communicating with that you are indeed listening actively and will prompt further communications while keeping costly, time-consuming misunderstandings at a minimum. 4. Give Feedback Remember that what someone says and what we hear can be amazingly different! Our personal filters, assumptions, judgments, and beliefs can distort what we hear. Repeat back or summarize to ensure that you understand. Restate what you think you heard and ask, "Have I understood you correctly?" If you find yourself responding emotionally to what someone said, say so, and ask for more information: "I may not be understanding you correctly, and I find myself taking what you said personally.” Feedback is a verbal communication means used to clearly demonstrate you are actively listening and to confirm the communications between you and others. Obviously, this serves to further ensure the communications are understood and is a great tool to use to verify everything you heard while actively listening. 41 As a teaser and opening to further study and practice we insert here the most important communication techniques, and the structure and operational mode of a conviction. These are valuable tools to use when working with people.

DESCRIPTION Working Method

Asking questions Types of questions - Open questions: Questions that give a minimum of structure and direction towards the answer. - The one who is asked the question decides on how to answer and how long the answer would be. - There is space for putting feelings and points of view into words. - Closed questions: - Answering space is limited, answers are short (in principle answers would be ‘yes’, ‘no’ or ‘maybe’). - There is less space for points of view or own feelings.

E – IN Questions: (E= explorative, like in exploration)  - You remain inside the reference frame of the other, you connect to what she had just said, you deepen up into the subject of conversation. - You let the spokes partner decide on the direction of the conversation. E – EX Questions: - You do NOT anticipate on what the other had just said, you launch a new aspect, you ask horizontal questions (instead of deepening the subject). - You decide yourselve on the direction of conversation.

WHAT QUESTIONS TO USE WHEN? This depends on what you desire to find out : factual information : ask closed and E-ex Questions ن ideas, opinions : ask open and E-in Questions ن

Summarizing - Repeating = litterally repeat the last part of the sentence - Summarizing = this is a short representation you make of Brings rest a part of the conversation (it is advisable to mention explicitly that you will summarize)

 Reference Frame = sociological term referring to the frame of norms and values of a person. Here it is referring towards the whole of intentions, norms, values and thoughts that you, as emphatic listener, suspect with the questioned, in the light of the conversation that is at hand. 42 Shows interest - Paraphrase = summarize what was between the lines, what you thought was said ‘in other words’ (this can be Helps to go deeper annoying when u guess wrongly) into the subject TIPS: - summarize short but complete - summarize regularly - use your own words - only summarize the theme of the conversation - use personal form (NOT ‘there is said’, but ‘andy said’) - do not judge, value and dont make conclusions - check if your summary is right - indicate that you are summarizing - invite the other to summarize as well

Specifying VAGUE UTTERANCE 1. Summarize/paraphrase (or wide E-IN Question) Allowing the other to 2. Again paraphrase on chozen subject (or leading be more specific Question) about feelings and 3. Continue this untill the chozen aspect is clear and end with experiences about a closed Question (optional) wich she speaks. You can repeat these 3 steps to clarify other vague aspects. Use specifying to: - Make own reactions more concrete - articulate relevance of what the other says - ask for specific details and examples - to sense if concreteness is fitting or not Make the vague clear, the abstract concrete, the commonplace specific, the indirect direct, the past actual, make ‘we’ into ‘I’.

Confronting Be carefull with this technique, and respect that: - there must be a warm relation when confronting Confronting the - support the emotions that you cause by confronting (restfull spokespartner with attitude, acceptance) own behaviour or - Use a respectfull carefullness utterances so that - Give the other time for coping with this confrontation she can think about - Motive for confronting : helping, stuck conversation (this is those and a leap not a technique to be used as punishment or out of forward can be made impotence) in the conversation - confrontation is always a hypothesis (tell this also when you (only when the confront) conversation is - Also confront on positive points stuck) - Allow confrontation on your own behaviour as well - Link the confrontation to behavioral alternatives

43 Matching and Matching: mismatching - copy the non verbal signals of the spokes partner ; as to create similarities, contact and trust - mirrorring = litterally doing the same (eg. tapping foot) - cross mirrorring = matching on another part of the body Mismatching: - break the agreement by for example taking a different posture You can match also on ritmes (eg. same pace)

Active Listening = ‘really’ listening (SOFT) and trying to recite the actual feeling of the other, without moralizing, leading nor giving solutions

1. Spokespartner poses a problem (verbal or non verbal) 2. You decode the message, and wonder what is going on inside the spokespartner 3. You represent in own words what is going on inside the spokespartner (reciting the actual feeling of the spokespartner in own words = active listening) 4. Spokespartner gives feedback

Reassuring = - Give correct information (putting at ease) - give examples out of own experience Decreasing tension, - predict results Reducing fears and - Confront on strong points and positive aspects = increasing uncertainties, selfconfidence Increasing self - Possibility of assuring that spokes partner can rely on you esteem (make agreements about that!) CAREFULL: - do not soothe, stick to the reality - do not reassure to quickly, give the chance for spokespartner to express the feelings first - to much reassuring can decrease self motivation

 SOFT = ‘Smile, Open posture, Forward lean and Touch’ which are basic conditions for a good conversation 44 Positive refraiming Structure of a conviction:

Phenomenon Meaning (evidence) conclusion

criterium

Each conviction can be structurized. Like that we can see how a conviction is born, and in case necessary, take away or change the conviction. Example: If someone’s conviction is: ‘the earth is flat’, than we can find out the phenomenon that caused this believe. That can for example be a professor in university who said so. Once you find that out (by posing questions), you can offence that the professor could be wrong for example. So you can undermine the conclusion by changing or devalidationg the phenomenon or evidence that lead to the conclusion. If you know the criterium that causes the person to be convicted of her conviction, you have an even stronger case, as you can take that into account when posing the right questions into destroying wrong phenomena or evidences. Criteria in our example could be ‘professor is always right’.

Meaning reframe = Helping the spokespartner into coming to another conclusion with the same evidence.

Context reframe = let the phenomenon seem different by putting the full conviction into another context

- Peace between nations Communication between Nations is vulnerable for Intercultural misunderstandings. There are many tools and methods available to prevent miscommunication at this level. We name one below and advice Peace Messengers to learn about more examples, in the part 5 we link you to usefull resource for finding more International methods for peacefull communication between nations.

In Europe today many NGOs and EU institutions opt to work with the “Open Method of Coordination”.

45 B. Micro level Micro level is everything inside of us - the receiver of stimuli from the outside world; our inner world, our perception apparatus, the body, mind, soul, spirit, psychology..

The Micro level is rather subjective, mainly because what is inside us is only directly understandable trough personal experience. Amongst others, the Philosophy, Psychology and Religion provide us roadmaps and instructions on how to shape and experience our own inner being. Each culture translates those in different ways. What is important for the reader now is to realise that Psychologies, Religions and Philosophies can contribute to inner peace, or disturb inner eace, depending on their intention and nature.

Inner peace is our own responsability; no one is going to make that for us. There are strong external factors, such as a friends, family, a home, enough food, safety… that can trigger inner moods, but the inner moods themselves are internal and up to us. One example; whoever has found real inner peace, will be at peace with oneself even under the worst external situations, remaining an embodiment of insight and compassion regarding the given challenge in the outside world.

46 3. What is preventing Peace on each level? Let us have a look now at some examples on both levels that prevent peace from taking place, and like that try to come to a deeper understanding of the characteristics of peace. A. Macro level a. war “The total courage in you, the total force (with which army personnel goes), what do you call it? … Valor. The valor with which you say: ”common, let us fight for our country.” What happens? All the energy in the system is coming up together. We fight for our country, my country… “My country is in danger, my religion is in danger.” That’s it, see how valor rises in the people? The whole world is in valor, into fighting. Do you think they simply do it without getting any joy out of it? That moment of Valor – extreme sense of patriotism or valor – gives such tremendous joy. That is why this world faces wars again and again. If people would completely condemn war (nobody likes war) then war cannot happen. But in the proces of war, though the result of war is not palatable (nobody likes the results of war) the proces of war is very thrilling.” Sri Sri Ravishankar

War is the reciprocal and violent application of force between hostile political entities aimed at bringing about a desired political end-state via armed conflict. Armed conflict has proven to have negative inpact to both parties, especially in the nuclear age, and usually has a devestating result for citizens who become victims of several human rights violations.

47 b. Colonialism Colonialism is the extension of a nation's sovereignty over territory beyond its borders by the establishment of either settler or exploitation colonies in which indigenous populations are directly ruled, displaced, or exterminated. Colonizing nations generally dominate the resources, labor, and markets of the colonial territory, and may also impose socio-cultural, religious, and linguistic structures on the indigenous population. It is essentially a system of direct political, economic, and cultural intervention and hegemony by a powerful country in a weaker one. Though the word colonialism is often used interchangeably with imperialism, the latter is sometimes used more broadly as it covers control exercised informally (via influence) as well as formal military control or economic leverage. The term colonialism may also be used to refer to an ideology or a set of beliefs used to legitimize or promote this system. Colonialism was often based on the ethnocentric belief that the morals and values of the colonizer were superior to those of the colonized; some observers link such beliefs to racism and pseudo-scientific theories dating from the 18th to the 19th centuries. In the western world, this led to a form of proto-social Darwinism that placed white people at the top of the animal kingdom, "naturally" in charge of dominating non-European aboriginal populations.

In the last century most of the non-Western countries where colonies of Western countries. Those countries which where not colonies where subjected to colonial treatment. That is one of the sources of todays North South problems in this world. Altough today some say colonialism has disappeared, the reality shows that it persists in a different form. It seems multinationals and free market hawks have taken over the role of the colonialists where before we could find kings and queens of Western countries.

Today colonies cannot be identified. But two cultures of the colonizers and the colonized are persisting. Their minds are different. This duality of psychology created the most complicated problem. The colonial legacy led to the concentration of power on one side and deprivation of power on the other. Colonies are the result of military technology, and concentration of power is an inevitable development of military technology.

Cultural colonialism refers to internal domination by one group and its culture or ideology over others. An example comes from the domination over the former Soviet Union by Russian language and culture. Dominant cultures make themselves the official culture; Schools, the media, and public interaction reflect this.

48 c. Imperialism Imperialism is the system of building foreign empires for military and trade advantages or in other words, the practice of extending the power, control or rule by a country over the political and economic life of areas outside its own borders which may be accomplished through military or other means, and particularly through colonialism. Imperialism is often autocratic, and also sometimes monolithic in character. Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture or language of one culture into another. It is usually the case that the former belongs to a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter belongs to a smaller, less important one. Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active, formal policy or a general attitude. The term is usually used in a pejorative sense, usually in conjunction with a call to reject foreign influence. Examples are the strategy where Australian Aboriginal children where kidnapped away from their parents by authorities and put into boarding schools under Colonial rule. In those schools they where forbidden to speak their native languages or practice their traditional ceremonies and rituals. Same happened in Americas and in many other colonies. d. Nationalism Nationalism refers to an ideology, a sentiment, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. Precisely where and when it emerged is difficult to determine, but its development is closely related to that of the modern state and the push for popular sovereignty that came to a head with the French Revolution in the late 18th century. Since that time, nationalism has become one of the most significant political and social forces in history, perhaps most notably as a major influence or cause of World War I and especially World War II due to the rise of fascism, a radical and authoritarian nationalist ideology.

As an ideology, nationalism holds that 'the people' in the doctrine of popular sovereignty are the nation, and that as a result only nation-states founded on the principle of national self-determination are legitimate. Since most states are multinational, or at least home to more than one group claiming national status, in many cases nationalist pursuit of self-determination has caused conflict between people and states including war (both external and domestic), secession; and in extreme cases, genocide.

Nationalism is a strong social phenomenon in the world as national flags, national anthems and national divisions are examples of 'banal' nationalism that is often mentally unconscious. Industrialization, democratization, and support for economic redistribution have all been at least partly attributed to 49 the shared social context and solidarity that nationalism provides. Nevertheless, nationalism remains a hotly contested subject on which there is little general consensus. The clearest example of opposition to nationalism is cosmopolitanism, with adherents as diverse as liberals, Marxists, and anarchists, but even nationalism's defenders often disagree on its virtues, and it is common for nationalists of one persuasion to disparage the aspirations of others for both principled and strategic reasons. Indeed, the only fact about nationalism that is not in dispute may be that few other social phenomena have had a more enduring impact on the modern world. e. Racism Racism is the assumption that the characteristics and abilities of an individual are determined by race and that one race is biologically superior to another. Overt Racism is what most people are familiar with since it is easily detectable and takes the form of direct behavioural or verbal racially discriminatory acts. Covert Racism is more subtle, yet occurs more often than overt racism and is more easily hidden, denied, or discounted. f. Cultural relativism Cultural relativism is the principle that an individual human's beliefs and activities should be understood in terms of his or her own culture. g. Xenophobia An unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers or of that which is foreign or strange.Xenophobia comes from a Greek word meaning “ fear of the foreigner”. Fear (phobia) of strangers (xeno-) and of the unknown. Dislike of foreigners. Often a dislike of representatives of a particular nation. The word Xenophobic is often used as a insult against Racists, Isolationists, and Nationalists. I fear those who are different because I don’t know them and I don’t know them because I fear them. Similar to discrimination and racism, xenophobia feeds on stereotypes and prejudices, though it has its origin in the insecurity and the fear projected onto “the other”. This fear of the other is often translated into rejection, hostility or violence against people from other countries or belonging to minorities. h. Free Trade “A business suit and combat boots.” Robert Fisk

Free trade is a system in which the trade of goods and services between or within countries flows unhindered by government-imposed restrictions. Such 50 government interventions generally increase costs of goods and services to both consumers and producers. Interventions include taxes and tariffs, non- tariff barriers, such as regulatory legislation and quotas, and even inter- government managed trade agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) and the SAFTA (by South Asian Association for regional Cooperation). The most extreme version of Free Trade opposes all such interventions. Trade Liberalization entails reductions to these trade barriers in an effort for relatively unimpeded transactions. Government intervention in economic matters in a Free Market is limited to regulating against force and fraud among market participants. Hence, with government force limited to a defensive role, government itself does not initiate force in the marketplace beyond levying taxes in order to fund the maintenance of the free marketplace. Some free market advocates oppose taxation as well, claiming that the market is better at providing all valuable services of which defense and law are no exception, and that such services can be provided without direct taxation.

Why is free trade preventing peace? Free trade in practice as it is today, is concidered war if we were to believe many conscient observers, mainly because privatization and deregulation kill- by pushing up prices on necessities like water and medicines and pushing down prices on raw commodities like coffee, making small farms unsustainable. War because those who resist and "refuse to disappear," as the Zapatistas say, are routinely arrested, beaten and even killed. War because when this kind of low-intensity repression fails to clear the path to corporate liberation, the real wars begin.

The global antiwar protests that surprised the world on the beginning of the new century grew out of the networks built by years of globalization activism, from Indymedia to the World Social Forum. (...)Past movements have tried to fight wars without confronting the economic interests behind them, or to win economic justice without confronting military power. Today's activists, already experts at following the money, aren't making the same mistake.

Take Rachel Corrie, a 23-year-old in an orange jacket with the courage to face down Israeli bulldozers; Corrie had already glimpsed a larger threat looming behind the military hardware. "I think it is counterproductive to only draw attention to crisis points-the demolition of houses, shootings, overt violence," she wrote in one of her last e-mails. "So much of what happens in Rafah is related to this slow elimination of people's ability to survive… Water, in particular, seems critical and invisible." The 1999 Battle of Seattle was 51 Corrie's first big protest. When she arrived in Gaza, she had already trained herself not only to see the repression on the surface but to dig deeper, to search for the economic interests served by the Israeli attacks. This digging- interrupted by her murder-led Corrie to the wells in nearby settlements, which she suspected of diverting precious water from Gaza to Israeli agricultural land.

Similarly, when Washington started handing out reconstruction contracts in Iraq, veterans of the globalization debate spotted the underlying agenda in the familiar names of deregulation and privatization pushers Bechtel and Halliburton. If these guys are leading the charge, it means Iraq is being sold off, not rebuilt. Even those who opposed the war exclusively for how it was waged (without UN approval, with insufficient evidence that Iraq posed an imminent threat) now cannot help but see why it was waged: to implement the very same policies being protested in Cancún-mass privatization, unrestricted access for multinationals and drastic public sector cutbacks. As Robert Fisk recently wrote in The Independent, Paul Bremer's uniform says it all: "a business suit and combat boots."

Occupied Iraq is being turned into a twisted laboratory for free-base free- market economics, much as Chile was for Milton Friedman's "Chicago boys" after the 1973 coup. Friedman called it "shock therapy," though, as in Iraq, it was actually armed robbery of the shell-shocked.

Insignificant in economic terms, the deal's real power is as a wedge: Already, Washington is using it to bully Brazil and Argentina into supporting the Free Trade Area of the Americas or risk being left behind.

Thirty years have passed since that other September 11, when Gen. Augusto Pinochet, with the help of the CIA, brought the free market to Chile "with blood and fire," as they say in Latin America. That terror is paying dividends to this day: The left never recovered, and Chile remains the most pliant country in the region, willing to do Washington's bidding even as its neighbours reject neoliberalism at the ballot box and on the streets.

In August 1976, an article appeared in this magazine written by Orlando Letelier, former Foreign Affairs Minister in Salvador Allende's overthrown government. Letelier was frustrated with an international community that professed horror at Pinochet's human rights abuses but supported his free- market policies, refusing to see "the brutal force required to achieve these goals. Repression for the majorities and 'economic freedom' for small privileged groups are in Chile two sides of the same coin." Less than a month later, Letelier was killed by a car bomb in Washington, DC. 52 The greatest enemies of terror never lose sight of the economic interests served by violence, or the violence of capitalism itself. Letelier understood that. So did Rachel Corrie.

