Bare with me folk, I am not pessimistic, and my quest for peace is not rhetorical.

I have hopped on this site from another, where we have had long discussions about Middle East peace, involving all possible parties, and the discussion took the very usual pattern:

You started it, no you started it.
We were here first, no we were here first.
Peace is giving us our rights, no, peace is giving us our rights.
Recognize us first, no, you recognize us first.
Killing your people is justified when you kill ours.
Killing your people is justified since we have been killed before.
Your children are taught how to hate.
Your children are taught how to hate.

At the end, all peace activists end up echoing corrupt politicians, war lords, and quote the propaganda machines to get their point across. Peace equals winning, no compromise.

I quit that site and came here, hoping to find people who can really step out of themselves, and be self-critical in a proactive sense, people dedicated to conflict prevention rather than take responsive measures (not undermining the latter, but it proved to be impotent against the interests of the arms industry).

I live in Sweden, a nation that gives jews and arabs all support and aid, and sell weapons to both at the same time. This double standard is nothing new.

Why talk among us peace activists? Where does this lead? We need to talk to the war machine and propagandists. I am new here, and I admittedly come with stereotypes about peace activism.

You will find me throwing flowers at guns flashing back at me, you'll find me having a beer with an Israeli soldier to persuade him to give up his weapon, and the next day I will undress a Palestinian jihadist of his suicide belt. You will find me pushing politicians in the corners of great halls and press conference rooms, facing them with their own lies. You will find me in lecture rooms and universities teaching about the propaganda machines to journalism students. But I am tired of those online discussions, and I embark here on a last chance of having a discussion that leads to actual projects on the ground, otherwise, I won't be here either.

Am not making a martyr out of myself already, and I risked sounding a tad bit too serious. I am just cutting to the chase as I come here to meet you wonderful folk.

So what is the point of such discussions really? if we only talk among ourselves.

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To clarify on my last post. I am absolutely AGAINST building new settlements on desert land.


Peace,

Mike Morin
www.peoplesequityunion.blogspot.com
Greetings . I joined this group , to connect and learn , and debate about opinions . Certainly spending time on
a computer , may not seem as productive as good hard activism , but I think that both things are essential
to a successful outcome .

The power of the written word , has showed many times throughout history . It's the old , Pen versus the Sword , thing .

We are here to support people like you , in what ways that we can . We can only do so , if you communicate with us . I hope to learn more , about your stuff , and see if there is an opportunity to contribute .

I go up to the Big City , an participate in protests and marches . Go to two or three day workshops ,
about Facilitator training , or BEING CHANGE . I attend Church groups and Interfaith and Inter-Religious groups .
I've been to many Political offices , newspaper and TV offices , and everywhere else that I can think of .

It is very frustrating , when change comes so slowly .

I guess , that for me " What is the point really " is that this is the best that I can manage , at this point in
time . That the learning that I gain here , will benefit me , the next time I face influential people , who seem to feel that it helps their conscience , to let an activist be heard .

I am also here , to gain calmness back , and feel that others do understand , and are not blind .

Working towards Peace and Prosperity allways Sincerely Ron .
Attachments:
I keep hearing the frustration and sense of defeat in some discussions. What I don't hear often enough is that by coming to know that there are many, many people on this planet that desire peace, that are looking for that high and noble path to peace, we have begun to form a new community. But we won't succeed until we awaken to the need to surrender our egos, to sacrifice our sacred cows. We are one human race and i sometimes hear this stated but i don't think we understand the reality expressed by the thought of racial unity. It is too simple. Peace is unattainable unless and until the unity of the human race is achieved; mankind is united as one organic whole. I heard a love song to all mankind on another page of this iPeace site....."there is not enough love to go around"....the answer is why not? What am I doing to about it. A dynamic change in the culture of the various social groups(religious, ethnic, class, etc.) need to take place and will take place. It is not a matter of if but of when. When you and others embrace concepts of brotherhood you are on the cutting edge of cultural change. That we are not sufficiently aware of the change so imperceptable taking place does not deter it from happening. Take for example the cultural change taking place in the entire world today. I am talking about the recognition of the that men and women are equal. We acknowledge this but after almost a century of becoming conscious of this fact we still have a glass ceiling in this the most liberated nation on the planet.....but we are moving toward that goal inspite of the fact that culture is so resistant to change. If ten women had not gotten together and talked....it would not be happening today. I would also give up if i were discouraged by the unconscious state of most of the writers. Example: What is the biggest barrier to peace? Answer: Religion and greed are the two most common answers. These answers only show how we humans use scapegoats(primitive!). It is not religion but misuse of moral and ethical teachings; greed is the undeveloped condition of the imature who can not or do not reflect on the reality of life and the requirements for living successfully. No body needs millions of dollars. But some truly belive they do. But we continue treating symtoms but we never address the cause of the illness, namely ignorance. We are ingnorant of purpose; equally ignorant of cause and effect. Or if i wish to be completely cynical, I know but don't care! We can do today what has not been possible to do in past times. We know enough about the home of man to know that we must take care of it(our Planet Earth). Do we? We know enough to turn this Earth into paradise. Will we? We desperately need to educate our selves. We need to understand the place of religion as a vehicle of true faith. i believe that we as a race are too far gone to achieve this but in the last century there lived a Man who has the key, His name is Baha. Religious fanaticism, ignorante of the meaning life we follow blind leaders, religious and political. Why don't we ask ourselves the question..why? what? Because we are caught in a cultural bubble like the fly in a car that is on its way to another place.
But to close. I saw a dynamic change in 1960s. The youth of this great nation said to the keepers of our culture, "a pox on your hypocrisy. Hell no we won't go!" and begin to break the cycle of power of our society and to challenged our government and the racist social order that they had been born into.....American youth talked to each other and left the older generation out of the discussion until it conceeded. No, Rami, the youth did not build anything. They distroyed some of the barriers that a crystalized society had errected to maintain the status quo. But having destroyed they made it possible for you and me to begin building a new creation, a new reality. But ego and desire to lead and to be important in the new social order will prevent success until we learn to do for the sake of love of one another and not for the applause.
Enough said. Baruch ha Shem v'shalom. your brother, ernie

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