Electronic Intifada: Boycott Israel

This article is very moving, not only through its portrayal of the atrocities in Gaza, but also because it gives the reader an opportunity to act. Intifada is the Arabic word for "shaking off" and has been tied in the past to nonviolent resistance movements in the late 1980s. The Global BDS Movement looks to be one good way to show solidarity and empathy with our Palestinian neighbors.

Here is an interesting look at what the new U.S. administration has said about the "conflict" and an interpretation of what is going on from Democracy Now and Noam Chomsky (again).

The term apartheid is becoming more commonly accepted terminology regarding the crisis in Gaza. Illegal weapons have been used, innocent civilians have been murdered, and aid has been cut off from the outside, all of which are unacceptable acts of abhorrent violence against human beings already living in horrible conditions. The Obama administration seems to be continuing the stance of the former Bush administration regarding Israel through its actions, although peace is being discussed in abstract terms. One of the most hopeful messages from the new administration is that it is up to the people to act and to be heard, since it is the people who can open the hearts and minds of those in power. There are similar petitions and movements going on all over the place. Please feel free to add them in the comments section, since I am by no means an expert on the subject... just a person who is being moved by conscience to find ways to act.

Chomsky on the current crisis in Gaza

Noam Chomsky has written a disturbing and lucid look at the crisis in Gaza as well as Israeli and US policies in general. I never feel good after listening to or reading anything from Chomsky, but I do feel informed. I don't know of many other people who can cull and synthesize information in such plain speak. What sources of good alternative information do you use?

"Of course all such conclusions about appropriate actions against the rich and powerful are based on a fundamental flaw: This is us, and that is them. This crucial principle, deeply embedded in Western culture, suffices to undermine even the most precise analogy and the most impeccable reasoning."



Edit:

A nice follow-up to the article might be this post from the Metta Center.

The Department of Peace: The Opportunity to Vote

There has been a large grassroots campaign to create a Department of Peace in the United States, thanks in large part to Dennis Kucinich and Marianne Williamson. This movement is gaining a lot of momentum and the idea really gives me a great sense of joy myself.

If you think that the creation of such a department is worthwhile, you can help make it happen by voicing your opinion to the new administration. Barack Obama's change.org has a campaign entitled, "Ideas for Change in America," which allows you to vote for various ideas that you would like addressed by the next administration.

"Appoint Secretary of Peace in Department of Peace and Non-Violence" is one of the options. Please feel free to sign up and vote for this and/or any of the other ideas that you would like addressed. What a wonderful opportunity for participation.

Charlene Spretnak & Fritjof Capra, "Green Politics"

"They are fighting to save the natural world and humankind, not through force but by awakening the consciousness that a new orientation for society is imperative."

"Green Politics" represents one of the earliest attempts to describe the Green Party and its development in West Germany as well as its spreading potential in other European countries and the United States. The politics of the Green Party are based on several "pillars," which include "ecology, social responsibility, grassroots democracy, nonviolence, decentralization, postpatriarchal perspectives, and spirituality," which are all seen as interelated but also require distinct attention since they are divergent and neglected issues from the mainstream of political aims. The Greens, although divided ideologically within their own party and lacking cohesive, comprehensive and concrete planning upon the writing of this book, represent a political change in their approach to achieving sustainable peace, economic reform and addressing social issues including health care, minority and women's rights, education, and the role of science in society. They see social and ecological issues as systemically interlinked and see politics as a process best addressed through comprehensive participation and consensus building; a means of transformation rather than an ends to maintain status quo. This book portrays the somewhat uneasy but positive beginnings of a movement that has achieved a globally prominent status and continues to grow as environmental and social crises continue to proliferate.

Links:
Green Party USA



Citation Information:
Spretnak, C., & Capra, F. (1985). Green Politics: The Global Promise. London: Paladin Grafton Books.

Aung San Suu Kyi, "Freedom From Fear"

"The quintessential revolution is that of the spirit, born of an intellectual conviction of the need for change in those mental attitudes and values which shape the course of a nation's development."