In the area of world trade, developed countries are interested in unhindered access to markets of developing countries. However, wherever their interests are hurt (eg. agriculture in the EU), they ensure that either the WTO (World Trade Organisation) agreements allow them to control access; or they violate the spirit if not the letter of these agreements. Developing countries have realised the intentions of the US and the EU but are powerless, individually, to thwart them. This is when at the WTO each nation has one vote, and developing countries are in an overwhelming majority. Unfortunately, even major developing countries have not been able to stay united even on the major issues.

i. Private military contractors Blackwater is one of a growing number of private security contractors, the company and its secretive, mega-millionaire, right-wing Christian founder, Erik Prince, position Blackwater as a patriotic extension of the US military, and its employees are required to take an oath of loyalty to the Constitution. They are hiring military veterans for jobs previously assigned to the military. 15,000 private security agents from the United States, Britain and countries as varied as Nepal, Chile, Ukraine, Israel, South Africa and Fiji were employed in Iraq during the time of the attack. 53 In March of 2004, it was reported that Blackwater had flown a group of about 60 former Chilean commandos, many of who had trained under the military government of Augusto Pinochet, from Santiago to its training camp in North Carolina. From there they were taken to Iraq. In an interview with the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, a former Chilean army officer, Carlos Wamgnet, 30, who was going to Iraq, said: "We are calm. This mission is nothing new for us... in the end, this is an extension of our military career." John Rivas, 27, a former Chilean marine, said the work in Iraq would provide a "very good income" that would allow him to support his family...I don't feel like a mercenary," he added. According to Gary Jackson, President of Blackwater USA: "We scour the ends of the earth to find professionals - the Chilean commandos are very, very professional and they fit within the Blackwater system.” http://www.blackwaterusa.com

j. Disrespect for nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. Manufactured objects and human interaction generally are not considered part of nature, and are referred to as artificial or man-made (mano maya). Nature is generally distinguished from the supernatural. It ranges in scale from the subatomic to the galactic. Within the various uses of the word today, "nature" may refer to the general realm of various types of living plants and animals, and in some cases to the processes associated with inanimate objects–the way that particular types of things exist and change of their own accord, such as the weather and geology 54 of the Earth, and the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. It is often taken to mean the "natural environment" or wilderness– wild animals, rocks, forest, beaches, and in general those things that have not been substantially altered by human intervention, or which persist despite human intervention. This more traditional concept of natural things which can still be found today implies a distinction between the natural and the artificial, with the latter being understood as that which has been brought into being by a human consciousness or a human mind.

The mere phenomenon of human beings loosing respect for “nature” opens the door for a degradation of norms and values, ending with human beings loosing respect for their fellow human beings as well.

One industrialised viewpoint is that people or societies that worship the nature, or practice rituals in relation to natural energies, are “less developped”. In addition to this the modern science supports this cultural relativism driven judgement and goes on assuming that while studying nature this could be done as objective as possible, loosing the respect and wonderment. Often this leads towards a materialist perception on the natural objects and phenomena as soul ridden natural commodities, for example the earth being viewed as merely a “rock in a space of rocks”.

55 k. Technology “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Albert Einstein

Technology apparently is used for human benefit. But in deeper sense it leads to human destruction. Technology cannot be separated from violence and militarism. The redeeming feature of technology is less prominent than its destructive feature. It has become so complicated that human relations and human psychology appear difficult to comprehend.

Western countries have been enjoying the monopoly of economic and military power. Their power began from industrial revolution. Industrial revolution has been accompanied by superior technological advancement. Technology made them imperialistic power, and the rest of the world colonies of the Western countries. Technological superiority has generated military superiority. Second World War and the post war periods saw the rise of enormous military build-up. In the contemporary world, arm race and military preparations have been the most crucial phenomena in all countries. Big and small, developed and developing, all countries irrespective of their size, resources and necessities, where blindly increasing their military budget. The per capita military expenditure has been rapidly and irrationally increasing in all countries. Military export is the single most important item of World Trade. All rich countries irrespective of their size are engaged in arm trade and trying to out-manouvre each other in this matter. Markets, open and black, are saturated by arms. l. Arms Trade and the Military Industrial Complex The World Wars The First World War (1914-1919) and the Second World War (1939-1945) happened in history as a consequence of territorial ambitions of the European powers. In fact, these wars were the vindication of the famous doctrine of Clausewitz: “War is nothing but a continuation of political intercourse with the admixture of different means.” Countries like England, France, Germany, Spain and Portugal had created their colonies in Asia, Africa and America with their gunboats in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Beginning from the middle of the 19th century Russia expanded its territory in Central Asia by its subjugation of the Khanates of Samarkand, Bukara, etc. The British Empire was of course the largest in terms of area and England claimed that the sun never sets in their empire. During the First World War and in the Second World War till the day the Pearl Harbour was attacked by Japan on 7 december 1941, the USA has been claiming neutrality though it did support Britain and its allies in terms of 56 equipment and food. After the Pearl Harbour incident, US took part in the World War till it ended in the surrender of Germany and Japan and the war was over in August 1945. Hiroshima and Nagazaki where left in a nuclear nightmare that became part of the global human sub-consciousness, triggering an unseen fear in the hearts of mankind. The Genesis of Military Industrial Complex All the historians of the Second World War agree on one point – that the war could be won by the allies (Britain, France and Russia) only because of the enormous supply of weapons and food from the US. That there was a great depression in the US in 1930s is a fact of history. In the opinion of the historians of the Marxist school, it was a vindication of Marxs theory of the decline of capitalism due to its own contradictions. The social conditions that prevailed in the US during the great depression have been depicted very well in the novel “The Grapes of Wrath” by Steinbeck. Though the US government took several steps as advised by its economists to overcome the depression, nothing much could be achieved. In the words of Galbraith; it was the preparation for the Second World War and its participation, which saved the US from depression. Yes, a huge military complex was created churning out weapons of war on unprecedented scale. The huge grain surplus (which was dumped into the sea during the depression in order to keep the prices up, even as millions where starving), was utilized for military supply. The war came to an end in August 1945. The US was faced with a piquant situation. Can they stop the production of weapons of war? The answer was no because stopping of production of war weapons meant going back to the depression years. Similar was the situation in the USSR, which had also created its own Military Industrial Complex. England and France were the other nations with their production of weapons of war, which could not be stopped. It was here that a new concept of “Cold War” was born or adopted by an unwritten understanding by all these nations. Cold War also became a necessity since the USSR was a Communist nation and became suspect in the eyes of the allies – now USA, England and France. The supply of weapons was continued to fight the Communists in China in 1949. Then there was the Korean War. Then several other wars in the tirth world countries – such as the Indo-Pak wars, Indo-China war, Arab-Israel war, Iran- Iraq war, wars in Africa, Indonesia, South American countries, etc. Vietnam War was very important one in the series in the sense that both USSR and US used this war to test their new weapons on the poor Vietnamese. A notable feature of all these wars is that the territories of US and USSR were outside the purview. So was the territory of the European nations and Japan. All other parts of the world were embroiled in conflicts at one point of time or the other for varying durations. 57 m. Terrorism It was Mao Zedong who said that power used to come from the barrel of the gun. The terrorists wanted to become powerful by acquiring automatic weapons. In their mind they feel an unidentified challenge. At some time they feel glorified by destruction. In their glorification of destruction the terrorists put high value to puritanic religion. Terrorists’ notion of puritanic religion does not mean they become more spiritual. Puritanic people have been sticklers of religious rituals. It produces a self-glorifying feeling that they are the true followers of religion. Fundamentalism thrives in this puritanic concept of religion. Puritanism of the terrorists is not a genuine urge. It is designed by necessity. The rise of westernisation is considered as an invasion on the culture of non-western countries. They think that by withdrawing to traditional culture they can check the invasion. The issue of terrorism and violence is not simply a question of power. Deep under it there is a question of role of unconscious in human society. The formation of unconscious and its importance in human society need to be understood. It was Carl Gustav Jung who said that unconscious had been an integral part off human activity. Collective unconscious unfolds itself in religious experience of collectivity. In a collectivity unconscious may move away from normativity and act in an irrational way. Moving away from

58 normativity the collective unconscious may act in a pathological manner. Lust for power becomes one of the important characteristics of pathological mind. By destruction it draws wider attention. Then sacrifice of life gets a special meaning. Death acquires a mystique. Mystique is surrounded by an ideology.

The term “Terrorism” is misused widely by the power who wants to perpetuate their tyrannical and oppressive rule over the mass. When any specific group of people raise their voice against oppression,torture and killing by the fascist rulers they are immediately coloured as “Terrorist”. So, it would be wise to define the whole gamut of the most catchy word “Terrorism” used by the mordern Champions of HR the UNSC five stalwarts. As the oppressor resorts to violence to oppress the rights of the people, the people have no other alternative but to protests to establish their right and get freedom from the occupier bestial forces. If we look in the history of the world that majority of the nations earned their Independence not by negotiations of sweet talks but but by shedding tons of blood. Algerians got their freedom from the then brute colonial power France so as Indoenesia from the Dutch,India from Britain,Bangladesh from Pakistan etc etc. How we define the resistance movement of the Palestinians against the fascist agreession of Israelis for last sixty years. Are the oppressed Palestinians can be termed as “Terrorist” or as freedom fighters who do not wish to be killed anymore by the brutal force IDF/Mossad with cluster boms, uranium boms n dream to have their homeland free from the illegal occupation from the Israelis.

So, we have to make careful differentiation from the exact picture that is people who are fighting for freedom from oppression and occupation and the religious fanatic fundamentalist who terrorise the people with guns and bombs. The example’s are the IRA of Northern Ireland,the war lords of Africa,the Talebans etc etc. n. Ignorance “The most violent element in society is ignorance.” Emma Goldman

Ignorance is the condition of being uninformed or uneducated; i.e., lacking knowledge or information. Ignorance is the state in which a person lacks knowledge and is unaware of various issues in general. This should not be confused with being unintelligent, as one's level of intelligence and level of education or general awareness are not the same. The word 'Ignorant' is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware. 59 B. Micro level a. Anger “In the ocean of life there swim and lurk six enemies, crocodile-like; poisonous anger, covetous greed, presumptuous ego, truth robbing fear, lust – the foaming of passion, and the delusive attachment to mundane illusions.” Herakhan Aarati b. Greed “Truth, Simplicity, Love and Service. This is not a religion, not a show, not an entertainment, not a business. This is simply my message. A way to move through Life without misery and despair. Misery and despair is what is left after you have gone through all the trouble of trying to satisfy the Ego with money, knowledge, things, and power, only to find that the Lower Self can never be satisfied. Around and around, repeating the cycle, trying to satisfy the mantra of the Lower Self....more, more, bigger, bigger, better, better, quickly, quickly....I have come to give you a way to destroy the Lower Self, to avoid the inevitable misery and despair, and to attach to the Real, the Higher Self." Herakhan Shiva Mahavatar c. Lust “Short is the pleasure, like the lightening; then why shall I follow the path of pleasure?” Buddha d. Being caught up in illusions/not seeing the truth "Observe the flow of emotions. Up and down. There is constant movement, change. Don't attach to the emotions of the moment. Attach to the real behind the movement. Observe the movement, watch the emotion disappear. A new one takes its place. This is maya. That which is temporary, changes frequently, is maya. Don't attach to maya. This is all temporary. The body, emotions, relationships, wealth, power, knowledge... always changing, temporary. Understand? This body I am in is temporary. It too has emotions constantly changing. I observe the movement of thought from its creation to its destruction. Now listen carefully. The movement of thought is time. Learn to observe thought and time becomes what it is, Maya, created by thought, divided by thought. When the higher self observes, there is no movement, no time. There is the eternal now where the ground of being exists. The place of no-thing. This is where I, who am no-body, come out of. Do what your heart advises and all will be well.” Babaji

60 e. Ego “Man must turn his eyes inside, to be able to start the most wonderfull discovery journey of the world.” Brunton f. Fear “Mahatma Gandhi was not against armed conflict under all circumstances. He did not consider violence as the greatest evil from which mankind suffered. But he considered cowardice or fear the greatest enemy of mankind.”

“The change of the heart can change kranti (revolution) into shanti (peace). As great scientists are working every minute of their waking hours to create nuclear and other weapons to destroy mankind, the same way you should be partaking in this great effort of repeating "Om Namaha Shivaya" or any other great mantra that you want to recite, and with this force, change the course of annihilation into peace. For spiritual strength is much greater, thousands of times greater, than material might. Sri Mahaprabhuji appeared to us for the benefit of mankind, to give all the good mankind was lacking. He wanted harmony and for mankind to be one family, only that there should be no class or caste distinctions. He wanted all the world to live together in harmony. Every country, all nations should be brothers. There should be no distinctions between colors, black, or white, or yellow. Everybody in harmony, unitedly, enjoying this beautiful creation of the Lord. As you all have gathered here and are doing this beautiful job in this most beautiful place, the same way, spread the message of Sri Mahaprabhuji, of truth, simplicity and love to the maximum amount of people, to all corners of the world and start gathering together in harmony, in peace, in love and truth and simplicity, to live in that manner and unite the world as one big family. At the end of every speech Sri Mahaprabhuji always used to say, "Be fearless and the moment that you become fearless, nothing on this earth can touch you. No catastrophe, no other adverse force can touch you!”

61 4. What is contributing to peace on each level? A. Macro level a. Solidarity Refers to the integration, and degree and type of integration, shown by a society or group with people and their neighbors. It refers to the ties in a society - social relations - that bind people to one another. Solidarity is commonly associated with political socialism, being seen as the driving force and defining temperament behind the ideal classless work force. The term is generally employed in sociology and the other social sciences. What forms the basis of solidarity varies between societies. In simple societies it may be mainly based around kinship and shared values. In more complex societies there are various theories as to what contributes the sense of social solidarity. b. Human rights Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world, Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people, Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law, Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations, Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in co- operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge, Now, Therefore THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (United Nations) proclaims THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, 62 to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article 1. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Article 2. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty. Article 3. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person. Article 4. No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Article 5. No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Article 6. Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law. Article 7. All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. Article 8. Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law. Article 9. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Article 10. Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. Article 11. (1) Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. (2) No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act or omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, at the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed. Article 12. No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. Article 13. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. 63 Article 14. (1) Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution. (2) This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecutions genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 15. (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality. Article 16. (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. (3) The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State. Article 17. (1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others. (2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property. Article 18. Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. Article 19. Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 20. (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. (2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association. Article 21. (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. Article 22. Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality. Article 23. (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. (3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection. (4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests. 64 Article 24. Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Article 25. (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection. Article 26. (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children. Article 27. (1) Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. (2) Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author. Article 28. Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized. Article 29. (1) Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible. (2) In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society. (3) These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations. Article 30. Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein. c. Dharma One approach open to humanity to find a way out of violence and conflict is to adopt the path of Dharma. Dharma, the near translation of which is religion, is an effective method of conflict resolution. Dharma came to existence for Human Unity. It was distorted historically. Buddhism tried to find out the cause of an action, its solution lies in the cause. Buddha’s effort was not theological. It remained within the nature of human beings. He was aware of autonomy of human character. Buddhas attempt was to change the nature of

65 humankind by imparting consciousness. He advocated practice of six Paramitas or Perfections, which are giving, moral conduct, patience, endeavour, concentration and wisdom. The six Perfections should be followed in a right path. Dharma is the right path. One must notice that six Perfections are not peculiar to any one religion. They are true for all religions. They are engrained in all human beings. They should be practiced regularly. At the same time one must avoid intentionally harming any living creature. There is one more thing, which is enlightenment. It means that for the benefit of all sentient beings one must attain enlightenment. Practice of Dharma is the primary source of enlightenment.

From the Buddhist approach we can arrive at the Gandhian concept of universalism and equality of religion. When Gandhi advocates equal respect for all religions he not only removes differentiation between religions, but also establishes universal equality. Compassion comes when everybody is taken as equal. Buddhists believe that no matter what the action looks like on the surface, if one is always filled with compassion then the “applied Bodhicitta” will arise by itself. By generating Bodhicitta one can generate compassion for all. You have to have compassion because it gives you the juice, the power, the passion to move. When you open to the pain of the world you move, you act. But compassion alone is not enough. It can burn you out, so you need the other – you need insight into the radical interdependence of all phenomena. With that wisdom you know that it is not a battle between good guys and bad guys, but that the line between good and evil runs through the landscape of every human hearth. With insight into our profound interrelatedness, you know that actions undertaken with pure intent have repercussions throughout the web of life, beyond what you can measure or discern. By itself, that insight may appear too cool, too conceptual, to sustain you and keep you moving, so you need the heat of the compassion. Compassion and Insight are gifts for us to claim now in the healing of our world.

Dharma or Compassion begins in ones heart. Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said that there is a piece of flesh inside every human being’s body. If this becomes right the whole body will function right. If the whole body functions right the family will function right, and if the family functions right the neighbours and the community will function right, and when the community functions right the nation and the whole world will function right. If that piece of flesh fails to function right, the whole body will function bad and would result in a bad functioning world. And this piece of flesh is one’s Heart. (contributed by Muzzamil, Sri Lanka)

66 d. Justice “If you want Peace, work for Justice” Pope Paul VI e. Land and freedom Many people hold to the idea that a precondition for peace beholds that the land is not owned by a minority of property owners but by the people who live and work on the land and at the same time people are treated as free human beings in respect of their human rights.

