Motivation for Peace Workers and the Intersection of Peace and Justice

When I started this project I was interested in focusing on peacebuilding, specifically what worked well, what didn't, how lessons from one context could be applied in other contexts. But as I have been interviewing people who do the difficult and important work of peacebuilding, my interest has shifted slightly. Of course I still believe lessons can and should be applied across contexts, but I have realized that even more important is the motivation and support of peace workers themselves. For without those to do the work there is no one to learn these lessons from or teach these lessons to. I need to do some more research and thinking in this area, but I think I would now like to focus my work on what motivates people to get involved in peace work and how to help people stay motivated to continue this work despite the challenges that they inevitably face. Perhaps learning from one another can even be part of that continued motivation?

Another theme I have been thinking about a lot is the intersection of peace and justice. Although I cannot and would not claim to be an expert on either of these topics, they are both very important to me and I have spent a great deal of time over the past eight years thinking, reading, and learning about peace and justice. What I have come to realize is that they are inextricably tied to one another. Without peace there cannot be justice, and without justice there cannot be peace. The challenge for me, then, is work for both. To put is simply, I will quote a bumper sticker I saw several years ago: "If you want peace, work for justice." These words by Pope Paul VI sum up my vocation.

As I mentioned previously, I started on the journey of peace work in 2005, but I never thought about working for justice until I saw that bumper sticker. I didn't know what it meant at first, but I have slowly realized that when unjust systems are in place and any group is being oppressed there cannot be peace. Conflict or war may not be manifested, but that does not mean that there is peace. This is another concept I have learned over the years: absence of war is not the same as peace. In my understanding, true peace exists when people have no reason to be in conflict. And this, in my understanding, is also justice.

I will need to do some more thinking, reading, and learning about both of these ideas, but I feel like I am gaining deeper understanding and that my thesis topic is coming together.

The power of forgiveness

Ray Norman recently spoke at a World Vision conference about the assassination attempt he and his daughter faced while living in Mauritania just after September 11, 2001. Their story is an amazing testament to the power of and the need for true forgiveness.

How long is too long?

I had a great interview this weekend with Shadia Qubti, who works with Musalaha. Musalaha is a non-profit organization that seeks to promote reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians. Since the interview I have been thinking about the effects of time on a conflict. If a conflict has been going on for a certain number of years/decades/centuries does that make it harder to end? How long is too long? 


When I was in the former Yugoslavia, several people told me that there would always be conflict between the people/countries in the region: that's the way it had always been, and that's the way it would always be. Similarly, Shadia told me that in her work it is hard to get buy-in from people because they believe the conflict is so deeply rooted that nothing will change. But she also said that she has personally seen change in herself and in the participants of Musalaha programs. And she noted that in other conflicts, such as those in South Africa or Ireland/Northern Ireland, there came a point at which people simply decided to try to change things. Of course these conflicts have not completely gone away, but certainly the situation in both of these places has become more peaceful over the past two decades. 


So I hope the same for Israelis and Palestinians. Although time may make a conflict stronger, I don't think that means that it is impossible to make peace. It may just take greater commitment. 

Practicum: Slow but steady

This blog is supposed to be a place for me to discuss my practicum research, but I haven't talked much about my own research yet. This is because my research has been going very slowly. I knew that this would be the case because many of the people I hope to interview do their main projects over the summer. For that reason, I haven't gotten to do as many interviews as I would have liked, and I don't want to post about any interviews until I have signed consent forms back from participants. Much of my effort so far this summer has focused on identifying potential participants and contacting these people to request interviews. Some have responded and some haven't. Those who have responded have been open to participating, but arranging a mutually agreeable time has been difficult. Additionally, some of the people I will interview live in other time zones, which has complicated matters. However, I do have several interviews scheduled in the next few weeks.

As I have not been conducting many interviews this summer, I have instead taken time to consider the conflicts behind the peacebuilding work I am researching. This is reflected in my blog posts to date. I have tried to post this summer about some of the issues I feel are important when considering why peacebuilding is necessary and the best ways to approach it. There are so many ways that we humans have found to divide ourselves, from race to religion to the people we choose to associate with. I have been interested in peacebuilding since I first worked with ROM in Croatia in 2005. Over the past 8 years I have read numerous books, media articles, and blog posts, attended lectures, watched films, talked to people who have experienced conflict and those who work to prevent it or encourage reconciliation, and visited historic sites and museums. Given my past experience, I can't say that my ideas about peacebuilding have evolved a great deal over this particular summer. But this summer has given me an opportunity to consider my personal involvement in peacebuilding work, and what I hope to contribute through my research.

