The general presentation
is a somewhat unstructured one, we are trying to honor the fact that
we are trying to allow everyone to have an equal opportunity to speak.
Ringing the bell is to keep people in the general area of a 3 minute
speaking time. If someone is waiting to speak, people should not wait
until the entire group is done speaking. People seem somewhat subdued,
although they still seem interested.
The general group of people are from the area, although a few people
are coming from quite far areas, most of the people seem to come from
psychological backgrounds, also many of the people seem to have a similar
feelings of peace and etc. many of the people are currently active in
a peaceful movement. We are here to discuss compassion, the arts, freedom
and expression, and fear, compassion as a worldwide idea. We have not
yet opened the forum style discussion, although a woman named Margaret
began the discussion with a powerful but short speech on Iraq. There
are quite a few professors attending this, many people are here very
willing to learn. One young man said "I'm a student for life, not
just these few years". The facilitator reiterates the fact that
he is just here to keep the peace, and keep things in short spurts of
time. My name is mistaken for the 4th time; I am referred to as "Kevin".
Ivan. A short amount of silence is broken, "there is so much attack
on population, so much on women and children" the discussion of
women and how there is not enough power given to them, we are in such
a medicated society, people are having a hard time keeping up economically,
she points out that women are becoming the cement of society, she is
ready to begin with action. She has welcomed the fear, the fear that
her phone could be tapped and etc.
A week after Sept. 11th, a woman in the group had the F.B.I. knock
on her door and speak with her, her friends are people who control the
city, she realized people controlling the city have no intrest in learning
about other religions. The subject matter that we speak on is one that
could be misinterpreted and taken from a different point of view from
the Government.
Another woman speaks on the past; the 60s to be specific speaks of lists
the local government agencies used to keep lists and it made you worth
while if you were on one of the lists.
It used to be there was a gas station on every corner, but now there
are drugstores on every corner. How do we help our citizens become more
aware of how the rest of the world lives? How do we make them more aware
of how we live? We have such a large percentage of children of poverty.
We must define greatness, are we truly the greatest nation in the world?
The discussion of war arises, how are soldiers to deal with combatants?
How do we house the children of combatants? Where do we hear of this
in the news? Where do we hear what is actually going on? We have 2nd
hand sources to get any somewhat reliable information.
We have writers, actors, and etc. to demonstrate these things, but
it's just not good enough. We are holding hostages for various reasons,
we have heard what it was like to be in a prison camp, and we have heard
what it is like to be born in the camps. The camps were hideous, sometimes
they turned the horse stalls into places to live, what are we doing
to these people that we are robbing, and etc.
Nobody is writing these peoples stories.
The only media one woman pays attention to is the N.P.R. how much advertising
must we listen to? How do we reach greater audiences? We must campaign
for better media? Recently there is a movement of people being able
to create their own documentaries and sell/show them in so many places,
they can be shown anywhere. We should no be pushing political discussions
out of our homes; we should push ourselves to speak openly on our feelings.
We have to approach it as an open dialogue with respect for their opinions.
Moveon.org
A woman who speaks of a friend who had a friend who was born in a Japanese
prison camp, we took their money, we took everything. She did not see
her father for the first 7 years of her life. Hollywood avoids the subject,
as if it was taboo. They don't make movies on what is going on here
for the persecution we are committing. The funding is not there, people
are not educated on the subject. Movies are shown at Western Michigan
University about the persecution of people that is completed by us.
Also films about what is going on with the political issues such as
the past election. We have to know what really occurred. There is a
systemic issue that every country is effected by, it is a mind set.
Many countries do not explain the own things their own country does.
Getting the message out is the main concept being discussed. Are we
prepared to do what we have to do? It fits into the idea that we are
overmedicated. If I have a problem what pill can I take? And etc. we
look for solutions for our own problems. We have to increase people's
readiness. People have to be ready for a transformation.
We can't process so many demands in our conscience. We are not just
receiving neutral information; we are receiving information that effects
our emotions. We see it all, but we just can't handle it and can't respond.
We are in a culturally overwhelming state. We need strategies to slow
down the demand on us. We have to do simple things like exercising and
taking care of ourselves.
