Peace. That is my issue. Some people work for money, some people work for a better environment, some people work to end crime, I work for peace. The question is, what is peace? The word itself is a lot like love, it can mean many things to many different people- it can be the absence of conflict, it can exist as harmony, it can refer to the inner contentment one feels within oneself. To me, although I believe the manifestion of this word should be on all levels, within oneself, within the family, within the community, and within the world, the peace I have always focused on is ubuntu- humanity towards others, compassion, getting along.
As most of you know (if you do, this is for my benefit, if you do not, this is also for you)- I consider myself a smorgasbord of varying ethnicities, religions, politics, and lifestyles. I call myself a mestiza- yes, I am one of those people who checks the “other” box on exams and on the census forms. I am Spanish (via the conquistadors in Spain coming to New Mexico in the 16th century), Mexican (my grandmother was born there), French, Italian, Swiss-German and Ute. People never know what I am- southeast Asian, East Indian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, etc. etc. I have a Japanese aunt, a Tzotzil uncle, an African-American pseudo adopted brother- people who cover a good portion of the color spectrum. I also had the religious realm partially covered with Shinto, Buddhist, Atheist, Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Wiccan, Muslim, and Native American belief systems that belonged to my family and friends. They taught me why they believed a certain way and even when I did not necessarily agree with them, I saw where they were coming from.
I grew up with a conservative father and a liberal mother. I was surrounded by cowboys and hippies. I was brought up singing Cattle Call and going on cattle drives in southern Colorado and going to Farmer’s markets and going contra dancing in Santa Fe. I am a child of both worlds brought up presented with both sides of most arguments, not necessarily from my immediate family, but from my towns on global warming, abortion, teen pregnancy, animal rights, gay rights, and so on.
Thus, it baffles me that people hang out mostly with others who look like them. It baffles me that people do not try to see the other side of arguments. I admit, there are often sides that I tend to agree with more than others, but even if I argue against the other side, I can understand where they are coming from. I think this is the biggest step towards creating peace between people- by getting them to heed Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” If we are able to see where the others perspective fits into the world and what life circumstances led them to that point, if we are able to see him or her as a human being rather than an argument, then we are allowed to love the other unconditionally, which leads us to humanity. Humanity is one of the roots of the tree of peace.
Saying this, briefly what life situations have led me to believe in peace, what my opinion of peace is, and showing how peace can be created leads me to how this relates to my project. I believe that to create harmony between youth in the school system- each person needs to first of all love himself/herself, understand why they believe what they do, attempt to follow another’s path and see where the other is coming from, and as such- even if they agree to disagree, if they have an unconditional love for the other- peace will have a grasp on the individual. Perhaps this sounds idealistic or simplistic, these are just ponderings, I’m still trying to sort it all out.
Moving on, I absolutely must speak about my weekend last weekend. I realize the type of people I like to surround myself. I realize I am slightly obsessed with Peace (especially PeaceJam) but it’s okay because other people are too, and it allowed me to reunderstand myself and where I have come from. The thing that distresses me is that while I am most myself when surrounded by advocates of peace, universal love, (I supposed you could say activist hippies), when I return to places like Cornell, I tend to detatch from my truth on the surface because so many people do not understand this belief system. Another issue I have, is that around these people, and the people I associate with in Santa Fe, diversity issues are often surpassed because for the most part we all advocate for justice on the part of the oppressed. Here (meaning Cornell), there is such a difference of opinions, that I feel the constant need to defend race, those with disabilities, people with different sexual orientations and identities, etc. that I fear I tend to come off over-opinionated, idealistic, ignorant, and for lack of a better word- bitchy. It upsets me, it’s a constant battle.
Anyway, returning to the Peace Alliance Conference. It was incredible. This organization is working to create a US Department of Peace which would focus on proactive methods of preventing violence on a domestic and international level. Domestically it would work at preventing domestic and sexual abuse, gang violence and would be present in the schools teaching children methods of self-discipline, conflict resolution, and more. Internationally, it would work with the US military to prevent wars by exploring peaceful means of dialogue rather than taking a leap into killing.