One example of a group that defends Indigenous peoples rights to walk free on their land is the EZLN (Ejerjito Zapatista Liberation National). Following declaration from them will speak for itself. While reading it notice the growth of a Satyagraha principle in their toughts and strategy, like Mahatma Gandhi teached. Find their declarations here: - http://ukzapatistas.wordpress.com/welcome-to-uk-zapatistas-v2/the-sixth- declaration f. Democracy Democracy is a form of government in which the power is held by citizens. It is derived from the Greek δημοκρατία (dēmokratía), "popular government", which was coined from δῆμος (dêmos), "people" and κράτος (krátos), "rule, strength" in the middle of the fifth-fourth century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens following a popular uprising in 508 BC. In political theory, democracy describes a small number of related forms of government and also a political philosophy. Even though there is no universally accepted definition of 'democracy', there are two principles that any definition of democracy includes. The first principle is that all members of the society (citizens) have equal access to power and the second that all members (citizens) enjoy universally recognized freedoms and liberties. There are several varieties of democracy, some of which provide better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than others. However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated to avoid an uneven distribution of political power with balances, such as the separation of powers, then a branch of the system of rule could accumulate power and become harmful to the democracy itself. The "majority rule" is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government it is possible for the rights of a minority to be abused by the "tyranny of the majority". An essential process in representative democracies are competitive elections, that are fair both 67 substantively and procedurally. Furthermore, freedom of political expression, freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential so that citizens are informed and able to vote in their personal interests.

68 g. Direct Democracy Within anarchist groups decisions are taken by (real) consensus. On a broader sociological scale it means the same: the basis decides because there is no top. This basis must have the means for this at all times (in other words: arrange themselves in such a way that they indeed have these means). Consensus decision-making is not the only possible model of direct democracy. In other situations people can choose to use representation or even voting, people can work with or without veto’s (sometimes a number of veto’s can be needed to effectively stop a proposition), people can agree to respect and act out the decision of the majority,… In the same manner there can be numerous ways to have such a meeting. There are different roles that can or cannot be taken up (facilitator, note taker, time-keeper, preparation-group,…). The ‘rituals’ within the meeting can also be self-made: codes to signal you want to say something, make a ‘technical remark’ about the process (requesting a break, suggesting a solution,…) or a question to make a proposal clearer,… What’s most important is the attempt to have as many (in fact all) partners working together towards a solution that leads to a win-win situation for all partners (see ‘solidarity’). Who could represent your ideas better than yourself? h. Education “All claims of education notwithstanding, the pupil will accept only that which his mind craves.” Emma Goldman

Resolution of conflict without resorting to violence is the essential condition for establishing peace in the society. Peace is an attitude towards life which strengthens social cohesion and makes life worth living. Education can play a positive role in this direction. It can develop a culture of amity and peace with love for others, mutual respect for each other and better understanding for others feelings. Creation and not destruction should dominate human actions. As education is a main tool for creating peaceful people, moreover, as education is part of your task as peace messenger, we will exhaust the subject a bit wider in this chapter. You will mostly use the tool of non formal education. Combining this with formal education (or instruction) is a very good way, as clarified in the description of Jose Marti ideas below. To give you some backgrounds ideas and inspiration we will shortly mention few education reformers and their contributions.

69 JOSE MARTÍ The teacher Martí was influenced by great figures such as José de la Luz y Caballero, and Rafael María Mendive, who sowed within him the seeds of a humanistic vocation which never ceased to grow and develop. It was in Mexico that Marti came into contact with the confrontation between romanticism and positivism; he attended the discussions held in 1875 in the Liceo Hidalgo, which provided a forum in which the ideas of the reformers Benito Juárez and Lerdo were aired. Martí took part in these discussions to outline some of the ideas which he was to develop at a later date. In New York, he began to work actively for his country’s independence, displaying incredible energy and fighting spirit, which went hand in hand with boundless compassion. The result was the publication of La edad de oro (The golden age), ‘a monthly publication for the entertainment and instruction of the children of America’, as it was described on the cover of the first issue, which appeared in July 1889. Martí’s language did not lose in beauty, nor did it fall into sentimentality, when addressed to children. This is shown by charming biographical studies such as Tres héroes (San Martin, Bolívar and Hidalgo) and poetical gems such as Dos milagros. What was Martí trying to achieve with La edad de oro? He stated his intention himself in indicating those for whom the publication was intended: so that American children may know how people used to live, and how they live nowadays, in America and in other countries; how many things are made, such as glass and iron, steam engines and suspension bridges and electric light; so that when a child sees a coloured stone he will know why the stone is coloured....We shall tell them about everything which is done in factories, where things happen which are stranger and more interesting than the magic in fairy stories. These things are real magic, more marvelous than any....We write for children because it is they who know how to love, because it is children who are the hope for the world. The idea of education Among the many definitions that Martí gave of education, we have chosen the following: ‘To educate is to give man the keys to the world, which are independence and love, and to give him strength to journey on his own, light of step, a spontaneous and free being’. Martí clearly distinguishes education from instruction. The former is concerned with the feelings, while the latter is related to thought. However, he also recognizes that there can be no good education without instruction, since ‘moral qualities increase in value when they are enhanced by intellectual qualities’. It is this distinction which helps us to understand the importance of education as an attempt to ‘entrust man with the whole of human 70 achievement’, and to ‘make each man a summary of the living world up to his own time’. Education, in the sense of a summingup, is impossible unless it is accompanied by instruction; but by adapting man to his times and providing him with the capacity for liberty and the life of the spirit, education fulfils no more than its basic task, namely the cultivation of all the human faculties as a whole. Marti raised some interesting questions; How can you form goodness, except through love? How can people be made free, if they are not allowed to live in freedom? How can they be made useful without a scientific knowledge of the forces of nature? Education as an act of creation Martí’s view of education as an act of love is illustrated throughout his own life and in the ideas which he expressed on this subject. In his opinion, the act of education is a specific relationship between human beings nurtured by love. It was this belief which was behind his call for the establishment of a body of ‘missionary’ teachers who would be able to ‘launch a campaign of tenderness and knowledge’, a body of itinerant teachers, not pedantic schoolmasters, who would engage in dialogue. Even more specifically, education is a constant act of creation, and for Martí the main creative agent is the teacher. He expressed this poetically when recalling his stay in Guatemala: ‘I had come some months before to a beautiful village; when I arrived I was poor, I knew no one and my spirits were low. Without affronting my self-respect or offending my pride, the sincere and generous people of that village gave shelter to me as a humble pilgrim: they made me their teacher, which was the same as making me a creator’. Education and the child’s development While this was how Martí saw the act of education from the teacher’s viewpoint he also saw it as a relationship, whose opposite pole is the pupil. The four published issues of La edad de oro sufficiently indicate his thorough knowledge of the child’s mind, but in addition his writings contain a series of ideas on the development of the child and of education. He held that education should not disturb the child’s development, and schools should be ‘places for the cultivation of reason’ where, through judicious guidance, children gradually learn to form their own ideas. The principle of individuality as a basic factor in education is precisely one of the key ideas in Martí’s educational thinking. He argued that ‘Education is the road, but the child’s character and individuality are the motive force’. He thus came to formulate the general concept of self-education that ‘Education is the use of learning to guide one’s own powers’; and to view education in general—the reference to Rousseau is obvious—as ‘growth’ from within, which begins at birth and ends only with death. The social and political dimension of education 71 José Martí also had a clear view of the social dimension of education as both a phenomenon and a process. ‘Of all the problems which are nowadays considered to be of paramount importance, only one is in fact so. It is of such tremendous importance that all the time and energy in the world would hardly be enough to solve it, namely the ignorance of the classes which have justice on their side’. These words provide us with the key to his socio-political thinking on education. Marti adduced powerful arguments against classical education. The first was that he wished to have not merely rhetoricians and aesthetes, but men capable of making the earth yield happiness for its peoples.

Freinet During his periods of detention at the time of the Second World War Freinet wrote his core works on pedagogy. The most important concepts are the following: - Pedagogy of Work ("Pédagogie du travail") - meaning that pupils learned by making useful products or providing useful services. - Co-operative Learning ("Travail coopératif") - based on co-operation in the productive process. - Enquiry-based Learning ("Tâtonnement experimental") - trial and error method involving group work. - The Natural Method ("Methode naturelle") - based on an inductive, global approach. - Centres of Interest ("Complexe d'intérêt") - based on children's learning interests and curiosity.

Steiner Education As a young man, Steiner already supported the independence of educational institutions from governmental control. In 1907, he wrote a long essay, entitled "Education in the Light of Spiritual Science", in which he described the major phases of child development and suggested that these would be the basis of a healthy approach to education. In 1919, Emil Molt invited him to lecture on the topic of education to the workers at Molt's factory in Stuttgart. Out of this came a new school, the Waldorf school. During Steiner's lifetime, schools based on his educational principles were also founded in Hamburg, Essen, The Hague and London; there are now more than 1000 Waldorf schools worldwide. Social activism For a period after World War I, Steiner was extremely active as a lecturer on social questions. A petition expressing his basic social ideas (signed by Herman Hesse, among others) was very widely circulated. His main book on 72 social questions, Toward Social Renewal, sold tens of thousands of copies. Today around the world there are a number of innovative banks, companies, charitable institutions, and schools for developing new cooperative forms of business, all working partly out of Steiner’s social ideas. One example is The Rudolf Steiner Foundation (RSF), incorporated in 1984, and as of 2004 with estimated assets of $70 million. RSF provides "charitable innovative financial services". According to the independent organizations Co-op America and the Social Investment Forum Foundation, RSF is "one of the top 10 best organizations exemplifying the building of economic opportunity and hope for individuals through community investing." Steiner suggested that the cultural, political and economic spheres of society needed to be sufficiently independent of one another to be able to mutually correct each other in an ongoing way. He suggested that human society had been moving slowly, over thousands of years, toward articulation of society into three independent yet mutually corrective realms, and that a Threefold Social Order was not some utopia that could be implemented in a day or even a century. It was a gradual process that he expected would continue to develop for thousands of years. Nevertheless, he gave many specific suggestions for social reforms that he thought would increase the threefold articulation of society. He believed in equality of human rights for political life, liberty in cultural life, and voluntary, uncoerced fraternal cooperation in economic life. i. Global Non Violent Social Order “The fatherland is humanity” Jose Marti According to Gandhi, faith in “Ahimsa” (non violence) does not mean cowardly submission to aggression. It is resistance to evil without violence in our minds or hatred in our hearts. Non violence is a Universal doctrine and to believe in it is to believe in a Universal Order as well. National sentiments, however laudable, do, in the final analysis, hinder the extension of the range of loyalties of man and excludes higher normative principles of Universal Brotherhood.

Gandhi his method of non violence is actually a method of conflict resolution. In order to control conflicts on global scale on permanent basis, Gandhi suggested a new world order. Equality and independence of all nations, nationalism as stone of internationalism, removal of the causes of international tensions, adoption of trusteeship as a means of the removal of inequalities and Satyagraha for the removal of social injustice and a ceaseless determined struggle against the passions of selfishness, lust and greed are some of the important conditions of the new world order in which conflict can be resolved peacefully. The international conflict which Gandhi 73 wanted to resolve may broadly be identified as structural, functional and a combination of the two. The exploitative socio political systems giving birth to different types of international conflicts requires a total change in the global order, based on non violence and parity supporting the interests of each one. War, in any form, is the expression of functional conflict which according to Gandhi can be resolved by the technique of Satyagraha, non-cooperation, conciliation, negotiation, arbitration and co-creative activities. As a matter of fact Gandhi’s prescription of moral means for the settlement of internal disputes is extended to the settlement of international disputes as well. Conflicts and violence, which are considered indications of psychological immaturity are basically harmful products of the subject – object duality or separation. So, as long as our minds have this sense of separation, the tendency to conflict is sure to persist and we shall never be able to end wars or create peace in the world.

B. Micro level a. yama Yama and Niyama are old Sanskrit principles, on what many religious scriptures based their codes and advices for spiritual growth; Yama stands for ethical codes/commandments. Yama teaches to react in a correct way to life. - Ahimsa: Not to kill - Satya: Truthfullness - Asteya: Not to steal -Bramacarya: Not to desire for objects of pleasure -Aparigraha: Not longing for possessions, to be not greedfull b. niyama Constructive excercises\discipline -Sauca: Cleanliness - Santosha: Satisfaction, Balancedness - Tapas: Self discipline - Svadyaya: To study and contemplate the old scriptures - Isvara Pranidana: Surrender to God c. healty body To keep health increases happiness, to control ones own body decreases sickness. d. healty breathing Breath is the lifeforce, by learning to control our breath we gain better health and self control.

74 e. Truth "You know the real. You can see the higher self. You don't need me to point out the truth. Do not attach to the unreal. Let go of that. Attach to the truth. Attach to simplicity. Attach to love. If something doesn't feel right to your heart then it isn't. Understand? Living on the higher path enables one to merely observe the folly of humans but concentrate upon what is real. Do not be ruled by events which stimulate emotions. Events come and go and emotions come and go. This is the wheel of maya. Don't attach to the spoke. Live in the center. Let the wheel spin around you without your attachment to any part of it. Live in the center. That is the real. That is no-thing. That is where no-body resides." Babaji

Truth for a person means that whatever the mind thinks the voice should tell and the organs should do. Coordination of thought, speech and action is “Truth”. f. Simplicity Physical power. To become simple one has to have a clean conscience and detachment towards material world. Voluntary poverty is one way to practice Simplicity. g. love

Love is not long suffering. Love is not jealous. It does not brag. Does not get puffed up. Does not behave indecently. Does not become provoked. It does not keep account of the injury. It does not rejoice over unrighteousness. But rejoices with the truth. It bears all things. Believes all things. Endures all things. Love never fails. St. Paul: I Corinthians 13:4-8 h. Vegetarianism/veganism Out of Compassion for living beings, some people choose not to kill, and not to take part in killing.

75 “Compassion is the energy that allows you to feel the path of others as if it were your own, for indeed it is. For, we are all One in our state of Love and Perfection. But, as we live on the Earth plane, we experience the blessing of individual consciousness, so we are able to exercise Compassion with Love, and bless the path and being of all who come into our life. For there is a reason for everything that we experience. For we are All One.” i. Religion “The message to all of you is that the most important thing in the world is humanitarianism, or humanism. For this, we should sacrifice all our self- comfort. Do not think of yourself or your comfort, but think of others. This is the great humanitarian principle. In any town there is always a central place; all the roads in the town or from out of town lead to that central place. Similarly, all religions lead to one point, and that is God Himself; and therefore following any religion you will ultimately reach God. “ Herakhan Baba

We classified religion as contributing to peace, it must be well understood that we refer to true religion, and not to the power politics that some religious leaders or groups are tempted towards. Religion we understand in the Micro level, as the inner path to completeness.

Religion is a term derived from two Latin origins; “Re” which means “back” and “ligure” which means “bind”, i.e. “to bind again”. Thus the term “religion” suggests that the two objects of unification where originally unified and have only been temporarily separated. Religion implies unification. It is the principle of unification and harmonisation. It implies union of man (human soul) with the Divine (“oversoul”, or God).

Every religion has its philosophy, mythology and ritual. Philosophy presents the basic principles of religion. Mythology is the abstraction of philosophy. Rituals are more concrete, with the forms and ceremonies appealing to the senses. Mythology and symbols are necessary because they environ the aspiring soul and help it Godward. When these preparatory stages of mythology and ritualism become ends in themselves, they give rise to sectarianism, bigotry, fanaticism, and retard the progress of the human soul. Instead of becoming a blessing, religion then becomes a curse.

76 Religion today faces two dangers within its own fold. One issues from Shallowness; the other from Narrowness. Both these views are unsound. Because first view ignores the fact that God has been seen and known by many man and woman all over the world. The second view ignores the fact that there are other religions, the truth of which cannot be denied because they have produced knowers of God, or illumined souls. Blind faith and dogma are the two most vicious sources of conflict in the world; only reasoned faith can ensure harmony in the world.

“It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony-in the pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping God is useless. The prayers of those who are pure in mind and body will be answered by God, and those who are impure and yet try to teach religion to others will fail in the end. External worship is only a symbol of internal worship, but internal worship and purity are the real things. Without them, external worship would be of no avail” Vivekananda

77 5. Conflict Resolution What to do when the shit hits the van? There are many ways to deal with conflict after it actually blew up and could not be prevented; we name a few concepts and strategies here for information and inspiration. It is not, and could not be, a complete list, however we hope to have listed some of the most important issues of today’s world. a. Conflict Defenition Etymologically, the term “conflict” is a composite of the term “con” and “fligo”, which means together “to strike” or “to dash” respectively. Thus conflict means a fighting or struggle for mastery. It stands for the act of an active opposition. This opposition may take place at physical level or on the level of principles, statements, arguments, etc. Sometimes it means “discrepancy” and “antagonism” (eg. conflict of law, class conflict, etc.). These meanings of conflict are relevant for the Macro level.

Seen from micro level, “conflict” also signifies an internal state of being, hence, it is an emotional state characterised by indecision, restlessness, uncertainty and tension resulting from incompatible inner needs or drives of comparable intensity. Thus, conflict is, physical and mental, outer and inner and of nature of thought and action. b. Conflict Resolution Definition Conflict resolution simply means the solution of the problem of conflict – violently or non-violently. Conflicts which are based on ignorance can be fully eliminated. International conflicts like war can be completely eliminated; the moment big powers realize sincerely the seriousness of war. c. Attitudes towards conflict “Be impeccable with your word - Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love. Don’t take anything personally - Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering. Don’t make assumptions - Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

78 Always do your best - Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self- abuse and regret.” Don Miguel Ruiz's Code for Life

Following, very simple, concept outlines some different attitudes one can take when confronted with challenges or conflicts.