Freedom from Fear contains the writings of 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Burmese leader and political prisoner Aung San Suu Kyi in two parts, a third section with four tributary essays from third party contributors, and a forward by Václav Havel. The first part of the book consist of writings of a more academic nature from her time spent in Oxford with her family. The first of these writings concerns her father, U Aung San, who originated and led the Burma Independence Army and liberated Burma from British rule in 1948 as well as led the country in a resistance against the Japanese before being assassinated . Also included are a history of Burma and the Burmese written for a young audience, a comparison of intellectual life between Burma and India, both countries having been colonized by Great Britain during different periods and adapted to British rule in divergent ways, and the literature in Burma which "reflected social conditions and political aspirations" of the Burmese. The second part of the book, which is probably of most interest to potential readers, contains her overtly political essays, letters, proposals, interviews and speeches during the period of her return to Burma and her entering the political stage between 1988 and 1989, as well as the statement made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the distribution of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize. The last part of the work contains reflections on the turbulent history of Burma and the life and development of Suu as a political leader. This book provides a background to the current situation in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and its people, whose future is unknown, its present mired in oppression and human rights abuses, and its fearless voice, Aung San Suu Kyi, remaining under indefinite house arrest for refusing cooperative exile.

Links:
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Website



Citation Information:
Aung San Suu Kyi, & Aris, M. (1991). Freedom from fear: And other writings. New York: Penguin.

The Dalai Lama, "The Art of Happiness"

"If you maintain a feeling of compassion, loving kindness, then something automatically opens your inner door. Through that, you can communicate much more easily with other people. And that feeling of warmth creates a kind of openness. You'll find that all human beings are just like you, so you'll be able to relate to them more easily."


"The Art of Happiness" is the product of a collaboration between His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler, M.D., which expounds upon on the notions of happiness, compassion, and the essential gentleness of human nature. Through a series of interviews, contemplations, and frank discussions, the pair attempt to bridge the gap between Eastern philosophy and Western culture, using the Buddhist principles of compassion and kindness as foundations for human happiness. Cutler and the Dalai Lama assert that it is in fact the purpose of life to seek and find happiness, as the Dalai Lama shares his knowledge about finding peace through training the mind and eliminating negative mind states. Together the pair discuss and seek solutions to the universal human sufferings of loneliness, anger, anxiety, and low self-esteem, with the overall purpose of helping the reader discover his own happiness, in order to create a more peaceful and content world.

Links:
Homepage of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet



Citation Information:
Bstan-ʼdzin-rgya-mtsho, & Cutler, H. C. (1998). The art of happiness: A handbook for living. New York: Riverhead Books.

Rigoberta Menchú, "I, Rigoberta Menchú"

"My commitment to our struggle recognizes neither boundaries nor limits: only those of us who carry our cause in our hearts are willing to run the risk."

I, Rigoberta Menchú is the personal account, as transcribed from a set of taped interviews, of a Guatemalan woman who speaks not only of her own life as a Quiche Indian, but also the life of all Indians. Menchú's story relays the life and customs of her people, including birth, marriage and end of life rituals, which maintain a tightly knit community and generational continuity, relating the wisdom of ancestral heritage into the present and keeping any outside influence at a distance. Her descriptions provide context for the reader with regard to her devotion to her people, as she also relays the horrific exploitation of her relatives, neighbors, and fellow Guatemalan Indians (the Quiche are actually 1 of 22 separate tribes, each with their own individual languages and customs). Menchú relays how she saw her brothers die from malnutrition and poisoning while working on fincas earning unlivable wages, how her other brother was arrested, tortured, and burned alive in front of her family, how her father, who was a leading activist for the Peasant Union Committee (PUC), was killed in a fire during a protest, and how her mother, also an organizer, was kidnapped, raped, and killed. Rigoberta, also an organizer and leader for the PUC, was forced into exile in Mexico where she became an international spokesperson for the Guatemalan Indians. Based on her activism abroad, Menchú eventually won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1992 and used the money to found the Rigoberta Menchú Tum foundation for the rights of indigenous people. This book, although controversy surrounds the it regarding its factual portrayal of events, relays the development of Rigoberta as an activist and spokesperson for the indigenous people of Guatemala, giving a voice to those who need it most.

Links:
Rigoberta Menchú Tum foundation



Citation Information:
Menchú, R., & Burgos-Debray, E. (1984). I, Rigoberta Menchú: An Indian woman in Guatemala. London: Verso.