It is my great hope that my research will identify some best practices or things that can be changed in order to make peacebuilding work more effective and efficient, ultimately helping to prevent conflicts from happening in the first place and/or helping peace to be restored more quickly when conflict does arise.

Love one another

The NPR piece, Anti-Gay Riot In Tblisi Tests Balance Between Church, State, details an incident in Tbilisi, Georgia, in which Orthodox clergy not only participated in attacks against gay rights activists, but encouraged their congregations to do likewise. 

The former Soviet republic of Georgia is contending with the aftermath of an episode of mass violence that took place in May. In Georgia's capital city, Tblisi, a mob of thousands attacked a small group of people who were staging a protest against homophobia.The leaders of the attack? Georgian Orthodox priests. … The incident began when members of Georgia's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their supporters obtained a permit to hold a vigil on the steps of parliament. They planned to mark the International Day Against Homophobia on May 17. … When some leaders of the Georgian Orthodox Church heard about it, they urged their congregations to come to a counterdemonstration, which was promoted as a peaceful and family-oriented event. When the day came, it was anything but peaceful. Led by Orthodox priests, the crowd overwhelmed the police barrier around the small group of anti-homophobia demonstrators. Video from the clash shows a priest brandishing a stool as a weapon; other priests are heard to curse and yell "Kill them! Kill them!"

I heard this story on the radio while driving home from work recently, and I could not believe my ears. I have spent quite a bit of time in Eastern Europe and just visited Tbilisi in April, so I understand that there is little support for gay rights in this part of the world. However, although I have heard of many such incidents, I have not heard of one promoted by and participated in by the very leaders who are supposed to teach their congregations to love their neighbors as themselves (Mark 12:31, Matthew 22:39). 


The Bible I read teaches that we are all equal in the sight of God, and specifically calls believers to love others: 


"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:34-35).


It also commands that murder is a crime (Exodus 20:13). 


It is understandable that different people will have different beliefs or opinions, but that does not give any of us the right to enact violence on others, particularly if we ever hope to win them over to our way of thinking. Who would want to become just like their persecutors? Stockholm syndrome is classified as a mental illness for a reason. 


In any case, whether or not another person ever agrees with our way of thinking, we each have a responsibility to see others as worthy of respect. Violence is never an acceptable solution, and inevitably leads to more violence. We owe ourselves and those who come after us something better. Certainly it is more difficult and more time consuming to resolve differences through dialogue, but I truly believe this is the only way to achieve lasting and sustainable peace. 

Do you dream of peace?

Video: Resentment towards Syrian refugees grows
- by CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom

This story brings to life the reality for children whose lives are disrupted by wars fought by the adults around them. It reminds me of the lyrics from Judy Collins' "Song for Sarajevo":

Can't you stop the war, bring it to a close
You are tall and strong and I am just a child
Can't we live in peace, stop the flowing blood
Make a blessed world where I can be a child
When you close your eyes
Do you dream of peace?

As adults, we have a responsibility to protect children; to ensure that they have the chance to grow up safe, and to teach them how to make our world more peaceful. We need to set a good example for the children around us, but we also need to listen to them. Children have a depth of perception of right and wrong that I think fades as we experience the harshness life can throw at us.

Let's pay close attention to the children in our lives. We just may learn something about what it means to love our neighbors.

A Post-Mandela Era

South Africans Ponder a Nation Without Mandela
by Jason Beaubien

Anti-apartheid hero [Nelson Mandela] has been a unifying force in South Africa, particularly for the ruling African National Congress. There's concern, however, that xenophobia, racism and political infighting may grow once the "father of the nation" dies. ...


"When Mandela dies, watch out, xenophobia is going to come up again," [Brian Raphela] says. Migrants in the country say they too worry that xenophobia will again rear its head after Mandela dies. In 2008, attacks across South Africa left dozens of migrants dead and hundreds injured. Earlier this year, there were more assaults on immigrants. ...


It's clear that South Africa right now is facing daunting social and economic challenges. There's the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and there have been divisive calls by some black groups to exclude South Africans of Indian descent from affirmative action programs. ...


