Please visit my new web site to learn about my peacemaking and building bridges work at:
www.susankaplanmsw.com
kaplan@earthlink.net
Linger and read some
reflections and a survey on inner and outer peace.
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I
have always been a peacemaker.
Growing up in an interfaith family,
I saw the best and worse of resolving
conflicts, anger, and building bridges.
My personal
and professional life has
been devoted to fostering inner peace
and creating a world with peace and
justice for all people and the earth.
There are many dilemmas
in
peacemaking. I have met people
working for peace or environmental
movements who were
bitter, angry,
and difficult to be around.
Likewise I have met "war hawks"
who are very
gentle and loving
as individuals.
Our challenge as peacemakers
is to
do the work, wrestle with the
dilemmas, and be honest with
ourselves and others.
Vital charactistics for creating peace:
willingness to learn the skills
put
values into action,
a persistent hope and vision,
deep listening to self & others,
working
on all levels.
Peacemaking is a life of:
asking questions,
clarifying values,
learning & sharpening skills,
reaching inside of yourself,
reaching
out to others,
walking your talk, and
being persistent in pursuing your
dreams and hopes
for peace.
Peace within Oneself
and
Peace
Between Others
are very important aspects of my work.
Let us listen deeply to ourselves and to
others
and to hear each other's stories.
We can build bridges which will make
this world a better place.
It is my hope that my work will help:
heal and help people move forward,
repair
our world,
give hope,
challenge,
teach skills,
support other peacemakers, and
give
courage to others to work
for peace.
Questions for
reflection:
1. In what ways do I practice and
develop inner peace for myself?
2. In what ways do I create peace
for
others?
3. What is one opportunity I have
created to bring out the best in
someone else?
4. Have you developed a vision for
what you hope the world to be?
What does that vision
look like?
How might we move toward that
vision?
5. How do I share my skills to:
listen to others rather than
debate or argue?
ask inviting questions?
create a dialogue?
resolve my own conflicts?
speak with nonviolent words?
help others resolve conflict?
release my anger in a healthy
and postive manner?
support others to release
anger
in healthy & positive manner?
celebrate efforts?
connect
with others?
practice kindness & patience in my
peace efforts?
other skills?
6. When did you create opportunity
for someone else to learn about
and practice peace?
7. Tell about the time you helped
two people find bridges between
their opposing experiences,
views,
beliefs, or values?
8. In what ways
do you practice
forgiveness?
9. What do you
gain and what do you
lose from:
being angry?
stuck in a particular conflict?
holding onto your story as being
the "right"
side?
not forgiving?
staying in a comfortable zone by
being with
only people who
agree with you?
spending time helping others, but
not yourself?
spending time helping yourself,
but not others?
being bitter and in despair?
10. How do you celebrate both the
small &
large steps toward peace?
11. How do you live between and
integrate your "worlds"?
12. What are your unique wisdom and
strengths to help our others to move
toward peace?
13.
Where, what, how and to whom
do you share parts of your story
(the experiences of your
personal,
cultural, racial, family and even
geographic history)?
14.
How do you nurture -
your sense of hope?
sense of connectedness?
deep listening?
wrestling with questions of peace?
sharing resources?
creating resources for others?
your vision of peace in the
world?
community?
workplace?
communities?
family?
personal life?
15.
What will you do today within
your life to make this a more
peaceful and nonviolent world?
16. How many ways can you express
peace?
17.
In what ways do you reach out to
"The Other" - the other side, the
enemy, the one who is
different from
you?
18. Name three people you honor
and ask
them about how they create peace in
their life.