Mary King, "A Quiet Revolution"

"The Palestinians in the first intifada had shown sophistication in appreciating that the best way to equalize the power relationship with Israel was through small institutions, employing the theories of nonviolent struggle with their potential for improving the odds for negotiation and reconciliation, and by open use of information to explain their new thinking."

"A Quiet Revolution" is a detailed and historical account of Palestinians and the first Intifada, or "shaking off," of Israeli occupation. Although the Intifada was sparked by the death of four Palestinians at an Israeli checkpoint, its roots run deep into the history of the evolution of Palestinian struggle. King describes the first Intifada as marked by largely nonviolent and organized resistance on a mass scale, which was made possible through the prolonged efforts of intellectuals, women, students, prisoners, and work committees. King also provides an historical background including precedents of Palestinian nonviolent sanctions during the 1920s and 30s, which were seen as ineffective at the time and became eclipsed by the use of violence to affect British and Zionist policies in the region. As is the case with much of accepted history, demarcated by periods of violent conflict ending with victors and losers, the Intifada has been widely misrepresented by popular accounts. Although the strength of the nonviolent struggle of the first Intifada, which manifested in hunger strikes, tax resistance, and strikes among other tactics, could not be sustained due to its leaders being imprisoned, deported, or killed, and the fact that nonviolent actions were not well understood by many as an organizational tactic, the effects of the intifada were far reaching. It spawned a means for reaching peace for Palestinians and Israelis through civil organization and compromise rather than military mobilization.

Links:
Intifada Information



Citation Information:
King, M. (2007). A quiet revolution: The first Palestinian Intifada and nonviolent resistance. New York: Nation Books.

Václav Havel et al., "Power of the Powerless"

“Permanent self-satisfaction is a threat to life, and presents an extreme danger to humanity as humanity." – Rudolf Battěk

"Power of the Powerless" is a collection of essays, written by several of the signatories of Charter 77 shortly after its delivery, which address the “post totalitarian” state in Czechoslovakia. The essays act as a call to action out of passivity for the Czechoslovakian people, who by being complicit in the rule of the state allow for its legitimacy. Mass complicity allows the state to perpetrate human rights violations and other abuses of power that ideologically it should protect. It is ideology that is on trial in these essays, since the ideologies extolled by the state have become meaningless verbiage and documentation used to maintain power and the status quo rather than transform society and promote the individual. It is therefore the individual who must act and live according to truth, parallel to the framework set up by the state, in active dissidence. Although the essayists come from different backgrounds and sometimes propose different ways to achieve societal transformation, all of the essays have grounding in empowering the individual and denying absolute power to the state. This book not only acts as an historical document to a grassroots movement against a repressive regime, it can also be used as inspiration for any individual or concerned group of people in a state system that relies on passivity and a lack of a political sphere for its continued existence.

Links:
Václav Havel homepage



Citation Information:
Havel, V., & Keane, J. (1985). The Power of the powerless: Citizens against the state in central-eastern Europe. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

M. Scott Peck, "The Different Drum"

"To follow the drum of community making and peace is to march to vibrations very different from those of the drum of war-making."

The Different Drum defines community in a very specific and real sense and outlines concrete examples and ways to make communities at various levels in society. Community, according to Peck, achieves status as a true community when it is inclusive, has integrity, is contemplative, is able to arrive at consensus, and allows for conflict based in love and understanding. In order to attain this level of community, a group must go through stages including pseudocommunity, or a portrayal of community that is faked by its participants, chaos, a time where the group is struggling into their new community paradigm, emptiness, when prejudices and preconceptions are broken down, and finally community. Peck realizes that we are lacking this real sense of community at a societal level, due in large part to structural underpinnings of undisciplined individualism, and that we are in desperate need of it. The idea is not to homogenize the plurality of our world, but rather to strive for integration in which plurality is embraced. Peck not only discusses transformative ways to achieve community at local levels but also how to perceive larger institutions, such as the arms race, the government, and religion from a community making perspective. The reader is given new insights into our current social and mental constructs as well as practical and optimistic inroads to a peaceful future.

Citation Information:
Peck, M. S. (1987). The different drum: Community-making and peace. New York: Simon and Schuster.