Look at the Greek dramas, people have been hyping conflict for thousands
of years. Some people travel from place to place gathering people to
speak on conflict. The amount of common ground we share is huge, we
agree on so many things, we are reasonable people, and we must allow
ourselves to hear the other point of view. A huge percentage of people
want the war to end, but we don't hear it from the media, we only hear
about the extremists. We must listen to each other and come to acceptable
conclusions.
The soldiers don't know what they are dealing with; they must prepare
themselves by learning about their culture. The military officers are
curious to know who they are dealing with. We send them there, we didn't
prepare them. There is awareness that we must change our plans.
A woman spoke about depression, there was war while her children are
young, children are affected by war and etc, and they are traumatized
by it. Action is a huge answer to depression; so much of the country
is affected by depression. Dialogue is a wonderful phenomenon. Groups
must not break up before an action plan is realized; action is what
shall solve the problem of depression.
We cannot do everything, but we can do some things well. We must be
role models for our siblings and peers. We pass the same beliefs we
have to our own children, we have to teach them we are different people,
yet we are all different. We have different religions, but we still
share the organs and etc. being a professor is a great opportunity to
bring things to students to reflect on, to reflect on all cultures and
etc.
Bringing multicultural students together helps, bringing each other
together to explain each others view on things. It gives them the chance
to interact and realize we are all good people and we all want peace.
Each one of us can do similar things, but we can be prolific in these
things. We are contributing in small scales of making the world together.
A personal experience of being a proud American/proud Muslim/proud Arab/proud
pilot, which he said does not mix well. He was prepared to be called
by the F.B.I. he was prepared; there was no way they were going to take
his love of aviation away from him. He went in to speak with a couple
men from the F.B.I. and they spoke about politics, it was a very productive
conversation, they actually agreed on subjects such as the war on Iraq,
F.B.I. agents are people, they are confused like everyone else, they
have fears too. He has a friend in reserve, but they still have many
common grounds on political beliefs. Many institutions such as the F.B.I.
has may humanitarians, we must reach these people.
Children are so innocent, they don't realize the conflicts between
the adults, and adults are putting hatred into each other. Children
are just human beings who are ready to grow up. Who is putting this
hatred into them?
There is a conference in Russia about ecology and peace; it allows all
people from all walks of life to agree on things. Within 24 hours the
people are joking with each other from all different places, they share
music and dances and etc. they become comfortable with each other.
They automatically begin speaking on issues back home and they realize
they are being pressured into a direction that they don't want to go.
Seeds of Peace was brought up, he has a friend in Palestine, his cousin
had a friend who was Israeli, they avoided the conflict as much as possible,
they split apart as one was forced to join the military and killed.
Why don't they refuse to join the military?
We have to focus on children, politics is not an issue, religion is
not an issue, land is not an issue, and it would be the biggest defeat.
Treasuring the meaning of our own being is a very positive thing; we
have to learn to understand discomfort. There are ways in which all
things can be worked out in healthy positive ways. The man treasures
the discussion we are having; he realizes this is a very deep conversation
with a powerful meaning. "It is possible to form a way of a clearer
sense of what is present"
Greater things are to come if we treasure each other and share the gift
of getting closer to each other.
To hate anyone is bad, but we can't ignore it. Why does hate start?
Who started the conflict? Love and peace will only be established once
peace and justice arrives. The root cause must be taken care of, only
superficial problems will be solved. The conflict will not be stopped
without fairness and justice. If there is a conflict, we need an impartial
mediator. The third party has to intervene and build bridges and etc.
many conflicts are occurring because we are not looking to the root
cause, if we believe we are fair people we have to go to both parties
and resolve the issue. Once it is fixed then we can attempt to bring
peace about. The key thing is truth, truth is absolute, it is not relative.
We have to strive, we must be sincere. We need to not avoid speaking
on past mistakes, we have to speak with a clear conscience, we don't
have to apologize for mistakes made in the past that we didn't do, we
have to live and not make the same mistakes. We can be snared into feeling
as if we must speak from our side.
There are so many artificial barriers, we can overlook them and respond
to issues.