“There is nothing I can “The conflict can be do about it” resolved with my effort” “It is all the others fault”

In this case you will While putting all definitely not come to a responsibility with the resolution. You are other it is very unlikely angry. to come to a resolution of the conflict. “I have fault, in a conflict there is always two sides”

You are sad, you don’t This attitude is the first see way out. step towards a positive conflict resolution.

You could also classify people in generally in 4 groups, and decide how to act towards each of them;

-Happy people – we show them friendliness,

-Unhappy people – We show them compassion and sympathy,

-Merited, blessed people, engaged in good acts – we unite with them, we feel happy,

-Sinfull people, engaged in demonic acts – Them we ignore, educate out of compassion and then ignore… However do not blame them. 79 d. Language and conflict Language and behavior that… Escalate the conflict De-escalate the conflict Interrupting Listening Asking closed questions Asking open questions Ignoring Show interest Rejecting body language Open body language Focusing on the person (blaming) Focusing on the problem (show understanding) Generalize Give specific/concrete examples Focusing on the past Fokusing on the future Making “you” statements Making “I” statements

Active Listening helps claryfying the situation, needs and wishes of the other part / the parties. The “I” message: I - statements works against misunderstandings and blaming. When you give a message in the first personal form, it is more likely to become clear for the spokespartner that you are referring to your personal understanding of the situation, and are not judging or blaming her. One example: you are a Montenegran living in Slovenia. In the breakfast your friend was making a joke about how lazy Montenegrans are and it made you feel bad. There are different ways you can react… Should you say: “you are a racist, go to hell”, the friend who told the joke will also feel insulted, and doors for escalation of conflict come wide open. If you give I-message, referring to the fact that had hurt you (“when”), and continuing explaining how that fact had hurt you(“then”), the effect of your communication will have less chance on conflict escalation, and it will be easier to understand for your friend that you felt hurt (in stead of your friend feeling under attack) The I-message could look like this: When you told the joke about minorities this morning (Describe other persons behaviour objectively) Then I felt disrespected (describe what you feel) e. An approach to conflict resolution (by Ravindra Varma, chairman Gandhi Peace Foundation) 1. All human beings do not think alike and do not feel alike. They have therefore no escape from having to encounter differences. Differences can lead to intolerance; intolerance can lead to confrontation, and hostile confrontation can, does often, lead to conflict. The objects that set one on the path of confrontation and conflict are therefore very important in understanding “conflict”. So are the means, tactics and instruments that one uses to engage in conflict. Both these affect the individual as well as the group or society in which, or on behalf of 80 which he or she wants to engage in conflict. They act and interact on the individual as well as the institutions that she fashions or lives under, and the “forces” that they generate and employ for bringing about change or resisting change. The problems that arise from these interrelationships cannot be solved by saying that conflicts are inevitable in the life of the individual and society. 2. Science and technology have given us weapons that individuals or groups can use to cause mass destruction, wipe out vast populations and inflict death and suffering on generations that may survive or succeed nuclear holocausts. In fact it will be truer to say that we have used science and technology to invent such weapons to enforce our views and our will on those who differ, and expose the human species to the treath of extinction. We have done so because we have inherited the believe that disputes can be settled only by violence, - war in the case of nations, and violent conflict or upheavels in the case of subsovereign groups or individuals. But the world has now seen the magnitude and duration of the effects of the destruction that violence can cause, - to the one who initiates as well as the one who responds, and to the vast mass of innocent people who are not responsible for these decisions, but live in areas controlled by the one who initiates or the one who responds. 3. The ordinary human being everywhere has therefore become far more conscious and concerned about the risks and the ruin that conflict brings in its train. She has therefore become aware of the stake that she has in avoiding and resolving conflict. She is no longer satisfied with the academic adage that conflicts are inevitable. She does not want conflicts because conflicts are prone to become violent, and competitive violence can lead to the destruction of all mankind including themselves. The demonstrations that one sees today from Turkey to Los Angeles bear testimony to the new awareness of the futility and dangers of violent conflict, and the revulsion to war as a weapon to settle disputes. Today we do not therefore want differences to precipitate into violent conflict or war. Conflicts in perceptions easily become prone to violent conflicts because of (1) the ferocity of feelings built up trough intense and clever propaganda, (2) the easy availability of arms for combat, (3) the inherited believe in war or violence as the most efficient way of settling disputes, (4) the romantic appeal of secret societies and conspirational action and (5) the appeal of martyrdom and eternal glory that is associated with it. 4. Conflict is not an instant occurrence – something that occurs without a warning, without building up – without gestation. 5. It is therefore necessary to take a deeper look at (a) how conflicts build up and precipitate into violent conflicts, (b) the areas in which or the issues on which conflicts are most likely to arise and (c) the action that we can take to resolve, diffuse or control conflicts. 6. We have already observed that conflicts are not instant occurrences. They build up. From where then do they commence? We observe many conflicts around us, - in the world of sentient beings as well as in the world beyond what we regard as sentient. But in this analysis we are confining ourselves only to conflicts that arise between human beings or institutions fashioned by human beings. All these conflicts originate from differences in perception about likes or dislikes, truth or justice or rights or interests. These perceptions arise, or are formulated, in the mind; the desire or determination, to establish the ascendancy of, or to secure the acceptance, of ones perception also arises in the mind. It is the mind that lights upon or chooses or fashions the means by which one decides or assert ones perception. If it is for these reasons that we say conflicts originate in the minds of human beings. If it is in the minds that they originate, and it is the human mind that chooses and fashions the means that are employed in conflicts, it is the human mind that one has to grapple with problems relating to the precipitation of conflicts. 7. It is the mind that reconciles with a different perception, decides that it is not worth a conflict, or necessary or profitable to engage in conflict to defend ones perception or alter the perception of anothers mind. 8. Any study of conflicts therefore has to begin by observing that (1) conflicts are not instant occurrences, (2) that they commence from the perception of differences, (3) that there is 81 a perceptible process of progression which leads one from the perception of difference to intolerance; intolerance to the desire to eliminate what one cannot tolerate, to engage in conflict to secure the elimination of what one cannot tolerate, to use any means including violence to achieve victory in the conflict, to create a psychoses that justifies conflict as inevitable and necessary for the defence or victory of something that one conciders sacrosanct. Thus, if conflict or violent conflict occurs as a result of conscious or unconscious escalation from differences that can be considered natural, it follows that events or changes in attitudes can intercede between one stage and another thus stalling or preventing escalation. It is this possibility which gives us the opportunity to prevent the precipitation of violent conflict, and the responsibility to discover effective methods of intercession. 9. The purpose of intervention must be to decelerate feelings and promote introspection on (1) How the difference affects oneself or ones interests or “rights”, (2) whether escalation will bring a solution, (3) what the cost of escalation will be – to the two sides and to society at large – in the short term and in the long term, (4) whether there is a position, -perhaps an intermediate position, - that safeguards the rights or interests or views of both, (5) whether one can explore and locate such a position – trough dialogue – which reviews facts, and methods that have been used to arrive at conclusions, (6) whether such a position can be found trough mediation or arbitration, (even with a provision to review the results of arbitration after a specific period has passed, to assess effects or changes in the preparedness of both sides to engage in or resume conflict), (7) whether the non violent means of Satyagraha based on truth, love and awareness of the paradigms of interdependence can result in a peacefull resolution of the conflict or the creation of the new balance of the forces that support different positions, accepting non violent methods for reconciliation of views or interests. 10. The agents of intercession can be (a) a concerned individual with credibility held in respect by both sides; (b) a group or organisation that wants to take the initiative to protect peace ad justice and to promote reconciliation; (c) a group of persons that represent a judicial initiative for intercession; (d) a governmental or inter-governmental group or organisation, depending on the grounds, and the potential scales of conflict. Any one who wants to intervene must have the requisite credibility. 11. Now let us examine the question whether all conflicts can be resolved or eliminated. In as much as conflicts arise from differences, and differences are natural, the potential for conflict cannot be totally eliminated till all human beings have learnt to “digest” differences and abide by the modus Vivendi that flows from the paradigms of interdependence, confining themselves to ends as well as means (including institutions and sanctions), that are consistent with interdependence. It may take quite some time before such a state of mind becomes universal. While the creation of such a state of mind (and institutions and sanctions that go with it) should undoubtedly be our long term objective, in the immediate future we should begin by (1) abjuring violence as an instrument of conflict; (2) progressively de-escalating, and confining ourselves to methods of dialogue, mediation, arbitration, non violent means that can promote introspection and logical examination of issues, paralysing the perpetrator of injustice through massive non-cooperation, etc.. 12. There will certainly be no dearth of people who scoff at the plea of abjuring violence, especially when it comes to conflicts between nations. But with a little thought one may see that the plea is not senseless. Firstly, it cannot be gainsaid that weapons of mass production have created the very real fear that war may result in the ruin, if not the extinction of the human species; that the destruction that a war might cause may not respect frontiers, will not discriminate between combatant and non-combatant, between the one who initiates and the one who responds. No one – no master of the science of warfare can predict the shape of things “on the morning after”, who survives, and whos interests of perceptions would be upheld by the corpses and ruins that would remain. Who in his senses will want to launch an enterprise – which will demand the highest price ever paid by humanity in lives and assets of all kinds – without being sure of what can be gained from the enterprise? The time has therefore come for us to look at what we can save by abjuring war, to see that we can save what we 82 want to save only by abjuring war. 13. Secondly, changes in weaponry and delivery systems have radically changed the nature of wars. Enormous disparities in the quantum and quality of deployable destructive power available to contending forces have resulted in revolutionary changes in tactics and strategy. Old objectives for military action have given place to new. The defence of frontiers and territories have become less important. Aggression can take place without fighting at the frontiers. All frontiers have become porous for some kinds of aggression. Inflitration, terrorism, guerrilla warfare, biological and chemical warfare from secret launching pads within the country and from distant launching pads, and assassination have become the characteristics of international hostilities and warfare. Chemical and biological weapons, even nuclear weapons have become accessible to many, and the mightiest of mieghty nations are finding that there is no certain or satisfactory way of overcoming their vulnerability to such attacks. Te USA has seen how difficult it is to assure the safety of its citizens and installations with the most powerful weapon systems it has at its command. If the objective of the armed forces is to ensure safety and security from external aggression, the post-September 11 scenario has exposed the near ineffectiveness of old systems. New systems of defence will have to be evolved. 14. President Bush talked of the way the nature of war has changed after September the 11th. 15. Thirdly, no military system in the world today is in a position to offer a military answer or blueprint to meet the demands of the new types of aggression that we are witnessing or experiencing. If the old system cannot offer an answer to the new menace or to what war has become, a new system must be found. 16. That new system cannot be based on the notion that annihilation of the body or the infliction of vicarious suffering of those who are not guilty will lead to transformation of the mind of those who differ or end conflicts that originate and linger in the mind. 17. The new way or system has to be able to deal with the mind itself, and that can only happen through dialogue and persuasion. II 18. Though all minds do not think and feel alike, the best way to understand another mans mind is through observing ones own mind. When one watches ones mind, one sees that the emotions that arise in ones mind are not permanent. They do not always have the same intensity. Sometimes we can be in the grip of an emotion, and at the same time see how the emotion has gripped our mind and is twirling our mind around as a storm twirls a tree around. We can also see how the storm passes, and the mind or the tree slowly – sometimes quickly – settles down and experiences the calm that follows the storm. We thus see that emotions arise in our mind, but are not part of our mind. If they where part of our mind, there would have been no variations in the intensity of our emotions, no changes, no arising and no disappearance. We should learn from this that the intolerance, anger and aggressiveness that we encounter from other minds are also capable of waxing and waning, arising and disappearing. The collective mind of groups of human beings also shares the same nature; it can be roused to a high pitch of fury, but it can also respond with equal intensity to pity or love or compassion or loyalty or devotion to ideals or to God. It may be argued that the psyche of the individual and the psyche of a collective do not always react in an identical fashion. But it is also true – and we have many instances that show how they both react and can react similarly. The Indian struggle for independence under Mahatma Gandhi is replete with instances that show how similar emotions arose and worked in the mind of individuals and groups, - the readiness to overcome hatred, the readiness to sacrifice ones possessions or happiness, the readiness to suffer for a cause, etc. There is sufficient evidence to demonstrate the similarity of responses to similar stimuli or to the same appeal. It is therefore possible to believe that similar stimuli and appeals may help to decelerate the momentum of negative and dividive emotions and bring it below the level of the threshold of active confrontation or conflict. 19. One of the major reasons why Gandhi was able to do this was Gandhis success in making people distinguish between evil and the evil doer, or the mind that holds wrong views 83 and the views themselves, which as we have seen, are not an inherent and irremovable part of the mind. If this is a valid and verifiable distinction, we can also see the consequences of holding the two as one. Firstly, if they are the same, there is hardly any way of changing or transforming views or emotions. The problems that arise from differences can only be resolved by the physical isolation or annihilation of the other person. Given the fact that human beings think and feel differently, this would have led to a perpetual desire or effort to eliminate or contain the other. Such an attitude of mind would be inconsistent with the gregariousness or interdependence that characterise the human species. It is therefore clear that the mind of the human being, as it evolved in the species, has to be treated and approached as distinct from the views and emotions that arise, transit and disappear, and the distinction has to be used to deal with problems that arise from differences in views and emotions. If it is a necessity to bring out changes or compromises in the short term, it is also a necessity to preserve the integrity of human society and to protect it from the violent and destructive effects of frequent fission. Secondly, if views are unalterable and there is no way of achieving (eliciting) consent or acquiescence through persuation and consent, social changes can be brought about, and social systems can be sustained only through “force”, and not reason. Dictatorship then will be the natural way of governance, and suppression will be the natural way of dealing with a mind that dares to think for itself. Democracy education, bases itself on the belief that the human mind can be transformed, that views can be transformed, if not to the point of wholesale acceptance of other views and the abandonment of ones earlier views, at least to the point of acquiescence and tolerance. 20. The next question we have to address is why is it that we insist that our views be accepted, and why do we resist the views of others? One of the most powerfull factors that influences the views that we hold is our ego – or the ego aspect (?) of our mind. In fact it is very difficult to disentangle our thoughts and views from our ego. The difficulty is all the greater, and hard to overcome because the ego is subtle, and knows how to conceal itself or defend itself when challenged. It hardly ever comes into the open, and yet it can manipulate our attitudes and views effectively. Conciderations of prestige, self-interest, acquivitiveness, greed, the desire to possess – possessiveness, aggrandizement, the desire to be different, etc. are all intertwined with the ego. Yet, the ego has to learn to reconcile with the egos of others if it is to be at peace with itself and others. One of the fundamental requisites of peace – and harmony, therefore, is the balance between the ego and the self-perceived interests of egos in a society. 21. How then do we explore this field and work for such a balance? Very little of the ego is accessible to empirical observation and analysis. One cannot detect the ego – the workings of the ego without looking inward. It is here that the science that enquires into the inner world – religion or spiritual disciplines have helped us the most – can help us. Perhaps that is why all religions have posited peace as the paramount goal of the human being and society, and talked of the relation between peace and the conquest or taming of the ego or the discovery that there is no inherent existence for the ego. That is why they have formulated ways of overcoming the distortions in the comprehension of reality that the ego manages to create. 22. Those who want to prevent the precipitation of differences into conflicts, and those who want to intercede to find ways of reconciliation have therefore much to learn from what religions and spiritual exercises have taught us, of how to tame the mind and make it an abode of peace, and orient it towards peace and reconciliation. III 23. Buddha Dharma talks of wisdom and loving compassion. Gandhi talks of Truth, Love and Compassion 24. The very first sermon that the Buddha delivered after his Enlightenment was on suffering: the fact of suffering: the cause of suffering: the way to end suffering by ending the cause of suffering. Conflict is suffering. It is engaged in with the hope or objective of ending suffering. The Buddha saw that the wrong understanding of reality was the cause of suffering. He therefore wanted sentient beings (human beings) to work for the correct understanding of 84 reality. In the profoundest and subtlest sense this meanth the understanding of Shunyata; that all phenomena including the self are void of inherent existence; that they exist only by imputation, and originate and appear only in dependence on other phenomena (Pratityasamutpada). In the field of action, he therefore wanted us to base ourselves on the clear understanding of the law of cause and effect, or Karma. As positive aids that could help in eliminating negativities that stood in the way, he recommended the Four Immeasurables or the Brahma Vihara, - Maitri, Karuna, Mudita and Upeksha. As the means or methods for giving battle to negativities, he recommended antidotes. Akkodhena jine kodham, asadhum sadhuna jine, jine kadariyam danena, sachenalikavadinam (Let a man overcome anger by non anger (gentleness), let him overcome evil by good, let him overcome the liar by truth). (Dhammapada – Kodhavaggo) He underlined the principle that one finds in the physical universe, and pointed out that negativities could be combated and eliminated only by antidotes and not by further or refined doses of the (same) negativity that one was wanting to eliminate. 25. To Gandhi Truth is reality; is the core of reality; the Law that governs the Universe and gives it its form; Dharma or the force of cohesion that sustains an entity. Love is a reflection of this force of cohesion among the sentient, as the law of gravitation is its reflection in the realm of the inanimate. He therefore looked upon Truth and Love as two sides of the same coin, and declared that as a votary of Truth or SATYAGRAHA, it was his duty and his Sadhana to serve all creation. “All creation” includes not only the sentient but also the non-sentient; and the sentient as Gandhi explained includes the “creepy-crawlies” or the “meanest” of creations. To Gandhi, therefore, the purpose of individual and social life was the pursuit of Dharma (Dharmamaya) through means consistent with Dharma or the force of cohesion, viz. Love. 26. Gandhi too believed that Truth manifested in itself, and was accessible only, through the “inexorable law of cause and effect”. A cause could create only the effect that was inherent in it. Conversely, a desired effect could be brought about only by creating the cause that could produce the effect (that contained the seeds of the effect). Means and ends therefore become almost indistinguishably interwoven. An evil effect or negativity can be removed only by the power of its antithesis or antidote. So, to him too, love or cohesion was the only force that could overcome hatred and conflict. 27. Gandhi pointed out that since conflict took birth in the mind, it could be resolved only trough a mental process or mental force, - not through the deployment of physical force. He saw Satyagraha as a mental, moral or spiritual force that the mind uses to work on other minds and to correct attitudes and acts that were inconsistent with Truth, justice or the principle of cohesion that is the essence of Dharma.