I heard an extraordinary speaker named Juan Pacheco who used to be in a gang. He came from El Salvador when he was young and joined a gang because of the lack of options in his neighborhood. His parents were immigrants to this country in order for their children to have a better life. He went to jail several times and now he works with Barrios Unidos as a Peace Warrior to speak to youth in gangs and try to get them to leave. He’s also working on getting on a medical degree so he can be a pediatrician. He said the thing that made a difference for him was having someone who cared and who believed in him. Faith in a person who has pretty much given up on themself, faith that they can change, and the offering of love can make a difference. It was wonderful meeting him and connecting with him because if I do work domestically, I would want to work with youth in troubled situations- particularly with gangs.
Speaking of which, the youth director of PeaceJam Northeast was present at this conference and he informed me that I should apply to be a Americorp volunteer after I graduate and work with them. That could be incredibly fun. One of my PeaceJam friends and I discussed this and thought that if we both did it, we would want to work on bringing the PeaceJam Peace Warriors curriculum to the Northeast. This program focuses on youth in the Juvenile Justice System which we both have an interest in. Yay- exciting!
Now, one of the main reasons I went to the conference was to hear Arun Gandhi- the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, speak. He was wonderful! He founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence which is only in Rochester, NY. This is particularly exciting because it is close by and PeaceJam is planning on partnering with them, especially here in the Northeast- in NY. I really would like to bring PeaceJam to Ithaca, and help it expand in NY. I’m ridiculously passionate about it, and this past weekend confirmed it. I am PeaceJam CRAZY!
However, the highlight of the weekend was Betty Williams. I’m madly in love with her. In fact, it briefly crossed my mind that I should be her for Halloween. Betty Williams is an extraordinary woman who won the peace prize in the ‘70s for helping to create dialogue between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. Now, she is working with her organization World Centers of Compassion for Children International which is creating a village on the coast of Italy for children of conflict. Children could be taken out of war zones and live here. In the future, she plans to create these villages around the world so youth can still live within their culture. The interesting thing is that the village is created according to the architecture of the country. I think it’s an interesting idea and in the future I plan on helping out in this cause in some way- probably by working in one of these mini-cities. Betty Williams called a special audience with PeaceJammers at the conference (about 7 out of 300 people). We were all ecstatic! We had butterflies in our stomach and couldn’t breathe. I’m saying we because we all talked about it later (we all meaning my friend Cate, one of my PeaceJam kids- Rachel, and her friend Justin, and obviously myself). We walked into the room, hugged her, and talked to her. There is so much more I could say about Ms. Williams but the one word to describe her is inspiring. She is passionate, articulate, and a fascinating individual. Perhaps in the future, I will have the pleasure of working with her.
Thus I conclude my weekly reflection: I explored where I am coming from and why I believe in peace, my method of creating peace, my immense love for peace, my difficulties at Cornell, and my PeaceJam/Peace in general attatchment (read: obsession).
If there is perhaps a way I can bring PeaceJam to youth here in Ithaca and incorporate that into my project that would be extraordinary. It works wonders on people- but perhaps I am biased. The one problem I had with the Free The Children conference for youth was it’s lack of diversity. If you go to a PeaceJam conference, you see youth and adult leaders from across the SES, sexual orientation, and ethnic spectrums. In my group I had kids who were uber wealthy and others who were quite poor. I had Black, White, and Hispanic kids. I had children who were brought up in Foster Care and others who were raised by both parents. I had hippies and preps, Republicans and democrats, kids who were illiterate and literate. One of my favorite PeaceJam people is a man named Rudy Balles from Colorado. PeaceJam reached him while he was in a gang. In fact that is the very basis on which PJ was founded on- to help teach at-risk youth about peace. Maybe I am biased (okay- let’s face it, I am incredibly biased) but I think PeaceJam works, and it could also work with the Ithaca youth if I could develop an appropriate means of engaging youth from every realm of being.