A couple thoughts about Iraq come up. So many young people are affected
by their friends who are in the military, so many people join the military
when they are basically children, we must rehabilitate our soldiers,
we have to acknowledge what is not working, and the incentives for getting
people to join are going too far. We have to look at it from a larger
perspective, we have to bring everything into it, education, community,
and etc. how do we use our own resources to create ourselves to create
an impact into our own community? How do we hold our own beliefs and
not deny them if we are bombarded? There is a very different field of
spiritual beliefs arising. We are in a time of transition. How interconnected
are we? Places like this show how similar we all are.
We have all these old systems and structures that are falling apart.
How do we deal with this fear? All our contexts are falling apart. There
is anxiety that is coming up. Where there is a big shift about to happen,
we must grow. Systemic belief systems that are breaking us apart, we
are afraid to be alienated. Things are gracefully falling apart and
we must rise to grow past them.
Gandhi, King, and Chavez; why can't we be similar to them?
Time was in Gandhi's favor, that is why is he was so successful. One
man doubts that Gandhi made a real impact; he believes that Britain
would have left anyway.
Something like an iron hand may seem to solve the problem, but it only
solves the problem for a few generations. To resolve a conflict you
must have both parties who both endorse the agreement. We need people
to take power and move peaceful moments.
How many societies base their monuments on peace, yet how many base
their monuments on war, victory, and victimization?
How can we begin to base our own society on peace and compassion instead
of who is the top nation, etc.
Feelings of being perplexed for the mistakes of their ancestors always
arise. We have to break the mentality that we must pay back people for
past conflicts. We do not need to prove a point via physical dominance,
we must prove we are above it and rise to peace. Many times both sides
feel they are the victim. Military action is just a short term solution.
Women during the conflict in the Balkans...women came together, they
had peaceful vigils and etc. many times they are intermarried, they
are in an almost neutral state. They complete labors of love such as
raising children. Women don't have the same feelings of being better
than other nations, they are in fluid states, they are willing to move
to solve the conflict, and men are patriotic. We must redefine our views;
there are so many women who have no political representation. Women
have been socialized differently. Women have a different form of analysis.
It may help escape the blockade we are stuck behind.
Before facilitator arrived, talk was about women's and women's role,
then Sufism
Talking philosophy about god is in us all,.. there is no Other. It's
all one consciousness..
Felt sense of how you know when something is true for you.
Facilitator talked about moving into space of moving out of judgment
and into practice of satori,.. just watching the mind, .. knowing the
suffering of all beings,.. there is nothing but compassion..
Cute story that stems from the movie 'ONE'.. interviewed Ran Dass ..
in his seeking became mystic . met trapist monk.. two men came together
meeting for the first time.. with great awareness of one being.. sense
of oneness.. the question that the guy asked Ram Dass.. "why did
Judas kiss Jjesus.. and they both answer together: "because they
were enjoying the game."
Talk about the movie one.. different when you watch it with an audience..
rather than when you are making it frame by frame by frame.
You and The Other are one...words said by a priest in the audience.
(Ward Powers said he thought his panel went fantastic)
Now onto conference feedback:
Woman felt like Lee Mun Wah was fortunate because he knew where he was
coming from (he said he had his culture, costume and tradition
Woman speaking (Shannon) said she lives in Santas Fe.. with indigenous
people.. and she feels like there is that lack here. l the most she's
learned from transpersonal psychology .. she's learned from native Americans..
relating to her
Shannon: based on that would like to have indigenous people invited
and present at these conferences.
Man's response: this is a multicultural society.. and each one of us
needs to develop our own culture ..
Who is the other within the organization? Or vice versa, is it the
competition?
If we can't think cooperatively the cost of health care will go up.
The nature of large structures is somewhat dehumanizing, the only real
access we have is through person to person, face to face. Ultimately
those structures will have to shift. It takes time, but often time is
precious. For example, teachers don't have the time to develop the students
and relationships with them to be truly effective.
Our culture has taught us so much on being active, why can't we connect
with what we are doing? We must simply "be". Life is so expansive.
Reflecting on one's self is not accepted now, me must be proficient.
It is much more demanding to really "be" and truly engage
one's self.