28. Both the Buddha and Gandhi where men of action. The Buddha is a remote figure in history and the interventions he made to pre-empt or resolve social conflicts or ensure justice to sentient beings are not remembered or recounted. But Gandhi lived in the recent past, and his interventions and struggles are still remembered and studied. 29. Gandi has explained why he became a man of “direct action”. He had found that human beings were sometimes (often) impervious to the appeal of reason when their interests or views were involved, and only direct action could shock them out of selfishness or intransigence, into introspection and self-correction. He answered the charge that such direct action could become divisive and cause confrontation or conflict in society, and said that man of peace, persons of undoubted spiritual eminence like the Buddha and Jesus were men of direct action. 30. According to Gandhi; “Never has anything been done on this earth without direct action. I reject the word “passive resistance”, because of its insufficiency and its being interpretated as a way – of the weak. 31. What was the larger symbiosis that Buddha and Jesus preached? Gentleness and Love. Buddha fearlessly carried war into the enemies camp, and brought down on its knees an arrogant priesthood. Christ drove out the money chargers from the temple of Jerusalem and 85 drew down curses from heaven upon the hypocrites and the Pharises. Both were for intensely direct action. But even as Buddha and Jesus chastised, they showed immeasurable love and gentleness behind every act of theirs.” (Young India 12.05.1920) 32. Thus Gandhis recipe for the resolution of conflicts was Satyagraha, the desire to discover Truth, to insist on Truth, and abandon all that dilutes Truth, or deviated ever so slightly from Truth. This could be achieved through joint review of facts and issues; mediation or arbitration; introspection; direct action that promoted introspection and reminded one of the need for reconciliation in a society that comes into being, survives and prospers through interdependence; and tolerance for the residual differences that might remain on peripheral matters. IV 33. It can be said that upto now we have been talking primarily of the mind and attitudes of the individual, and not about the psychology and motivations of groups that engage in conflict or about the specific issues that become the epicentres of conflict. Yet we have talked of (some) similarities in the attitudes and responses of the psyches of individuals and groups. We have also made some reference to the internal conflicts that one experiences and the projections and manifestations of these or similar conflicts in the external world – perhaps sufficient to show the similarity and relationship between conflicts in the mind, micro conflicts and macro conflicts, internal conflicts and external conflicts, attitudinal conflicts and institutional conflicts. 34. Groups and institutions too have their own egos; and all the problems that arise from ways in which egos intervene and distort the comprehension of truth or the formulation of views. Where the group is one into which one is born, one is brainwashed, subtly and overtly, right from ones birth. This applies not only to taboos and rituals, but also to the “ego” of the group, - ethnic, racial, religious, territorial, etc; the identity of the group; its superiority or purity; its heritage, its interests; what it needs to preserve its uniqueness or heritage and so on. As in the case of the individual, one talks of the self-interest of the group, the legitimacy of the use of force to protect it, the sovereignity or sub-sovereign autonomy of the group and so on. One creates fierce loyalty to the group and wants to sustain it through exclusivism. One not only renders loyalty (and feels guilty when accused of lack of loyalty) but concedes to the group the right to demand unquestioning loyalty and to enforce severe penalties – including the death penalty in the case of the state. All these become the causes of conflict within the group and between groups. How can we deal with these conflicts or potential conflicts if we look upon groups as watertight entities with sovereign or near sovereign rights? The individual has learned that he is not sovereign – cannot be sovereign in an interdependent society. Groups cannot have unlimited and sovereign powers in an interdependent world where science, technology and historical movements of populations have brought different communities and groups together, often living and working together. Walls seem to have become anachronisms. Yet we have not cultivated the courage or skills necessary to live together – to encounter difference with tolerance or understanding, and to produce the warmth of love to melt frigidity, suspicion or intolerance on the other side. When walls have collapsed we have to learn the ethics and dynamics of an open society. Neither the ethics nor the dynamics of an open society can countenance conflict. They can only prescribe coexistence and transparency, transparency of motivation, and transparency in the means or methods we employ to pursue transparent motives. 35. Humanity sets up institutions to protect interests or to prscribe procedures for ensuring justice. But when institutions do not provide equal protection to the rights of all or procedures become channels of manipulation, -conflicts arise. They take the form of conflicts between vested interests and those who seek to grapple with “structural violence” that can be as cruel and as lethal as gross or covert violence. This is an area with a wide precipitation of conflicts. They are frequent and often fierce, because the status quo is entrenched, and has the support of the coercive apparatus of the State behind it, whereas those who are compelled to fight for justice are weak, vulnerable, mostly unarmed and often unorganised. It often seems 86 impossible to secure redress without recourse to militancy and conflict. Those who want to intercede in such situations must have the vision to see the conflict as a quest for justice and not as a challenge to law and order. They should have the ability to trigger introspection on the issues of social justice that have precipitated situations, and on the social consequences of the means that those who seek justice are employing. IV 36. In this analysis, up to now, I have not made any reference to means and measures that are employed to limit or contain the damage from war, to forego or abjure the use of weapons of mass destruction, to bring about a limited or prolonged and unlimited ceasefire, to supervise ceasefires, disarmament, demilitarized zones etc.; to recruit and deploy peacekeeping forces, and international armed forces, to use unarmed and neutral forces to keep peace, to augment to powers and jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice, -to expand its powers to entertain disputes from International non Governmental organisations and groups, to make the verdicts or arbitration of the Court legally binding on all parties to disputes, to form and deploy non-governmental or UN unarmed forces for preventive action and deceleration of tensions, for intercession at every stage of escalation etc. I have not done so since these are all measures or steps that are designed to prevent armed conflict, not necessarily to seek reconciliation or resolution of the causes of conflict.

I believe that all these are very important, and are steps that we have to take in our progress towards a peacefull or non-violent society. They are immediate and preliminary steps that we have to take to change our attitude to conflicts and acquire the tolerance that interdependence demands, to find the fundamental requisites that are essential for the control, santization and transformation of the causes of conflict. f. Direct Action It is not an aim that you become involved, as peace messenger, in direct action to prevent, address or stop conflict or war. That is totally up to you as individual; this chapter serves in no way to convince you on anything. However, as peace messenger it is very likely you will get in touch with workcamps, projects or people who are involved in direct action. Therefore this chapter may serve as an informative tool to share with those people, as a messenger would.

87 f.i. definition of direct action “ What was the large symbiosis that Buddha and Jesus preached? Gentleness and Love. Buddha fearlessly carried water into the enemies camp and brought down on it’s knees an arrogant priesthood. Christ drove out the money chargers from the temple of Jeruzalem and drew down curses from heaven upon the hypocrites and the Pharises. Both where for intensely direct action. But even as Buddha and Jesus chastised, they showed immeasurable love and gentleness behind every act of theirs.” Young India, 12-05-1920

Direct action is politically motivated activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political goals outside of normal social/political channels. Direct action can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action participant. Examples of nonviolent direct action include strikes, workplace occupations, sit-ins, and graffiti. Violent direct actions include sabotage, vandalism, assault, and murder. By contrast, grassroots organizing, electoral politics, diplomacy and negotiation or arbitration does not constitute direct action. Direct actions are sometimes a form of civil disobedience, but some (such as strikes) do not always violate criminal law. Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi spoke and wrote of revolutionary direct action as a means to social change in their rhetoric. Direct action participants aim to either: -obstruct another political agent or political organization from performing some practice to which the activists object; or, -solve perceived problems which traditional societal institutions (businesses, governments, powerful churches or establishment unions) are not addressing to the satisfaction of the direct action participants. f.ii. Affinity groups For many small group actions an 'affinity group' is the most effective organisational form. Here follows some information about affinity groups, their structure, uses, history and advice.

What is an affinity group? An affinity group is a small group of 5 to 20 people who work together autonomously on direct actions or other projects. You can form an affinity group with your friends, people from your community, workplace, or organisation. Affinity groups challenge top-down decision-making and organising, and empower those involved to take creative direct action. Affinity groups allow people to "be" the

88 action they want to see by giving complete freedom and decision-making power to the affinity group. Affinity groups by nature are decentralised and non-hierarchical, two important principles of anarchist organising and action. The affinity group model was first used by anarchists in Spain in the late 19th and early 20th century, and was re- introduced to radical direct action by anti-nuclear activists during the 1970s, who used decentralised non-violent direct action to blockade roads, occupy spaces and disrupt "business as usual" for the nuclear and war makers of the US. Affinity groups have a long and interesting past, owing much to the anarchists and workers of Spain and the anarchists and radicals today who use affinity groups, non-hierarchical structures, and consensus decision making in direct action and organising. Affinity group roles [in a demonstration]

There are many roles that one could possibly fill. These roles include: Medical - An affinity group may want to have someone who is a trained street medic who can deal with any medical or health issues during the action. Legal observer - If there are not already legal observers for an action, it may be important to have people not involved in the action taking notes on police conduct and possible violations of activists’ rights. Media - If you are doing an action which plans to draw media, a person in the affinity group could be empowered to talk to the media and act as a spokesperson. Action Elf/Vibes-watcher - This is someone who would help out with the general wellness of the group: water, massages, and encouragement through starting a song or cheer. This is not a role which is vital necessary, but may be particularly helpful in day long actions where people might get tired or irritable as the day wears on. Traffic - If it is a moving affinity group, it may be necessary to have people who are empowered to stop cars at intersections and in general watch out for the safety of people on the streets from cars and other vehicles. Arrest-able members - This depends on what kind of direct action you are doing. Some actions may require a certain number of people willing to get arrested, or some parts of an action may need a minimum number of arrest-ables. Either way, it is important to know who is doing the action and plans on getting arrested. Jail support - Again, this is only if you have an affinity group who has people getting arrested. This person has all the arrestees contact information and will go to the jail, talk to and work with lawyers; keep track of who got arrested etc. Affinity groups are not just useful within a protest or direct action setting, this form of 89 organisation can be used for a wide variety of purposes as the history of affinity groups below illustrates.

History of affinity groups The idea of affinity groups comes out of the anarchist and workers movement that was created in the late 19th century and fought fascism in Spain during the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Anarchist movement provides an exhilarating example of a movement, and the actual possibility of a society based on decentralised organisation, direct democracy and the principles behind them. Small circles of good friends, called "tertulias" would meet at cafes to discuss ideas and plan actions. In 1888, a period of intense class conflict in Europe and of local insurrection and struggle in Spain, the Anarchist Organisation of the Spanish Region made this traditional form (tertulias) the basis of its organisation. Decades later, the Iberian Anarchist Federation, which contained 50,000 activists, organised into affinity groups and confederated into local, regional, and national councils. Wherever several FAI affinity groups existed, they formed a local federation. Local federations were coordinated by committees were made up of one mandated delegate from each affinity group. Mandated delegates were sent from local federations to regional committees and finally to the Peninsular Committee. Affinity groups remained autonomous as they carried out education, organised and supported local struggles. The intimacy of the groups made police infiltration difficult. The idea of large-scale affinity group based organisation was planted in the United States on April 30, 1977 when 2,500 people, organised into affinity groups, occupied the Seabrook, New Hampshire nuclear power plant. The growing anti-nuclear power and disarmament movements adopted this mode, and used it in many successful actions throughout the late 1970s and 1980s. Since then, it has been used by the Central America solidarity movement, lesbian/gay liberation movement, Earth First! and earth liberation movement, and many others. Most recently, affinity groups have been used in the mass actions in Seattle for the WTO and Washington DC for the IMF and World Bank, as well as Philadelphia and Los Angles around the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. What is a 'cluster' and a 'spokescouncil'? A cluster is a grouping of affinity groups that come together to work on a certain task or part of a larger action. Thus, a cluster might be responsible for blockading an area, organising one day of a multi-day action, or putting together and performing a mass 90 street theater performance. Clusters could be organised around where affinity groups are from (example: Texas cluster), an issue or identity (examples: student cluster or anti-sweatshop cluster), or action interest (examples: street theater or [black bloc]). A spokescouncil is the larger organising structure used in the affinity group model to coordinate a mass action. Each affinity group (or cluster) empowers a spoke (representative) to go to a spokescouncil meeting to decide on important issues for the action. For instance, affinity groups need to decide on a legal/jail strategy, possible tactical issues, meeting places, and many other logistics. A spokescouncil does not take away an individual affinity group's autonomy within an action; affinity groups make there own decisions about what they want to do on the streets.

How to start an affinity group An affinity group could be a relationship among people that lasts for years among a group of friends and activists, or it could be a week long relationship based around a single action. Either way, it is important to join an affinity group that is best suited to you and your interests. If you are forming an affinity group in your city or town, find friends or fellow activists who have similar issue interests, and thus would want to go to similar actions. Also, look for people who would be willing to use similar tactics - if you want to do relatively high risk lockdowns, someone who does not want to be in that situation may not want to be in the affinity group. That person could do media or medic work, but it may not be best if they are completely uncomfortable around certain tactics of direct action. If you are looking to join an affinity group at a mass action, first find out what affinity groups open to new members and which ones are closed. For many people, affinity groups are based on trusting relationships based around years of friendship and work, thus they might not want people they don't know in their affinity group. Once you find which affinity groups are open, look for ones that have an issue interest or action tactic that you are drawn to.

What can an affinity group do? Anything! They can be used for mass or smaller scale actions. Affinity groups can be used to drop a banner, blockade a road, provide back-up for other affinity groups, do street theater, block traffic riding bikes, organise a tree sit, [confront the police, strategic property destruction], change the message on a massive billboard, play music in a radical marching band or sing in a revolutionary choir, etc. There can even 91 be affinity groups who take on certain tasks in an action. For instance, there could be a roving affinity group made up of street medics, or an affinity group who brings food and water to people on the streets. What makes affinity groups so effective for actions is that they can remain creative and independent and plan out their own action without an organisation or person dictating to them what can and can't be done. Thus, there are an endless amount of possibilities for what affinity groups can do. Be creative and remember: direct action gets the goods! f.iii.. Action Following chapter explains some of the things to think about when planning an action. It's been written for smaller affinity group actions, rather than for mass street mobilisations. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide that has to be strictly followed, but more a list of things that might need to be sorted out for an action to happen successfully.