Love love,
Cami
As most of you know (if you do, this is for my benefit, if you do not, this is also for you)- I consider myself a smorgasbord of varying ethnicities, religions, politics, and lifestyles. I call myself a mestiza- yes, I am one of those people who checks the “other” box on exams and on the census forms. I am Spanish (via the conquistadors in Spain coming to New Mexico in the 16th century), Mexican (my grandmother was born there), French, Italian, Swiss-German and Ute. People never know what I am- southeast Asian, East Indian, Middle Eastern, Hispanic, etc. etc. I have a Japanese aunt, a Tzotzil uncle, an African-American pseudo adopted brother- people who cover a good portion of the color spectrum. I also had the religious realm partially covered with Shinto, Buddhist, Atheist, Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Wiccan, Muslim, and Native American belief systems that belonged to my family and friends. They taught me why they believed a certain way and even when I did not necessarily agree with them, I saw where they were coming from.
I grew up with a conservative father and a liberal mother. I was surrounded by cowboys and hippies. I was brought up singing Cattle Call and going on cattle drives in southern Colorado and going to Farmer’s markets and going contra dancing in Santa Fe. I am a child of both worlds brought up presented with both sides of most arguments, not necessarily from my immediate family, but from my towns on global warming, abortion, teen pregnancy, animal rights, gay rights, and so on.
Thus, it baffles me that people hang out mostly with others who look like them. It baffles me that people do not try to see the other side of arguments. I admit, there are often sides that I tend to agree with more than others, but even if I argue against the other side, I can understand where they are coming from. I think this is the biggest step towards creating peace between people- by getting them to heed Antoine de Saint-Exupéry: “Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.” If we are able to see where the others perspective fits into the world and what life circumstances led them to that point, if we are able to see him or her as a human being rather than an argument, then we are allowed to love the other unconditionally, which leads us to humanity. Humanity is one of the roots of the tree of peace.
Saying this, briefly what life situations have led me to believe in peace, what my opinion of peace is, and showing how peace can be created leads me to how this relates to my project. I believe that to create harmony between youth in the school system- each person needs to first of all love himself/herself, understand why they believe what they do, attempt to follow another’s path and see where the other is coming from, and as such- even if they agree to disagree, if they have an unconditional love for the other- peace will have a grasp on the individual. Perhaps this sounds idealistic or simplistic, these are just ponderings, I’m still trying to sort it all out.
Moving on, I absolutely must speak about my weekend last weekend. I realize the type of people I like to surround myself. I realize I am slightly obsessed with Peace (especially PeaceJam) but it’s okay because other people are too, and it allowed me to reunderstand myself and where I have come from. The thing that distresses me is that while I am most myself when surrounded by advocates of peace, universal love, (I supposed you could say activist hippies), when I return to places like Cornell, I tend to detatch from my truth on the surface because so many people do not understand this belief system. Another issue I have, is that around these people, and the people I associate with in Santa Fe, diversity issues are often surpassed because for the most part we all advocate for justice on the part of the oppressed. Here (meaning Cornell), there is such a difference of opinions, that I feel the constant need to defend race, those with disabilities, people with different sexual orientations and identities, etc. that I fear I tend to come off over-opinionated, idealistic, ignorant, and for lack of a better word- bitchy. It upsets me, it’s a constant battle.
Anyway, returning to the Peace Alliance Conference. It was incredible. This organization is working to create a US Department of Peace which would focus on proactive methods of preventing violence on a domestic and international level. Domestically it would work at preventing domestic and sexual abuse, gang violence and would be present in the schools teaching children methods of self-discipline, conflict resolution, and more. Internationally, it would work with the US military to prevent wars by exploring peaceful means of dialogue rather than taking a leap into killing.
