Fresh Inspiration
I just created a section on www.peacemonger.org that I titled "Fresh Inspiration" - I am hoping that is what it attracts since it seems the world is increasingly going to violence and chaos. My hopes are to keep this section populated with the most recent listings which seem to be failing to post in our 'auto-populated' NEW PRODUCTS section. I want to share the article that inspired the creation of this new category on Peacemonger.org as well as the first item featured within it. This is by Yaron Fishman who runs MyPeace.tv:
Although I do not consider myself to be "religious", this vision inspires me greatly: "...they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift the sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." -Isaiah 2:4 When I contemplate this vision, I think about the former soldiers who have become living examples of it. I think of Major General Smedley Butler, who explained in 1935 that "War Is a Racket". I think of Veterans For Peace, with thousands of members across the United states and abroad, who try to show us that peace is possible. I think of Breaking the Silence, Israeli veteran combatants who have spoken out about their experiences and the policies they feel are detrimental to the peace process. I think of Combatants for Peace, an organization made up of Israelis and Palestinians who used to fight each other, but now work together to end the conflict. I think of soldiers around the globe who have chosen to speak out and put their weapons down, despite often being slandered, vilified, and called "traitors" because they broke free of the fear-mongering rhetoric from governments and media outlets that are controlled by those who make huge financial profits from war. I think of former members of violent groups like the KKK or ISIL who have found the courage to leave these extremist organizations and speak out against the hatred they were taught. I think about the evolution of education, and the possibility for inner and outer peace to be taught in every school across the planet. I think about how powerful of an example is set when people who used to be violent, bigoted, or dangerously greedy, have been able to change their ways and share their stories of transformation. In my heart, I know that nobody is born as a violent extremist, or a bigot, or a war profiteer addicted to destructive greed, and that such ways of being were learned through cycles of fear-based thinking that have been passed down from generation to generation. There are countless stories of those who have found the strength to break these cycles in their own lives; many stories that are yet to be heard. What is the potential for such stories to help our Human Family evolve? Please, through your actions and the media content you share, help to answer this question. Future generations will thank you for it. heart emoticon ~Yaron