- Pre-action Aims and activity What would you like the action to achieve? It may be education and agitation, economic damage, physical disruption, solidarity with others in struggle, or elements of all of these and more. It is best to clarify which is your priority. This helps identify the activity needed to achieve your aims. You may decide on a banner drop, GM crop trashing, machine sabotage, office or site occupation, leafletting, propaganda production or something else completely. Target You may have a target in mind already. If so, think through whether it is possible to achieve the aims wanted with the activity you've decided upon. When you have an idea of the aims, activity and target you have an outline plan. That is - you know what you want to achieve, and will do so by taking a certain type of action on a specific target. When you have this you can move onto the first reconnaissance (recce) for the action. Primary recce Even if the action is to be done at night it may be best to make this first recce a daylight one. Use it for gathering ‘hard information'. Get maps, photographs and plans of the target and the surrounding area. Look for likely drop off points for people, entrance and exit points from the target as well as escape routes. Also look for places for the driver to park up away from the target, or circular routes that could be driven whilst the action takes place. Primary plan After the first recce sit down with your fellow planners in a secure location and work out a basic plan. This should include a route to the target that is free of CCTV, a drop off or park up point, entrance point/s into the target, exit point/s and escape route/s. It should be decided when the action will take place, what time of day or night, 92 roughly how long each part will take (getting to the drop off point, drop off point to target, doing the action, re-grouping, getting back to the pick up point and getting away) and how many people will be needed. The plan should also include where the vehicle will be left/taken and possible routes there. The plan should also involve communications. This includes who might need to communicate with who and how on the action. This might be between drivers and the people they have dropped off, lookouts and people on the action or a radio scanner monitor and everybody else. Secondary recce If the action is going to be at night make this second recce at night as well so as to familiarise yourself with the area in the dark. It may be possible to do both recces on the same day, and then have time for planning the action afterwards. On this second recce look at the target in more depth. Pay particular attention to any security systems. Actually time the different stages of the action. Think about what tools you will need to do the job and what you will do with them afterwards. Check out the approach and escape routes in more detail, and also the vehicle park up/driving route for during the action. They should all be CCTV-free and there should be alternatives in case of unpredictable circumstances such as cops, roadworks or other people parked up. Check that the drop off and pick up points are away from buildings and lights, and there is space to turn a vehicle around. If the pick-up point is quite away from the target you may need to decide on a re-group point near the target so everyone leaves together. Decide what communications equipment you will need and test that it works in the area. Think about the likelihood of carrying away evidence on your clothes and look for places on the getaway route for dumping clothes and perhaps tools. Look for possible regroup points (perhaps a mile or so away) where people could meet up if the action goes wrong and everyone has to scatter. Detailed action plan This plan should fill out the basic plan with all the rest of the information needed to carry out the action. It should go from the point people meet to go on the action to the point people disperse at the end. It needs to include precise timings, which routes will be taken, what will be happening at each stage of the action, who will be communicating with who, what tools and other equipment will be needed, what will happen to the vehicle, and what roles need to be filled, e.g. driver, navigator, spotters etc. The plan should also identify places to dump incriminating evidence as well as regroup point/s. If possible try and arrange to have a trusted person on the end of a phone, well away from the area the action is taking place in, who can be called in an emergency. It might be helpful if they had a large detailed map of the area to direct you if you ring up and are lost. Use a secure mobile for this rather than a landline. Back up plans The back up plan/s should be done in the same way as the main action plan. Back ups could be alternative actions to do at the target selected, or new targets entirely. Consideration should be given to the conditions in which the initial plan will be abandoned and how the decision to revert to a back up plan will be made and communicated to others. Running through the plans 93 If possible everyone going on the action should be involved in talking through the plan and making any changes needed. Roles identified should be filled so everyone knows who is doing what. Decisions should be made about what to take (see box on ‘Checklist for Recces/Actions') and it should be established who is going to acquire the different items and bring them to the meeting point for the action. Everyone should make sure they have any mobile phone numbers or radio channels being used on the action. This is the point to identify any new skills the group will need to use and arrange to practice them in a ‘neutral' setting rather than in the middle of an action. Finally, people should decide how to organise themselves on the action. You could pair off in buddies or split into smaller groups. Doing this makes it easier to look after one another, move quickly and know if anyone is missing. Make sure everybody knows the names and addresses they will be using if arrested. Action Before going to the meeting point for the action, run through the checklist of what you will need and give yourself time to get it all together. Be on time to meet up so people aren't left suspiciously hanging around. It may be best to meet up at a neutral place rather than somebody's house or the centre of town. Once on the way to the action, make sure everyone is clear about what they are doing. Try not to stop on the way unless you really have to, and remember that if you do have to stop most petrol stations and town centres have CCTV. All being well, you'll arrive at your destination without incident. Put any disguises, such as hoods, masks or gloves, on at the last moment, as if you get pulled by the cops it's good to look straight. If the action is taking place at night it's best not to use torches or internal car lights for around 20 minutes before you get dropped off. This allows your eyes to become accustomed to the dark. Once the action starts try to keep focussed on what you are doing, but aware of where others are and what is going on around you. It's important to follow the communication structures you have decided on, e.g. making sure you are in earshot/sight of each other if you need to pass a message on/check everyone is there. Everyone should have a watch that has been synchronised beforehand, so at the designated finishing time for the action people know to re-group and get ready to leave. If there is no finish time maybe have an easily identifiable signal. Get together at the re-group point and check everybody is there and okay. This is easier to do if everybody has teamed up into buddy pairs before the action and then sticks together and keeps an eye on each other. If people are missing try and find out what has happened to them. Depending on the type of action and what happened this may be a point where you want to destroy any incriminating evidence. If the action doesn't go according to plan and people are forced to scatter, try to stay with your buddy or group, move fast and keep in mind the direction you are going. If it's taking place at night you can very easily get disorientated and lost, so before the action have a look at the map and get a clear idea of what direction and where you could head to if this happens. The most important thing is to not panic. Remember that many people have got out of the most pear-shaped situations by having a clear head and a grim determination not to be caught! If it's possible get to the pre-arranged meeting point. If that's not an option get out of the area as quickly as you can, and ring the emergency mobile as soon as it is safe to 94 do so so people know you're okay. Post-action Debrief Try and have a meeting of all those that were on the action to discuss how the planning and execution of it went. Think about what was good and bad and try and learn lessons for the next action. This is best done in the first few days after before memories get fuzzy and important details are forgotten. Mutual aid Look after yourself and one another. Don't pressure people to go on actions if they are tired or stressed out. Take time out to relax and don't get into ‘the struggle is my life' martyrdom headspace. Address problems and power relations within the group. In the longer term make an effort to learn skills that only one or two people have. This stops them being put under unnecessary pressure, and ensures a balance of responsibility. Security Don't let your security slacken because the action is in the past. The cops have longer memories than we do and if your action is considered serious by the state an investigation into it can continue for months - or even years. Political understanding Analyse the tactical and strategic impact of your actions. Are there better targets or ways of operating? Read our history and learn from current and past struggles, movements and groups. Communication It is sometimes useful to communicate to other people what you have done. Maybe write a short article reporting the action for SchNEWS, Earth First! Action Update and other newsletters. Consider issuing an anonymous press release/communiqué to other media. These could be done through an anonymous web based email service set up for this purpose and then only used once. Maybe produce flyposters or stickers about the action and put them up around your local area and send them to other groups. If useful lessons were learnt from the action let other people know by writing a leaflet, discussion document or article. Broadening the struggle Help facilitate other people's involvement in the resistance. If you have a closed cell/group help interested people set up another group. If you work in an open group let people know what you are doing and how they can get involved. Doing stalls and printing leaflets with your contact details on are two ways of doing this. Continue with your own activity! g. basic blockading Sometimes an action may require you to block something, like arms transports, army convoys, fascist marches or any other thing that is about to violate human rights or initiate a war. Following links explain some details you need to know to do this as safely and responsible as possible: http://www.schnews.org.uk/diyguide/blockadingforbegineers.pdf http://libcom.org/organise/misc/articles/blockade-guide-tools.php

95 h. Guide to public order situations Trough following link you can find a brief guide to surviving public order situations and slowing down or preventing the police from gaining the upper hand once a situation has occurred. http://www.schnews.org.uk/diyguide/guidetopublicordersituations.htm i. Activist trauma support This site is primarily for activists who may be injured during or by their activities and or struggling with other mental health issues related to activism. Hopefully much of the information is useful to other groups and individuals who either have to face violence or repression where ever it may come from. It seems that as a movement we have not sufficiently acknowledged the psychological effects of the brutality and stress that an increasing number of us are subjected too. Supporting people who have been traumatized should be a central part of our activism, for without support and solidarity we can be easily picked off. This is not exciting or glamorous, it's hard work. However it can be rewarding, interesting and have very positive results. The site is made by a bunch of anti-capitalist activists who have either experienced or been close to people who have been effected by PTSD or other forms of mental health issues. They are NOT experts about these issues (and if you are they would like to hear from you) but they care deeply and want to help. http://www.activist-trauma.net/ j. Legal support and other resources http://www.freebeagles.org/ http://www.activistslegalproject.org.uk/resources .html http://www.schnews.org.uk/diyguide/defendantsguidetoarrest.htm http://www.schnews.org.uk/diyguide/ http://www.peacenews.info/tools/index.php http://libcom.org/organise/direct-action-guides http://www.networkforclimateaction.org.uk/toolkit/actionresources.html k. Civil Defence “A nation that has won freedom without the force of arms should be able to keep it too without the force of arms.” Gandhi

Civilian defence is a system of deterrence based on citizens’ power to prevent the threats facing their fundamental rights. This is “defence by civilians (as distinct from military personnel), using civilian means of struggle (as distinct 96 from military means)”. It is based “on the planned and prepared combination of non violent actions by the majority of the population of a given nation or international community” against internal as well as against external forms of aggression. It is not a territorial defence, but a defence of social values and the social structure of society.

The central principle of civilian defence is the principle of non-cooperation with the aggressor, denying him control over social institutions. This principle is based on the notion of power as dependent upon the goodwill of people.

The idea of civilian defence emerged in Europe after World War I, in the milieu of war veterans in the Netherlands. Initially, it was an expression of abhorrence for war, an attempt at discovering some pacifist means of defending the population, rather than a definite idea based on theory. The idea was revived after World War II, particularly in the Cold War period. The first theoretical conference devoted to the subject was held in Oxford in 1964. A number of important studies appeared in 1967, the most important of which was “The Strategy of Civilian Defence”. Another important book was that of Gene Sharp on “Civilian defence” (1990). l. Civil Disobedience Civil Disobedience is a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government. Thus Civil Disobedience is a method of political non-cooperation, a form of non violent direct action. As a method it can be used in different kinds of societies, both in internal and external conflicts: in liberation movements, in fighting dictatorships and in defence against external aggression. One example of a Civil Disobedient Action is Bomspotting: History of the Bombspotting-campaign: Bombspotting started in 1997 as a campaign against nuclear weapons (although it only carries its name since 1999). The most common reaction was asking why we were still busy with nuclear weapons. Nuclear weapons were something of the past and the Cold War was behind us. We thought we had to get rid of them before they got much too relevant again. And the Advisory Opinion on the Legality of Nuclear Weapons of the International Court of Justice on 8 July 1996 gave us a legal ground for actions against nuclear weapons, aside of the political and moral grounds. Civil disobedience became upholding international law.

97 6. The Role of the Media Don’t hate the Media, be the Media… http://www.indymedia.org

PART 4 Some examples of Peace Messengers

To inspire we review a few profiles of people that have had a relative impact on the history of mankind. We name them Peace Messengers here; however we do not claim them to be. We are sure many of you will disagree about one or the other profile given here. And that is ok, it diversifies our understanding of what is a Peace messenger, and we hope we can agree to disagree. Only then can we start really learning from one another. So the list of following characters is only given as inspiration, reference and as way to open certain questions about Peace and Peace Messenger work.

98 99 Name: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Nationality: India

Age: 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948

Quote: "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

Curriculum: Gandhi lived in India in times of British kolonialisation, in a coastal village. His father, Karamchand Gandhi, was Prime Minister of a small princely state in the Kathiawar Agency of British India. His mother, Putlibai, who came from the Hindu Pranami Vaishnava community, was devotee in the Jain tradition of the region, likely leading the young Mohandas to absorb early the influences that would play an important role in his adult life; these included compassion to sentient beings, vegetarianism, fasting for self-purification, and mutual tolerance between individuals of different creeds. In 1888, less than a month shy of his nineteenth birthday, Gandhi traveled to London, England, to study law at University College London. His time in London, the Imperial capital, was influenced by a vow he had made to his mother in the presence of the Jain monk Becharji, upon leaving India, to observe the Hindu precepts of abstinence from meat, alcohol, and promiscuity. Rather than simply go along with his mother's wishes, he read about, and intellectually embraced vegetarianism. He joined the Vegetarian Society, was elected to its executive committee, and founded a local chapter. Some of the vegetarians he met were members of the Theosophical Society, which had been founded in 1875 to further universal brotherhood, and which was devoted to the study of Buddhist and Hindu literature. They encouraged Gandhi to read the Bhagavad Gita. Not having shown a particular interest in religion before, he read works of and about Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and other religions. In 1893 he accepted a year-long contract from an Indian firm to a post in Natal, South Africa, then part of the British Empire. It was through witnessing firsthand the racism, prejudice and injustice against Indians in South Africa that Gandhi started to question his people's status within the British Empire, and his own place in society. Gandhi developed aspects of his traditional culture to the benefit of many. He spread the message of many peacefull principles such as non violence, non cooperation, brahmacharya, simplicity and truthfullness, and many other high values typical for the tradition he came from. Gandhi promoted the non violent way of protesting, a method that is very successfull also today in peace demonstration and civil disobedient actions targetting the war institutions. In the struggle for independence in India Gandhi played an important role, both by speaking to the 100 masses who accepted in high numbers, as by speaking in Congress and maintaining friendships in the political world. Gandhi was an anti statist in the sense that his vision of India meant India without an underlying government. His idea was that true self rule in a country means that every person rules himself and that there is no state which enforces laws upon the people. On occasions he described himself as a philosophical anarchist. A free India for him meant existence of thousands of self sufficient small communities who rule themselves without hindering others. Resources and recommended readings: - Gandhi, Mahatma. The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi. New Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India, 1994 - Gandhi, M.K. The Gandhi Reader: A Sourcebook of His Life and Writings. Homer Jack (ed.) Grove Press, New York, 1956. -Gandhi, M.K. (1940), An Autobiography or The Story of My Experiments With Truth, Ahmedabad: Navajivan Publishing House. 2nd edition. Pp. xii, 404. (also available at wikisource), ISBN 0-8070-5909-9

-Gordon, Haim. A Rejection of Spiritual Imperialism: Reflections on Buber's Letter to Gandhi. Journal of Ecumenical Studies, 22 June 1999

Name: Naomi Klein

Nationality: Canadian

Age: may 8 , 1970

Quote: “Terrorism doesn't just blow up buildings; it blasts every other issue off the political map. The spectre of terrorism - real and exaggerated - has become a shield of impunity, protecting governments around the world from scrutiny for their human rights abuses.”

Curriculum: Her father Michael, a physician, was a Vietnam War resister and a member of Physicians for Social Responsibility. Her mother, film-maker Bonnie Sherr Klein, directed and scripted the anti-pornography documentary film, Not a Love Story. 101 Klein's writing career started early with contributions a University of Toronto student newspaper, where she served as editor-in-chief. 2000, Klein published the book No Logo, which for many became a manifesto of the anti- corporate globalization movement. The book lambastes brand-oriented consumer culture by describing the operations of large corporations. These corporations are also accused of being guilty of exploiting workers in the world's poorest countries in pursuit of ever-greater profits, she writes. No Logo became an international bestseller, selling over one million copies, and has been translated into over 28 languages. In 2002 Klein published Fences and Windows, a collection of articles and speeches she had written on behalf of the anti-globalization movement. Klein also contributes to The Nation, In These Times, The Globe and Mail, This Magazine, and The Guardian. She has continued to write on various current issues, such as the war in Iraq. In a September 2004 article for Harper's Magazine entitled Baghdad Year Zero: Pillaging Iraq in pursuit of a neocon utopia, she argues that, contrary to popular belief and criticisms, the Bush administration did have a clear plan for post-invasion Iraq, which was to build a fully unconstrained free market economy. She describes plans to allow foreigners to extract wealth from Iraq, and the methods used to achieve those goals. The 2008 film War, Inc. was partially inspired by her article, Baghdad Year Zero. In 2004, Klein and her husband, Avi Lewis, released a documentary film called The Take about factory workers in Argentina who took over a closed plant and resumed production, operating as a collective. Naomi manages to tell to common people what is happening in the world, in the International politics, in a way that everybody understands it, pointing out the truth taking into concideration human values, justice, true democracy and righteousness. She was and is a great force behind the todays movement for a more social and humane globalisation. Resources and recommended readings: -website: www.naomiklein.org - 2000. No Logo: No Space, No Choice, No Jobs. ISBN 0312421435

-2002. Fences and Windows: Dispatches from the Front Lines of the Globalization Debate. ISBN 0312307993 -2007. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism. ISBN 0805079831

102 Name: Pierre Cérésole

Nationality: Swiss

Age: 17 August 1879 – 23 October 1945

Quote: “Deeds not words”

Curriculum: Pierre Cérésole was born in Lausanne on 17 August 1879, the son of Paul Cérésole who was member of the Swiss Federal Council, and President of the Swiss Confederation. Pierre had a promising career as engineer and mathematician ahead of him, but was not interested in money or status. In 1909 he went to the United States. He did a lot of manual work there, such as grave digging, and worked as a teacher of French in Hawaii. After a visit to Japan he returned to Switzerland in 1914. Pierre gave his share of the family capital to the state, because he felt he didn't deserve it. He refused to pay defence tax in protest against the imprisonment of conscientious objectors. He was sent to prison himself, and it would not be the last time. When he was not abroad, he spent time in prison every year for not paying defence tax and for crossing the Swiss-German border in wartime. In prison he had developed the idea of a 'peace army', where people could devote their creativity and enthusiasm, 'so often wasted in war and war preparation' to a service for peace and international friendship. Pierre is founder of the Service Civil International (SCI), or International Voluntary Service for Peace (IVSP), in 1920. He went to India for the first SCI projects in Asia, and worked with Gandhi in an ashram for two months. He encouraged people to fight for peace, even in times when the possibility of war seemed far away. It is precisely in quieter times, that people will have to work on the quality of their society, he said. When confronted with war he asked himself the right questions, and managed to answer those questions up till certain extend, not by theory but by practical answers. (How could people devote so much energy and creativity to war? Why did people believe so strongly in militarism? How could the church preach nationalism, when the New Testament spoke about peace, justice and love? Why did people believe that on the other side of the border everybody was their enemy? And were there no practical ways to open people's eyes for alternatives?) Resources and recommended readings: -Cérésole, Pierre [1950]. Vivre sa vérité Carnets de route 1909-1944. Neuchâtel: La Baconnière, 279 p. -Cérésole, Pierre [1954]. For peace and truth: from the note-books of Pierre Ceresole, translated by John W. Harvey and Christina Yates, Bannisdale Press, 192 p. -Monastier, Hélène [1947]. Un Quaker d’aujourd’Hui: Pierre Cérésole, 43 p. -Monastier, Hélène [1960]. Pierre Cérésole d'après sa correspondance. Neuchâtel: La Baconnière, 249 p. -Maddock, Keith [2005]. Living truth: a spiritual portrait of Pierre Ceresole, Pendle Hill pamphlets #379. 103 Wallingford: Pendle Hill, 35 p. ISSN 00314250

Name: Mother Teresa, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

Nationality: Born in Üsküp, Ottoman Empire (today's Skopje, Republic of Macedonia), she was a Albanian Roman Catholic nun with Indian citizenship.