I heard an extraordinary speaker named Juan Pacheco who used to be in a gang. He came from El Salvador when he was young and joined a gang because of the lack of options in his neighborhood. His parents were immigrants to this country in order for their children to have a better life. He went to jail several times and now he works with Barrios Unidos as a Peace Warrior to speak to youth in gangs and try to get them to leave. He’s also working on getting on a medical degree so he can be a pediatrician. He said the thing that made a difference for him was having someone who cared and who believed in him. Faith in a person who has pretty much given up on themself, faith that they can change, and the offering of love can make a difference. It was wonderful meeting him and connecting with him because if I do work domestically, I would want to work with youth in troubled situations- particularly with gangs.
Speaking of which, the youth director of PeaceJam Northeast was present at this conference and he informed me that I should apply to be a Americorp volunteer after I graduate and work with them. That could be incredibly fun. One of my PeaceJam friends and I discussed this and thought that if we both did it, we would want to work on bringing the PeaceJam Peace Warriors curriculum to the Northeast. This program focuses on youth in the Juvenile Justice System which we both have an interest in. Yay- exciting!
Now, one of the main reasons I went to the conference was to hear Arun Gandhi- the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, speak. He was wonderful! He founded the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Non-Violence which is only in Rochester, NY. This is particularly exciting because it is close by and PeaceJam is planning on partnering with them, especially here in the Northeast- in NY. I really would like to bring PeaceJam to Ithaca, and help it expand in NY. I’m ridiculously passionate about it, and this past weekend confirmed it. I am PeaceJam CRAZY!
However, the highlight of the weekend was Betty Williams. I’m madly in love with her. In fact, it briefly crossed my mind that I should be her for Halloween. Betty Williams is an extraordinary woman who won the peace prize in the ‘70s for helping to create dialogue between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland. Now, she is working with her organization World Centers of Compassion for Children International which is creating a village on the coast of Italy for children of conflict. Children could be taken out of war zones and live here. In the future, she plans to create these villages around the world so youth can still live within their culture. The interesting thing is that the village is created according to the architecture of the country. I think it’s an interesting idea and in the future I plan on helping out in this cause in some way- probably by working in one of these mini-cities. Betty Williams called a special audience with PeaceJammers at the conference (about 7 out of 300 people). We were all ecstatic! We had butterflies in our stomach and couldn’t breathe. I’m saying we because we all talked about it later (we all meaning my friend Cate, one of my PeaceJam kids- Rachel, and her friend Justin, and obviously myself). We walked into the room, hugged her, and talked to her. There is so much more I could say about Ms. Williams but the one word to describe her is inspiring. She is passionate, articulate, and a fascinating individual. Perhaps in the future, I will have the pleasure of working with her.
Thus I conclude my weekly reflection: I explored where I am coming from and why I believe in peace, my method of creating peace, my immense love for peace, my difficulties at Cornell, and my PeaceJam/Peace in general attatchment (read: obsession).
If there is perhaps a way I can bring PeaceJam to youth here in Ithaca and incorporate that into my project that would be extraordinary. It works wonders on people- but perhaps I am biased. The one problem I had with the Free The Children conference for youth was it’s lack of diversity. If you go to a PeaceJam conference, you see youth and adult leaders from across the SES, sexual orientation, and ethnic spectrums. In my group I had kids who were uber wealthy and others who were quite poor. I had Black, White, and Hispanic kids. I had children who were brought up in Foster Care and others who were raised by both parents. I had hippies and preps, Republicans and democrats, kids who were illiterate and literate. One of my favorite PeaceJam people is a man named Rudy Balles from Colorado. PeaceJam reached him while he was in a gang. In fact that is the very basis on which PJ was founded on- to help teach at-risk youth about peace. Maybe I am biased (okay- let’s face it, I am incredibly biased) but I think PeaceJam works, and it could also work with the Ithaca youth if I could develop an appropriate means of engaging youth from every realm of being.
Love love,
Cami
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