The government and coporate interests of the U.S. are in a dispute with the government and corporate interests of Iran. We are led to believe that the people of Iran are different from us, that their beliefs and attitudes are a danger to us. The Iranian people have been told that the U.S. is the great satan.
From the perspective of the Creator we are just squabbling siblings. Unfortunately, the division between us effects billions of people. The military and financial power of our divided family has the potential to wreak massive death, destruction, and suffering. Our fears of each other push us to create ever more dangerous ways to threaten each other. Our leaders are preparing us to accept the inevitability of war. War is the failure of humanity, a complete disconnect with our spiritual purpose. We were not created to kill our brothers and sisters.
In the Lakota way we pray Mitakuwe Oyasin, All My Relations. This is the pathway to bring healing to our troubled human family. We must learn to make connections with those we’ve been conditioned to see as ‘other’. We must open our minds and especially our hearts to see with compassion and understanding the points of view of our brothers and sisters who are dealing with the realities of life in their corner of creation. Rather than competing for control of resources and power for our own benefit, we must learn to seek fair outcomes that allow all our relations to live in a good way.
Great Lakes Peace Jam offers an opportunity to practice this kind of connection making. Over the next two weeks Peace Jam will be hosting events intended to open our minds and hearts to the issues effecting our brothers and sisters in Iran and across the Mideast. I am especially excited to invite you to see Dr. Shirin Ebadi. Like many of our emerging world leaders for peace she is a woman, mother and grandmother. She shares her wisdom in a clear and direct way that touches both the mind and the heart. I hope you will join us in experiencing these powerful events.
Dr. Ebadi will speak to the public about “Awakening Human Rights” on Friday, April 12th at 7:00 pm at the Bernhard Center at Western Michigan University, followed by a book signing. Tickets are offered for a suggested donation of $10 and are available on our website. Children 12 and under and WMU students attend for free. This event is being co-sponsored by the WMU PeaceJam Mentors, the Persian Student Organization, and the Muslim Student Association.
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