Age: August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997

Quote: '' We can't do something big - but the little things we can do with big love ''

Curriculum: Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (Albanian Gonxha for "rosebud") was born on August 26, 1910, in Skopje. Although she was born on August 26, 1910, she considered August 27, 1910, the day she was baptized, to be her "true birthday.” Her father, Kolë Bojaxhiu was involved in Albanian politics. After her father's death, her mother raised her as a Roman Catholic. She left home at age 18 to join the Sisters of Loreto as a missionary. She never again saw her mother or sister. She arrived in India in 1929, and began her novitiate in Darjeeling, near the Himalayan Mountains. She took her first religious vows as a nun on May 24, 1931. At that time she chose the name Teresa after Thérèse de Lisieux, the patron saint of missionaries. Although Teresa enjoyed teaching at the school, she was increasingly disturbed by the poverty surrounding her in Calcutta. She began her missionary work with the poor in 1948, replacing her traditional Loreto habit with a simple white cotton chira decorated with a blue border, adopted Indian citizenship, and ventured out into the slums.” Initially she started a school in Motijhil; soon she started tending to the needs of the destitute and starving. Her efforts quickly caught the attention of Indian officials, including the Prime Minister, who expressed his appreciation. In 1952 Mother Teresa opened the first Home for the Dying, with the help of Indian officials she converted an abandoned Hindu temple into the Kalighat Home for the Dying, a free hospice for the poor. Those brought to the home received medical attention and were afforded the 104 opportunity to die with dignity, according to the rituals of their faith; Muslims were read the Quran, Hindus received water from the Ganges, and Catholics received the Last Rites. Mother Teresa soon opened a home for those suffering from leprosy, and called the hospice Shanti Nagar (City of Peace). As the Missionaries of Charity took in increasing numbers of lost children, Mother Teresa felt the need to create a home for them; in 1955 she opened the Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, the Children's Home of the Immaculate Heart. The order, by the 1960s, had opened hospices, orphanages, and leper houses all over India. Mother Teresa then expanded the order throughout the globe. Its first house outside India opened in Venezuela in 1965 with five sisters. Others followed in Rome, Tanzania, and Austria in 1968; during the 1970s the order opened houses and foundations in dozens of countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the United States. In 1982, Mother Teresa rescued 37 children trapped in a front line hospital by brokering a temporary cease-fire between the Israeli army and Palestinian guerrillas. Accompanied by Red Cross workers, she traveled through the war zone to the devastated hospital to evacuate the young patients. When Eastern Europe experienced increased openness in the late 1980s, she expanded her efforts to Communist countries, embarking on dozens of projects. Mother Teresa traveled to assist and minister to the hungry in Ethiopia, radiation victims at Chernobyl, and earthquake victims in Armenia. In 1991, Mother Teresa returned for the first time to her homeland and opened a Missionaries of Charity Brothers home in Tirana, Albania. By 1996, she was operating 517 missions in more than 100 countries. At the time of her death, 1997, Mother Teresa's Missionaries of Charity had over 4,000 sisters, an associated brotherhood of 300 members, and over 100,000 volunteers, operating 610 missions in 123 countries. These included hospices and homes for people with HIV/AIDS, leprosy and tuberculosis, soup kitchens, children's and family counseling programs, orphanages, and schools. Resources and recommended readings: - www.motherteresa.org

105 Name: Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela; In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela's clan

Nationality: South African

Age: 18 July 1918

Quote: “For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”

Curriculum: Mandela was born in the small village of Mvezo in the district of Umtata, the Transkeian Territories of the Union of South Africa's Cape Province. His great-grandfather was Ngubengcuka, the Inkosi Enkhulu or King of the Thembu people, who were eventually subjected to British colonial rule. His father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, was designated chief of the town of Mvezo. Upon alienating the colonial authorities, however, he was deprived of his position, and moved his family to Qunu. Mandela's father had four wives, with whom he fathered a total of thirteen children (four boys and nine girls). Mandela was born to Gadla's third wife ('third' by a complex royal ranking system), Nosekeni Fanny, daughter of Nkedama of the Mpemvu Xhosa clan, the dynastic Right Hand House, in whose umzi or homestead Mandela spent much of his childhood. His given name Rolihlahla means "to pull a branch of a tree", or more colloquially, "troublemaker”. Rolihlahla Mandela became the first member of his family to attend a school, and was given the English name "Nelson" by a teacher. Aged nineteen, he took an interest in boxing and running. Mandela studied for a B.A. at the Fort Hare University, where he met Oliver Tambo, and the two became lifelong friends and colleagues. At the end of Nelson's first year, he became involved in a boycott by the Students' Representative Council against the university policies, and was told to leave Fort Hare. After the 1948 election victory of the Afrikaner-dominated National Party with its apartheid policy of racial segregation, Mandela was prominent in the ANC's 1952 Defiance Campaign and the 1955 Congress of the People, whose adoption of the Freedom Charter provided the fundamental program of the anti-apartheid cause. During this time, Mandela and fellow lawyer Oliver Tambo operated the law firm of Mandela and Tambo, providing free or low-cost legal counsel to many blacks who would otherwise have been without representation. Mandela's approach was influenced by Mahatma Gandhi, who inspired him and succeeding 106 generations of South African anti-apartheid activists. Initially committed to non-violent mass struggle, Mandela was arrested with 150 others on 5 December 1956 and charged with treason. In 1961, Mandela became the leader of the ANC's armed wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK, translated as Spear of the Nation), which he co-founded. He coordinated a sabotage campaign against military and government targets, and made plans for a possible guerrilla war if sabotage failed to end apartheid. Mandela also raised funds for MK abroad, and arranged for paramilitary training, visiting various African governments. Mandela explains the move to embark on armed struggle as a last resort, when increasing repression and violence from the state convinced him that many years of non-violent protest against apartheid had achieved nothing and could not succeed. A few decades later, MK did wage a guerrilla war against the regime, especially during the 1980s, in which many civilians were killed. Mandela later admitted that the ANC, in its struggle against apartheid, also violated human rights, and has sharply criticised attempts by parts of his party to remove statements supporting this fact from the reports of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Up until July 2008, Mandela and ANC party members were barred from entering the United States —except the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan— without a special waiver from the US Secretary of State, due to their designation as terrorists by the former South African apartheid regime. In 1962 Mandela was arrested after living on the run for seventeen months, and was imprisoned in the Johannesburg Fort. The arrest was made possible because the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) tipped off the security police as to Mandela's whereabouts and disguise. In his statement from the dock at the opening of the defence case in the trial on 20 April 1964 at Pretoria Supreme Court, Mandela laid out the clarity of reasoning in the ANC's choice to use violence as a tactic. His statement revealed how the ANC had used peaceful means to resist apartheid for years until the Sharpeville Massacre (when South African police began shooting on a crowd of 7000 non violent protesters). Mandela escaped the gallows and was sentenced to life imprisonment on 12 June 1964. Charges included involvement in planning armed action, in particular four charges of sabotage, which Mandela admitted to, and a conspiracy to help other countries invade South Africa, which Mandela denied. Nelson Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island where he remained for the next eighteen of his twenty-seven years in prison. On the island, he and others performed hard labour in a lime quarry. Prison conditions were very basic. Prisoners were segregated by race, with black prisoners receiving the fewest rations. Political prisoners were kept separate from ordinary criminals and received fewer privileges. Mandela describes how, as a D-group prisoner (the lowest classification) he was allowed one visitor and one letter every six months. Letters, when they came, were often delayed for long periods and made unreadable by the prison censors. In February 1985 President P.W. Botha offered Mandela conditional release in return for renouncing armed struggle. Mandela refused the offer, releasing a statement via his daughter Zindzi saying "What freedom am I being offered while the organisation of the people remains banned? Only free men can negotiate. A prisoner cannot enter into contracts." Throughout Mandela's imprisonment, local and international pressure mounted on the South African government to release him, under the resounding slogan Free Nelson Mandela! President Frederik Willem de Klerk announced Mandela's release in February 1990. On the day of his release, Mandela made a speech to the nation. He declared his commitment to peace and reconciliation with the country's white minority, but made it clear that the ANC's armed struggle was not yet over: Our resort to the armed struggle in 1960 with the formation of the military wing of the ANC (Umkhonto we Sizwe) was a purely defensive action against the violence of apartheid. The factors which necessitated the armed struggle still exist today. We have no option but to 107 continue. We express the hope that a climate conducive to a negotiated settlement would be created soon, so that there may no longer be the need for the armed struggle. He also said his main focus was to bring peace to the black majority and give them the right to vote in both national and local elections. Following his release from prison, Mandela returned to the leadership of the ANC and, between 1990 and 1994, led the party in the multi-party negotiations that led to the country's first multi- racial elections. South Africa's first multi-racial elections in which full enfranchisement was granted were held on 27 April 1994. The ANC won 62% of the votes in the election, and Mandela, as leader of the ANC, was inaugurated on 10 May 1994 as the country's first black President, with the National Party's de Klerk as his first deputy and Thabo Mbeki as the second in the Government.

Mandela became the oldest elected President of South Africa when he took office at the age of 77, he decided not to stand for a second term as President, and instead retired in 1999, to be succeeded by Thabo Mbeki. Mandela critizized the lack of UN involvement in the decision to begin the War in Iraq, he said, "It is a tragedy, what is happening, what Bush is doing. But Bush is now undermining the United Nations." Resources and recommended readings: -A Prisoner in the Garden: Opening Nelson Mandela's Prison Archive. Penguin Books. ISBN 0-143-02495- 7. -(1996) The Rainbow People of God: The Making of a Peaceful Revolution. Doubleday. ISBN 978-0385- 48374-2. -Benson, Mary. Nelson Mandela: The Man and the Movement. -Bezdrob, Anne Marie du Preez. The Nelson Mandela Story. Samoja Books. ISBN 0-620-36570-6. -Denenberg, Barry. Nelson Mandela: No Easy Walk To Freedom. -Hoobler, Dorothy; Hoobler, Thomas. Mandela: The Man, The Struggle, The Triumph. -Mandela, Nelson (1995). Long Walk to Freedom. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 0-316-54818-9. -Meredith, Martin. Nelson Mandela: A Biography. -Villa-Vicencio, Charles (1996). The Spirit of Freedom. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Part 5 Usefull links, tools, method books etc... For this handbook we used different resources, input from volunteers, websites, dictionaries, peace activist books,... Most of the resources can be found troughout the book. Jayaprasad from SCI India provided us with many resources from a Conflict Resolution training organised by the Gandhi Peace Foundation. 'Space for Peace' Resource Pack, a Human Rights Handbook, a Conflict Resolution Resource Pack, the 'Best Peace Practice' book and the 'Someone had an idea…' SCI philosophy resource pack. All branches and groups of SCI have at least one copy of these materials, and they are regularly brought to the attention of trainers and other 108 activists within SCI. We try to keep prices low for these publications, so that they are affordable for anyone who wants to work with them. These materials do not dictate how training should be done within SCI, but they are a way of connecting different training events and trainers with each other. SCI has developed a web site dedicated to peace education and training: www.spaceforpeace.net which facilitates co-ordination and communication among activists.

- All different , all equal (campaign by the Council of Europe) “Are we not formed, as notes of music are, for one another, though dissimilar?” Shelley

- Articles on consensus by Food Not Bombs: http://www.consensus.net/formal.html - Use of hand signals in meetings: http://docs.indymedia.org/view/Global/HandSignalsEn

International programmes and organizations - http://ec.europa.eu/youth - The European Commissions DG Education and Culture – youth section - http://europa.eu/youth/ - European Youth Portal - http://coe.int/youth - Council of Europe’ youth portal - http://youth-partnership.net - Partnership Secretariat between the Council of Europe and the European Commission - http://osce.org – Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe - http://nato.int – North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s web page - http://un.org – United Nations Organization - http://www.unesco.org – United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organizations - http://sciint.org – Service Civil International - http://youthforum.org/ - European Youth Forum - http://www.greenpeace.org/international/ - Green Peace - pendent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace - http://www.amnesty.org/ - Amnesty International - a worldwide movement of people who campaign for internationally recognized human rights for all - http://unitedagainstracism.org/ - European anti-racism Network that promotes the rights of refugees, minorities & migrants 109 - http://www.yap.org/ - Youth Action for Peace an international peace movement which aims for societies of peace, justice, and self determination - http://www.idpvigil.com/ - International Day of Peace Vigil - http://www.salto-youth.net/ - Support for Advanced Learning and Training Opportunities within the European Youth Programme - War Resisters International: http://www.wri-irg.org - Civil Resistance: http://www.civilresistance.info - Nonviolent Peace Force: http://www.nonviolentpeaceforce.org - Learn Peace: http://www.learnpeace.org.uk - Peace Brigades International: http://www.peacebrigades.org - International Fellowship of Reconciliation: http://www.ifor.org - International Peace Bureau: http://ipb.org/i/index.html - Institute for War and Peace Reporting: http://www.iwpr.net - International Institute of Social History: http://www.iisg.nl - The Nonviolence Web: http://www.nonviolence.org - Swarthmore College Peace Collection: http://www.swarthmore.edu/Library/peace/index.htm - Earth First (with exhaustive links page to different peace, environmental and human rights organizations): http://www.earthfirst.org - Anarchy is Order (with many links to grassroots organizations): http://www.anarchyisorder.org - Pax Christi: http://www.paxchristi.net/international/eng/index.php - World Organisation Against Torture: http://www.omct.org - Social Alerts: http://www.socialalert.org/k - International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity: http://www.cidse.org - European Peace Building Liaison Office: http://www.eplo.org - Coalition to stop the use of child soldiers: http://www.child-soldiers.org/home - Catholic Peace Building Network: http://cpn.nd.edu - Religions for Peace: http://www.religionsforpeace.org

Training manuals: http://www.eycb.coe.int/compass/ - Human Rights Education training manual http://youth-partnership.coe.int/youth-partnership/publications/Coyote/Coyote A magazine on issues around "Youth-Training-Europe", published once or twice a year. http://youth-partnership.coe.int/youth-partnership/publications/T-kits/T_kits The training kits are thematic publications written by experienced youth trainers. They are easy-to-use handbooks for use in training and study sessions. http://spaceforpeace.net – Peace Education in SCI -Food Not Bombs; http://www.foodnotbombs.net - Starhawk; http://starhawk.org/index.html 110 - Seeds for Change; http://seedsforchange.org.uk/free/index.html - Carnegy Commission on preventing Deadly Conflict; www.wilsoncenter.org/subsites/ccpdc/index.htm - Transcend International; http://www.transcend.org/

Further information: http://www.european-citizenship.org/ - Exploring European Citizenship http://www.peaceeducation.org.uk/ - Peace education network http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/peace/index.asp - United Nations CyberSchoolBus on Peace Education http://www.oneworld.net/ - Information network from organizations that are promoting human rights awareness and fighting poverty worldwide http://www.eurodesk.org/edesk/ - Information web site of the European Union PART 6 ATTACHMENTS to Peace

1. Adres list sci branches Find the latest updated version in your branch or on www.sciint.org

2. Abbreviations SCI Service Civil International PMP Peace Messenger Project ICM International Committee Meeting WG Working Group IEC International Executive Committee IS International Secretariat TEM TEchnical Meeting FOR Fellowship of Reconciliation IVSP International Voluntary Service for Peace PVP Peace Voluntary Project UN United Nations NGO Non Govermental Organisation EU European Union NAFTA North American Free Trade Agreement CAFTA Central American Free Trade Agreement WTO World Trade Organisation US United States USSR Union of Socialist Soviet Republics

111 5. Glossary of terms Ahimsa Ahimsa ( ) is a Sanskrit term meaning to do no harm (literally: the avoidance of violence - himsa). (“noninjury”), The fundamental ethical virtue of the Jains of India, highly respected throughout the centuries by Hindus and Buddhists as well. In modern times, Mahatma Gandhi, the famous spiritual and political leader, developed his theory of passive resistance as a means of bringing about political change on the principle of ahimsa. Anarchism “no government” The philosophy of a new social order based on liberty unrestricted by man-made law; the theory that all forms of government rest on violence, and are therefore wrong and harmful, as well as unnecessary. Anarchism is a political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which consider the state, as compulsory government, to be unnecessary, harmful, and/or undesirable. Branch SCI has branches and partners in Europe, Asia, Africa, South and North America and Australia. They are national organisations/offices that share the vision and mission of SCI, and organise workcamps. Bigotry The state of mind of a bigot; obstinate and unreasoning attachment of one's own belief and opinions, with narrow- minded intolerance of beliefs opposed to them. Bolivar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios y Blanco, more commonly known as Simón Bolívar (Caracas, July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830 in Santa Marta) was one of the most important leaders of Spanish America's successful struggle for independence. Following the triumph over the Spanish Monarchy, Bolívar participated in the foundation of Gran Colombia, a nation formed from the liberated Spanish colonies. He was President of Gran Colombia from 1821 to 1830. Benito Juarez Benito Pablo Juárez García (March 21, 1806 – July 18, 1872) was a Zapotec Amerindian who served five terms as president of Mexico. For resisting the French occupation, overthrowing the Empire, and restoring the Republic, as well as for his efforts to modernize the country, Juárez is often regarded as Mexico's greatest and most beloved leader. Bodhicitta In Buddhism, bodhicitta is the wish to attain complete enlightenment (that is, Buddhahood) in order to be of benefit to all sentient beings trapped in cyclic existence (samsāra) who have not yet reached Buddhahood. One who has bodhicitta as the primary motivation for all of his or her activities is called a bodhisattva. Bechtel Bechtel Corporation (Bechtel Group) is the largest engineering company in the United States, ranking as the 7th-largest privately owned company in the U.S. Bechtel is the world’s #1 nuclear profiteer and a leading beneficiary of the Iraq war and corporate globalization policies in general. Coordinator "Coordinator" can refer to a position within an organization or business with significant responsibilities for acting as a liaison between departments, stakeholders and information sources, which requires many non-administrative competencies.

