God, Jews and History!

Whoa! Just read "God, Jews and History". Read this book. It's the bomb.

What struck me was the author's point: that Jews have for thousands of years operated from the context "we are chosen by God" and this single idea allowed them to survive the holocaust, slavery, massive displacements, religious discrimination and antisemitism. This context of "I am chosen" led them to look for the opportunity in every challenge they faced. 'Cause if you're chosen, clear you have a purpose, then everything that happens must have some gift in it, EVEN WHEN IT'S CLEAR TO EVERYONE ELSE THERE IS NO GIFT.

So, what if YOU thought of yourself as "chosen". What if you practiced knowing that you are here for a reason, chosen as it were, for a purpose? Hmmmm? It makes sense to say you are here because you are chosen, or that YOU chose to be, even if you aren't clear who did the choosing. Makes just as much sense as saying your are here by accident, except that's not nearly as much fun.

If you are here on purpose, you are probably here for a purpose! To say you are empowers you to create meaning and possibility in your life. I suspect it's also access to Peace. Ta Da!

I'm betting you are here for a reason, a purpose! Wouldn't you like to find out what it is?

Love,

Darlene

Psssst! Guess what? You get to decide what your purpose is! Thought I was going to leave you hanging there, didn't you.

Waxing Poetic for Peace

Hey you wanna be poets out there. I'm challenging you all to write a Peace poem as a way to get your heart and head into this game we are playing here. For those of you who wanna be left alone right now, this is an invitation to show up for Peace. Imagine your poem put to music and you'll become a ROCK STAR! Or imagine it inspiring one person. Either way; Peace.

So, here goes.

Let me sing 'til I am nothing but a song
Live now and other moments disappear
Love 'til I can love whatever happens
Be Peace 'til Peace abounds and time stands still

Your turn!

Love,

Darlene

Creating a Peace Plan

A financial planner on television had some VERY wise words regarding creating a financial plan that apply soooooooo well to planning Peace. He said, "The past is not a good predictor of the future." Notice he didn't say you can't learn from the past, because clearly you can. He said YOU CANNOT PREDICT THE FUTURE BY LOOKING BACKWARDS.

The future, and Peace, is something we create by IMAGINING FORWARD. And just because Peace has been missing from chunks of history, doesn't mean you and I can't create it more reliably and consistently in the future!

So, this Peace Tuesday, please imagine one thing you can do for Peace, yours and ours. Then forward this imagining by doing one thing to create it; one really big thing or one tiny thing. Either way, Peace wins.

Love,

Darlene

Peace Needs More Than Hope!

I used to say "Hope is crap"! Not too Peaceful.

What's really true is that hope alone is not a reliable route to Peace. Here's why. Hope can be an excuse for people to rationalize inaction. And Peace needs all the action we can muster.

Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darvish says "We suffer from an incurable malady: hope". Hope implies that it alone is necessary and sufficient to produce a result. It locates responsibility for what is possible outside ourselves, allowing us to escape responsibility for choosing ways to create what we "hope" for. The Buddhists say that hope is the source of suffering because folks hope for what is not, as a way to resist or avoid responsibility for what is.

Peace requires commitment, intention, action, meditation, prayer, miracles and lots of other things. You can hope for Peace. Please also be willing to be responsible and choose to do something to create it!

Love,

Darlene

Peace Bonds!

Do you remember the Bonds sold during WWI to finance our war effort? Well, now we can buy Peace Bonds! Yes, we can INVEST IN PEACE! Yay!

Two organizations, Nonviolent Peaceforce at www.buypeacebonds.com and Christian Peacemaker Teams at www.cpt.org, use the money to support Peace efforts in militarized areas, non violent intervention, public witness (a most effective way to promote Peace), reporting and advocacy.

So, if you are looking for a gift to honor someone's birthday, or, dare I say it in August, the holidays (only 136 shopping days 'til Christmas), buying a Peace bond is in sync with the true spirit of the season and a great way to invest in a Peaceful future.

Remember, Peace needs you! Buy a Peace Bond today!

Love,

Darlene

Stuff and Peace: An hommage to George Carlin!

When humans lose meaning they often fill the empty space with stuff. Then they attach meaning to the stuff; "my stuff is proof that I am successful". Unfortunately, keeping stuff can be a burden, preventing us from engaging deeply with the world.

If having a lot of stuff points to a lack of meaning in life, I risk losing my meaning when my stuff disappears. Yikes! AND many people celebrated for making a big difference in the world have very little stuff. Fascinating!

Peace and meaning is available with or without stuff. The question is will you find deep meaning in simply being and in being with other beings? How can you have stuff and not make your life about your stuff?

A Peace practice today is to look at the meaning you attach to your stuff. Who are you without it? Do you suffer because of the stuff you do or don't have?

How can you be Peace with or without stuff?

Love,

Darlene