We are losing track of time. We are so object oriented, even on such
things as dates, we must bring the opposite partner a object of some
sort, it may be flowers, it may be chocolate, it could be anything.
In the past people were really interested in each other, it was fulfilling
to actually listen to someone else, now it is completely different,
everything is more, more and more.
Things such as extremist groups are becoming larger and reaching a
bigger audience, we are all trying to do something to stop this. Diversity
is a gift. What is the lesson we are learning from such groups? Perhaps
we are in conflict with ourselves, perhaps we have multiple persons
who all have different meanings. We all have experienced different things,
this is what shapes us. The point of the org. is to help people get
in contact with themselves so we can be responsible for ourselves and
see the larger picture. The bad personality is not present enough to
contact and solve the conflict with ourselves.
An issue with society is there are so many people who are afraid of
others coming into their small worlds. When there is a misjudgment we
don't know what to do between something that is experienced as a offence.
It is either a mistake or on purpose. As long as a connection occurs
and people get along its great, but what do we do when the connection
is made and the persons dislike each other.
An empathic failure occurs far too often, it is when something is misinterpreted
as a threat. Perception is everything. How do we communicate with people
who are threatening to us in a non-threatening way? We don't want to
misjudge people, our goals on some level is that we receive each other
somewhat so we can speak with each other.
When we truly engage with each other, there is a shared space, in that
moment there is a shift to let go of ideas and move each other with
ideas, to let go of resistance. There are universal values that we all
have that we have as common ground such as being safe, or keeping children
safe and etc.
If we bring the leaders together and do a workshop so much could be
solved, so much comes from reality and not just concepts and theory.
Why do people who have more believe they deserve more?
Why do people feel superior to other people?
It is not only a question of interest, but how do you value the other.
Group affiliation is a large part of who we are. Why would one give
up privilege? There is a personal starving, our culture has taught us
to define ourselves by what we have. We are starving emotionally, we
are filling ourselves with empty things.
"It is meaningful just being here with these other wonderful people"
Everyone can have a positive and healthy impact on one another and
allow each other to get closer to one's self.
There is something about being in a group that is attempting to define
relations and solve problems, everyone is positive, not doing wrong
and complaining. We must learn from each other an learn new ways to
share our thoughts, realities, dreams, and ideals into something. Coming
away from the conference people feel as if they are open for new thoughts,
the world inside of us is so much larger than the world inside of us
than the one outside of us. We are working to explore a world we can't
see, touch, or taste.
We have in a way a luxury of allowing things to process. In other countries
other people are confronted with life and death situations, how could
this conference impact those places?
We must give of ourselves in a positive way to connect, it is personal
and not materialistic. We are afraid everything is so scarce, we are
hording things for ourselves, the reality is we are destroying our own
resources.
If we define ourselves in physicality we don't receive as much in quality
of true self fulfillment.
The soviet union's biggest treasure was its people, not what was happening
inside the people, not what was going on with the people such as starvation
and etc.
"We can not really claim we are in a better place than we were
20 years ago"
The problems we are having are worldwide, instability effects all of
us. The west is too rooted in other places, countries are being lost
to westernization. There is different work to be done between different
sides. The west has to somehow engage the other, we must know there
is another world besides us. Perhaps the positive side of this conflict
we are currently having is we are becoming aware of a different world,
socially. We are too engaged with others, we are not able to rid ourselves
of others, we must be allowed to think about ourselves.
As everyone gets closer to their true selves, we release so much from
ourselves, new forms of creativity, new thought processes, and being
able to be present with everyone else.
We are living in such different places we have such different references,
we cannot know what we mean completely when we listen to each other,
we are only getting a single reference from a person, we speak of engaging
the other, can we realize engaging the other between ourselves?
It is difficult to come in contact with someone who has been living
in such a different place with such different references.
How can we impact our environments? There is something very concrete
to be done on a daily basis, we must invest in something positive.
The discussion of water struck fear in one woman, she connects social
problems with nature, she believes that the environment underlies social
issues. It is contained in such a delicate state.
Understanding how our earth works effects us all, we have to factor
in things like burning oil, wasting water, and etc. how will it impact
us?
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