112 Cosmopolitanism Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all of humanity belongs to a single community, possibly based on a shared morality. This is contrasted with communitarian theories, in particular the ideologies of patriotism and nationalism. Cold War The Cold War was the continuing state of conflict, tension and competition that existed primarily between the United States and the Soviet Union and those countries' respective allies from the mid-1940s to the early 1990s. Throughout this period, the conflict was expressed through military coalitions, espionage, weapons development, invasions, propaganda, and competitive technological development, which included the space race. The conflict included costly defense spending, a massive conventional and nuclear arms race, and numerous proxy wars; the two superpowers never fought one another directly. Corporation A corporation is a legal entity separate from the persons that form it. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole (an office held by an individual natural person, which is a legal entity separate from that person) or a corporation aggregate (involving more persons). In American and, increasingly, international usage, the term denotes a body corporate formed to conduct business. Central American Free The Dominican Republic – Central America Free Trade Agreement, commonly called DR-CAFTA, is a free trade Trade Agreement agreement (legally a treaty under international law, but not (CAFTA) under US law). Originally, the agreement encompassed the United States and the Central American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, and was called CAFTA. In 2004, the Dominican Republic joined the negotiations, and the agreement was renamed DR-CAFTA. DR-CAFTA together with the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and active bilateral free trade agreements, including the Canada-Costa Rica Free Trade Agreement, are seen as bloc agreements instead of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) agreement Colony A colony is a territory under the immediate political control of a state. Creative Creative, referring to materials, imagery, or collateral prescriptively produced through creativity and the creative process Culture Culture is a term that has different meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions. However, the word "culture" is most commonly used in three basic senses: -excellence of taste in the fine arts and humanities -an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning -the set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group. Conscientious Objector A conscientious objector (CO) is an individual who, on religious, moral or ethical grounds, refuses to participate as a combatant in war or, in some cases, to take any role that would support a combatant organization armed forces. Delegate A delegate is a person representing an organization at a meeting or conference

113 Darwinism Darwinism is a term used for various movements or concepts related to ideas of transmutation of species or evolution, including ideas with no connection to the work of Charles Darwin Dogma Dogma is the established belief or doctrine held by a religion, ideology or any kind of organization: it is authoritative and not to be disputed, doubted or diverged from. The term derives from Greek δόγμα "that which seems to one, opinion or belief" and that from δοκέω (dokeo), "to think, to suppose, to imagine". The plural is either dogmas or dogmata , from Greek δόγματα. Dharma The term dharma is an Indian spiritual and religious term, which means one's righteous duty or any virtuous path in the common sense of the term. In Indian languages it contextually implies one's religion. Throughout Indian philosophy, Dharma is presented as a central concept that is used in order to explain the "higher truth" or ultimate reality of the universe. Deregulation Deregulation is a process by which government's control over businesses and individuals is reduced or eliminated. It is the removal of some governmental controls over a market. Deregulation does not mean elimination of laws against fraud, but eliminating or reducing government control of how business is done, thereby moving toward a more free market. European Union The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. It was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993,upon the foundations of the pre-existing European Economic Community. With around 500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an estimated 22.8% share (US$16.8 trillion in 2007) of the nominal gross world product in terms of purchasing power parity. Free Market A free market is a market that is free of government intervention and regulation, besides the minimal function of maintaining the legal system and protecting property rights, and is also free of private force and fraud. In a free market, property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged solely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers. Fanaticism Fanaticism is an emotion of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause or in some cases sports, or with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby. Fundamentalism Fundamentalism refers to a belief in, and strict adherence to a set of basic principles (often religious in nature), sometimes as a reaction to perceived doctrinal compromises with modern social and political life. Gandhi Ji “Ji” behind a name is a respectfull addressing of a person. It refers to the person as an individual soul, part of the oversoul (or collective soul). Ji comes from Jivatma; the collective soul is named Paramatma. The story goes that we are all like drops of water (individual souls) in the ocean (collective soul). Individual souls physically seem to part from the collective soul, to have experiences and lessons in the material world and after dead return to the collective soul. Hegemony Hegemony first denoted the dominance (“leadership”) of a Greek city-state over other city-states, then denoted the dominance of one nation over others

114 Halliburton Halliburton (NYSE: HAL) is a US-based oilfield services corporation with international operations in more than 70 countries. Halliburton is a leader in the oil services industry, it provides engineering and construction services for oil extraction and development. The Halliburton Company was founded in 1919 and is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the oil and gas and military services industries. Ideology An ideology is a set of aims and ideas, especially in politics. Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and transportation had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions in Britain. The changes subsequently spread throughout Europe, North America, and eventually the world. Internationalism Internationalism refers to a political movement that advocates a greater economic and political cooperation among nations. Imperialism Imperialism is often autocratic, and also sometimes monolithic in character. While the term imperialism often refers to a political or geographical domain such as the Ottoman Empire the Russian Empire, the Chinese Empire, or the British Empire,etc., the term can equally be applied to domains of knowledge, beliefs, values and expertise, such as the empires of Christianity or Islam. Indymedia “Don’t hate the media, be the media” The Independent Media Center (aka Indymedia or IMC) is a global participatory network of journalists that reports on political and social issues. Indigenous Indigenous peoples, population groups with ancestral connections to place prior to formally recorded (i.e. written) history “The Hopis recently carried Sacred Water from there mesas to Sedona. In it was water from other places too(Incas, Tibet, India) The local tribes gathered, we celebrated with song dance chants. The Hopi Elder in charge of many spiritual responsibilities spoke. He said his Grandfather warned to keep sacred the Elements! He said in there spirituality we are mostly really made of water. He said if we are good spiritual Elementally then when we give this body back to the earth the elements go to the heaves form clouds and bring rain. The Rain goes to the rivers and the rivers filled with the elemental sprits of the ancestors go HOME to the Ocean form which these bodies came from.” Innovative The term innovation means a new way of doing something. It may refer to incremental, radical, and revolutionary changes in thinking, products, processes, or organizations. Jose De La Luz y José Cipriano de la Luz y Caballero (July 11, 1800 – June 22, 1862) was a Cuban scholar, acclaimed by José Martí as "the Caballero father ... the silent layer of foundations" in Cuban intellectual life of the 19th Century (see "Un magno artículo de Martí", in Aforismos de Luz y Caballero Havana, 1960, p. 139).

115 Licea Hidalgo Liceo Hidalgo is an important association of letters from the XIX century, the most representative of the second Romanticism. It was founded in 1849 and closed in 1853 Lerdo Lerdo (Ciudad Lerdo) is a small city in the northeastern portion of the Mexican state of Durango. It serves as the municipal seat for the surrounding municipality of the same name. Lakota The Lakota are a Native American tribe. They are part of a confederation of seven related Sioux tribes (the Oceti Sakowin or seven council fires) and speak Lakota, one of the three major dialects of the Sioux language. “Our people don't call themselves - Indians - Soiux or Dakota. That's white man talk. We call ourselves Ikce Wicasa - the natural humans, the free, wild, common people. I am pleased to be called that.” John Fire Lame Deer Leader One engaged in leadership. Leadership has been described as the “process of social influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task” Mission A mission, from the Latin missum (English: sent), is a specific task, often religious, which a person or group has been charged with or adopts as their main purpose. Mythology Mythology is the study of myths – stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. Mao Zedong Mao Zedong (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976) was a Chinese Communist leader. Mao led the Communist Party of China (CPC) to victory against the Kuomintang (KMT) in the Chinese Civil War, and was the leader of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. To learn more about Mao and the China history one should read the book “Wild Swans”. Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist, statistician and public intellectual, and a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. He is best known among scholars for his theoretical and empirical research, especially consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy. Multinational Corporation A multinational corporation (MNC) or transnational corporation (TNC), also called multinational enterprise (MNE), is a corporation or enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation. The first modern MNC was the Dutch East India Company, established in 1602. Very large multinationals have budgets that exceed some national GDPs. Multinational corporations can have a powerful influence in local economies as well as the world economy and play an important role in international relations and globalization.

116 Materialism/Materialistic The philosophy of materialism holds that the only thing that can be truly proven to exist is matter, and is considered a form of physicalism. Fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena (including consciousness) are the result of material interactions; therefore, matter is the only substance. Materialistic describes a person who is markedly more concerned with material things (such as money and possessions) rather than spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values; an adherent of materialism Militarism Militarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests. It has also been defined as "aggressiveness that involves the threat of using military force", and the Glorification of the ideas of a professional military class" and "Predominance of the armed forces in the administration or policy of the state Militarism has been a significant principle in the imperialist or expansionist ideologies of several nations throughout history. Metaphysical Metaphysics investigates principles of reality transcending those of any particular science. Cosmology and ontology are traditional branches of metaphysics. It is concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world. Minutes Minutes also known as protocols, are the instant written record of a meeting or hearing Nationalism Nationalism refers to an ideology, a sentiment, a form of culture, or a social movement that focuses on the nation. It is a type of collectivism emphasizing the collective of a specific nation. Non Violence Nonviolence is a philosophy and strategy for social change that rejects the use of physical violence. As such, nonviolence is an alternative to passive acceptance of oppression and armed struggle against it. North American Free Is a trilateral trade bloc in North America created by the governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Trade Agreement NAFTA established a free-trade zone in North America; it was (NAFTA) signed in 1992 by Canada, Mexico, and the United States and took effect on Jan. 1, 1994. Non Govermental Non-governmental organization (NGO) is a term that has become widely accepted for referring to a legally constituted, Organisations (NGO) non-business organization created by natural or legal persons with no participation or representation of any government. North-South Organic Farm Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms

117 Positivism Positivism is a philosophy which holds that the only authentic knowledge is that based on actual sense experience. Metaphysical speculation is avoided. The positivist view is sometimes referred to as a scientistic ideology, and is often shared by technocrats who believe in the necessity of progress through scientific progress, and by naturalists, who argue that any method for gaining knowledge should be limited to natural, physical, and material approaches. In psychology, a positivistic approach is favoured by behaviourism. Philosophy Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence, knowledge, truth, beauty, law, justice, validity, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing these questions (such as mysticism or mythology) by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on reasoned argument. Pathological Altered or caused by disease, being such to a degree that is extreme, excessive, or markedly abnormal Pathology is the study and diagnosis of disease through examination of organs, tissues, bodily fluids and whole bodies (Autopsy) Puritanism A Puritan of 16th and 17th century England was an associate of any number of religious groups advocating for more "purity" of worship and doctrine, as well as personal and group piety. Puritans felt that the English Reformation had not gone far enough, and that the Church of England was tolerant of practices which they associated with the Church of Rome. The word "Puritan" was originally an alternate term for "Cathar" and was a pejorative term used to characterize them as extremists similar to the Cathari of France. The Puritans sometimes cooperated with presbyterians, who put forth a number of proposals for "further reformation" in order to keep the Church of England more closely in line with the Reformed Churches on the Continent. Privatisation Privatisation is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of business from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business). In a broader sense, privatisation refers to transfer of any government function to the private sector including governmental functions like revenue collection and law enforcement. The term "Privatisation" also has been used to describe two unrelated transactions. The first is a buyout, by the majority owner, of all shares of a public corporation or holding company's stock, privatising a publicly traded stock. The second is a demutualization of a mutual organization or cooperative to form a joint stock company Peer education A peer group is a group of approximately the same age, social status, and interests. Generally, people are relatively equal in terms of power when they interact with peers.

118 Psychology Psychology (Greek: Ψυχολογία, lit. "study of the mind", from ψυχή psykhē "breath, spirit, soul"; and -λογία, -logia "study of”) is an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of human mental functions and behavior. Occasionally, in addition or opposition to employing the scientific method, it also relies on symbolic interpretation and critical analysis, although these traditions have tended to be less pronounced than in other social sciences such as sociology. Psychologists study such phenomena as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships. Some, especially depth psychologists, also study the unconscious mind. Quaker The Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as the Quakers or Friends, was founded in England in the 17th century as a Christian religious denomination by people who were dissatisfied with the existing denominations and sects of Christianity. The Society of Friends is counted among the historic peace churches. Society members are known as Quakers or Friends. Refugees A refugee is a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution. Rousseau Jean Jacques Rousseau (Geneva, 28 June 1712 – Ermenonville, 2 July 1778) was a major philosopher, writer, and composer of the eighteenth century Enlightenment, whose political philosophy influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern political and educational thought. Romanticism Romanticism is a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Industrial Revolution. It was partly a revolt against aristocratic social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment and a reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature, and was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature. Rafael Maria Mendive MENDIVE, Rafael Maria de (men-dee'-veh), Cuban author, born in Havana in 1821; died in 1886. Mendive is considered one of the best of Spanish-American poets, and many of his poems have been translated into English, French, and Italian. He has published, associated with three other writers, a book of poems called "Cuatro Laudes" (1856). A new edition of his poems was published by the Spanish critic Don Manuel Cafiete (Madrid, 1860), and other editions have appeared (Havana, 1861 and 1884). He translated Moore's "Irish Melodies" in verse (1863). Solidarity Social solidarity refers to the integration, and degree and type of integration, shown by a society or group with people and their neighbors. It refers to the ties in a society - social relations - that bind people to one another. Solidarity is commonly associated with political socialism, being seen as the driving force and defining temperament behind the ideal classless work force. The term is generally employed in sociology and the other social sciences. Sovereignty Sovereignty is the right to exercise, within a territory, the functions of a state, exclusive of any other state, and subject to no other authority. A sovereign is a supreme lawmaking authority.

119 Sectarianism Sectarianism is bigotry, discrimination, prejudice or hatred arising from attaching importance to perceived differences between subdivisions within a group, such as between different denominations of a religion or the factions of a political movement. The ideological underpinnings of attitudes and behaviors labeled as sectarian are extraordinarily varied. Members of a religious or political group may feel that their own salvation, or success of their particular objectives, requires aggressively seeking converts from other groups; adherents of a given faction may believe that for the achievement of their own political or religious project their internal opponents must be purged.Sometimes a group feeling itself to be under economic or political pressure will attack members of another group thought to be responsible for its own decline. Satyagraha Satyagraha (Sanskrit: ) is a philosophy and practice of nonviolent resistance developed by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (also known as "Mahatma" Gandhi). Gandhi deployed satyagraha in campaigns for Indian independence and also during his earlier struggles in South Africa. Satyagraha theory also influenced Martin Luther King, Jr. during the campaigns he led during the civil rights movement in the United States. Gandhi described it as follows: “I have also called it love-force or soul-force. In the application of satyagraha, I discovered in the earliest stages that pursuit of truth did not admit of violence being inflicted on one’s opponent but that he must be weaned from error by patience and compassion. For what appears to be truth to the one may appear to be error to the other. And patience means self- suffering. So the doctrine came to mean vindication of truth, not by infliction of suffering on the opponent, but on oneself.” San Martin José de San Martín (25 February 1778 – 17 August 1850), was an Argentine general and the prime leader of the southern part of South America's successful struggle for independence from Spain. Spiritual Spirituality, in a narrow sense, concerns itself with matters of the spirit, a concept closely tied to religious belief and faith, a transcendent reality, or one or more deities. Spiritual matters are thus those matters regarding humankind's ultimate nature and meaning, not only as material biological organisms, but as beings with a unique relationship to that which is perceived to be beyond the bodily senses, time and the material world. Spirituality in this sense implies the mind-body dichotomy, which indicates a separation between the body and soul. But spirituality may also relate to the development of the individual's inner life through specific practices. The spiritual is traditionally contrasted with the material, the temporal and the earthly. A perceived sense of connection forms a central defining characteristic of spirituality — connection to a metaphysical reality greater than oneself, which may include an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence, or such states as satori or nirvana. Spirituality is the personal, subjective dimension of religion, particularly that which pertains to liberation or salvation.

120 Sociology Sociology is a branch of the social sciences that uses systematic methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and activity, sometimes with the goal of applying such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare. Its subject matter ranges from the micro level of face-to-face interaction to the macro level of societies at large. Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted coup d'état by a group of Spanish Army generals, supported by the conservative Confederación Española de Derechas Autónomas (C.E.D.A), Carlist groups and the fascistic Falange Española de las J.O.N.S., against the government of the Second Spanish Republic, then under the leadership of president Manuel Azaña. The Civil War devastated Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939, ending with the victory of the rebel forces, the overthrow of the Republican government, and the founding of a dictatorship led by General Francisco Franco. In the aftermath of the civil war, all right-wing parties were fused into the state party of the Franco regime. Republicans (republicanos) gained the support of the Soviet Union and Mexico, while the followers of the rebellion, nationalists (nacionales), received the support of Italy and Germany, as well as neighbouring Portugal. The war increased tensions in the lead-up to World War II and was largely seen as a possible war by proxy between the Communist Soviet Union and the Fascist Axis of Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. In particular, tanks and bombing of cities from the air were features of the later war in Europe. The advent of the mass media allowed an unprecedented level of attention (Ernest Hemingway, Martha Gellhorn, George Orwell and Robert Capa all covered it) and so the war became notable for the passion and political division it inspired, and for atrocities committed on both sides of the conflict. Like other civil wars, the Spanish Civil War often pitted family members and trusted neighbours and friends against each other. Apart from the combatants, many civilians were killed for their political or religious views by both sides, and after the war ended in 1939, Republicans were at times persecuted by the victorious Nationalists. Socialism / Socialist Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating public or state ownership and administration of the means of production and distribution of goods, and a society characterized by economic equality for all individuals, with an egalitarian method of compensation. Modern socialism originated in the late 19th-century intellectual and working class political movement that criticized the effects of industrialization and private ownership on society. Karl Marx posited that socialism would be achieved via class struggle and a proletarian revolution and would be a long transitional stage between capitalism and communism (the disappearance of class and therefore state). Voluntary Work or Service Volunteer work or service is service to humanity, unselfish work for the benefit of society. Volunteering is the practice of people working on behalf of others without being motivated by financial or material gain

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