March 2008 Blog Posts (14)

not fair....

...Yesterday's posting. this is a great site w/ some great folks. I keep forgetting how deeply traumatized Israelis & Palestinians are and how healing it is for folks to talk about it. so many of these people have had their hearts broken repeatedly. just to keep them open is real and hard work.

I bring a terrible sense of urgency from my week on the West Bank during the war in Lebanon, July 2006. I feel there is a real shot & that it is slipping away- again. and of course… Continue

Added by Adam Neiman on March 19, 2008 at 7:41pm — 1 Comment

The whole world is a single flower

I know that a lot of Palestinian actions are reactions to Israeli actions. And a lot of Israeli actions are reactions to Palestinian actions. In Buddhism, sometimes they call that "mutually co-dependent origination." I prefer to avoid such long names and think of it simply as "recognizing that we are all connected." No human being exists in isolation. We only exist inside and in relation to a larger society. We are part of this world, not apart from it. And this world that we are part of… Continue

Added by MKE on March 18, 2008 at 6:19pm — No Comments

too soon to tell....

will this be a well intentioned but time consuming sink of platitudes & hand holding? or will I find enough serious partners prepared to roll up their sleeves & help do the hard, unglamorous work of building the prosperity needed to sustain the peace to come? In time to save my company & our initiative? the clock is ticking. Lemuel Melamed asked how much the Palestinian made T-shirts cost. that's a good sign. Eyal says start a discussion group. I think I'll wait till I've made more… Continue

Added by Adam Neiman on March 18, 2008 at 4:41pm — No Comments

requesting advice and assistance

how do you find adequate resources for a business that is only slightly less risky than betting on peace in the middle east?

this is my company's urgent quandry. here's what we do...

No Sweat Apparel’s new line of organic cotton T-shirts is produced at a sweatshop-free Palestinian owned factory on Virgin Mary Street in Bethlehem. Here’s a link to an al Jazeera segment about the project.

http://www.youtube.com/nosweatapparel

Our Jewish, Israeli &… Continue

Added by Adam Neiman on March 16, 2008 at 9:42pm — No Comments

Peace is Active

Hello,

I would like to invite you to help us show that Peace is Active

Share information and motivation.

We have the ability to live in peace.

http://www.peaceisactive.com

Added by Willie on March 16, 2008 at 3:00pm — No Comments

Why I am here ---- Why am I here?

When I found this community, I had been looking for some time to find a place where real ideas for peace would be discussed, with compassion and open hearts. I had looked at communities on My Space, Facebook and others. What I saw were people that were only there to argue that their “side” was good and the “other” evil - Not a path for creative reconciliation. I can find this all around me, in the ‘real world’, so I was seeking a space where I could ‘breath’, where I could ‘recharge’ my spirit,… Continue

Added by Catherine on March 15, 2008 at 8:20pm — 5 Comments

The Ten Commandments

Here's something that I found in Haaretz online. Enjoy.

-gabi

Ten Commandments for Arab and Jew at war

By Bradley Burston

Tags: Ten Commandments, Israel

There is no conflict in the world more complex, more closely watched, and more historically intractable than the war between Israel and its Arab neighbors, a tireless blood feud now on the threshold of its seventh decade.

It helps little that each side lays claim to ultimate morality and… Continue

Added by Gabi on March 15, 2008 at 3:51am — 2 Comments

combatants for peace

from the bouphonia blog's weekly post entitled "friday hope blogging", i found a link to this web site:

"We are a group of Israeli and Palestinian individuals who were actively involved in the cycle of violence in our area. The Israelis served as combat soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinians were involved in acts of violence in the name… Continue

Added by Erik Rader on March 14, 2008 at 11:32pm — No Comments

What Makes Peace Happen

Man With a Hoe

By Edward Markham

THE MAN WITH THE HOE

by Edward Markham

Bowed by the weight of centuries he leans

Upon his hoe and gazes on the ground,

The emptiness of ages in his face,

And on his back the burden of the world.

Who made him dead to rapture and despair,

A thing that grieves not and that never hopes,

Stolid and stunned, a brother to the ox?

Who loosened and let down this brutal jaw?

Whose… Continue

Added by Mirium Ahmed on March 13, 2008 at 5:07am — No Comments

Meet Libby and Len Traubman - Peacemakers of the Week

Libby and Len Traubman are an inspiration to the thousands who know them. I heard about this California couple when I participated in a dialogue between Palestinians and Jews in New York. This special couple dedicated to bringing people together in dialogues groups, peacemaker camps and other varied projects they have initiated. They are responsible for a great deal of co-existence and good relations between Arabs and… Continue

Added by Eyal Raviv on March 12, 2008 at 1:00pm — 7 Comments

A Petition for truly Peaceful Petitions -- By another Donna

Whilst this petition was triggered by some politcal games here in Australia, it seems to that it is universally valid

If you feel heartbroken when words are used as weapons please sign Donna’s petition at

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/6/a-petition-for-truly-peaceful-petitions.

Or

http://tinyurl.com/2oo25u

I trust that all who sign, also value the work of organisations like:

== http://www.crnhq.org/

== http://togetherforhumanity.org.au/ and

==… Continue

Added by Paul RETI on March 12, 2008 at 7:00am — No Comments

Where else to find me

I keep a blog at ignoblus.blogspot.com

Added by MKE on March 11, 2008 at 9:34pm — No Comments

Compassion and Peace

Hello

I am studying the word compassion for some time and i want to share with you the things that I have learned and the relevance it has for peace.

Compassion is a way of being which encompasses a few feelings:1. Love and empathy - to love a fellow human being just because he is a human being like you, who like you his life is very fragile and can end at any minute and like you is suffering at times and happy at other times. 2. Clearity - a compassionate person looks at his fellow… Continue

Added by Michal Dover on March 11, 2008 at 11:00am — No Comments

What's so funny about Peace, Justice and security?

I have been wrestling with the concept of peace with justice. Rationally, I understand that a peace without justice is not a real peace. It would be a detente, but not really peace. On the other hand, when the word justice is used like a flag, it feels like a threat to "the other". They wonder "what do you mean by justice?", "Do I need to give up my home, my way of life, my security?" I agree that justice has to be the endgame, but to demand it up front is very similar to demanding "security"… Continue

Added by Catherine on March 10, 2008 at 3:00am — 7 Comments