The ANC government has launched huge projects to deliver clean water and electricity to the poorest of the poor. [Ahmed] Kathrada notes that racial integration has occurred at many schools, and blacks now have significant stakes in most South African businesses. Kathrada also notes the ANC had the daunting task of guiding South Africa from white minority rule to a multiracial democracy. ...


Despite the calls for more rapid change, Kathrada says the country has done a reasonably good job of making that transition. He's confident that even after Mandela dies, the vision of Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement for a more just, democratic South Africa will endure.

Happy birthday, Nelson Mandela!

Today, on the birthday of former South African president Nelson Mandela, I have been thinking about what has changed in our world since 1994. Much has changed. But we are still having some of the same conversations about how we should treat one another. Mandela told the crowd at his inauguration ceremony that year,

"We saw our country tear itself apart in terrible conflict... The time for healing of wounds has come... Never, never again will this beautiful land experience the oppression of one by another."

South Africa has made great strides in creating equality for its citizens, yet still the country is divided into wealthy areas and poor areas, largely along racial lines. And South Africa is not the only country that has work to do regarding equality for citizens.

Nowadays, it seems like a lot of the division is intangible. My country has laws against segregation, but legislation doesn't change hearts and minds. 

Friends, I challenge each one of us to make a conscious effort every day to see each other as worthwhile. One by one, it is we who will make changes in hearts and minds; it is we who can decide to treat others justly. 

Instead of oppressing one another, we can choose to build each other up. Instead of simply turning a blind eye to injustice, we can take a risk to stand up against it.

What kind of world do we want to live in? It is up to us.  

Commit

"Examine yourself. Count the costs. Commit yourself to justice, reconciliation, and peacemaking." - Eugene Cho
(Facebook post, July 14, 2013)

Peace is indeed harder than war

In a speech in Northern Ireland, President Obama encouraged young people to live for peace:

Ultimately, peace is just not about politics.  It’s about attitudes; about a sense of empathy; about breaking down the  divisions that we create for ourselves in our own minds and our own hearts that don’t exist in any objective reality, but that we carry with us generation after generation. ...

It's within your power to bring about change.  Whether you are a good neighbor to someone from the other side of past battles -- that’s up to you.  Whether you treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve -- that’s up to you.  Whether you let your kids play with kids who attend a different church -– that’s your decision.  Whether you take a stand against violence and hatred, and tell extremists on both sides that no matter how many times they attack the peace, they will not succeed –- that is in your hands.  And whether you reach your own outstretched hand across dividing lines, across peace walls, to build trust in a spirit of respect –- that’s up to you.  The terms of peace may be negotiated by political leaders, but the fate of peace is up to each of us. ...

When those who took a chance on peace got started, they didn’t have a successful model to emulate.  They didn’t know how it would work.  But they took a chance.  And so far, it has succeeded.  And the first steps are the hardest and requires the most courage.  The rest, now, is up to you.
 
“Peace is indeed harder than war,” the Irish author Colum McCann recently wrote.  “And its constant fragility is part of its beauty.  A bullet need happen only once, but for peace to work we need to be reminded of its existence again and again and again.”

Children of Syria need peace

World Vision: Children of Syria need peace, not war

World Vision has been consistently calling on the international community to prevent further militarization of the conflict and work with all parties to bring an end to violence.

"Pouring petrol on a fire does not put it out. All of the efforts of the international community must be directed at halting hostilities that have already destroyed the lives of one third of Syria's people." - Conny Lenneberg, World Vision director in the Middle East

Purpose of this blog

In the summer of 2005, I was given the opportunity to work with a program in Croatia called Renewing Our Minds (ROM), that focused on teaching leadership and peacebuilding skills. This was my introduction to the concept of peacebuilding, and it radically changed the course of my life and career. The following winter, I studied for a term in Cape Town, South Africa, learning about the post-Apartheid process there. I came away from these two experiences with a deep desire to learn more about conflict resolution processes for the purpose of sharing what I learned with those trying to do this important work.

My senior thesis project for my B.A. in Comparative History of Ideas was a study of the approaches of several peacebuilding non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that I encountered in Croatia and South Africa (ROM, as well as Hands For a Bridge, the Institute for Healing of Memories, and the Direct Action Center for Peace and Memory). Now, as a graduate student in Northwest University's ICCD program, I plan to continue my research into the approaches various organizations and practitioners take as they work to build peace in their various contexts. My hope is that the information I gather can be compiled into a resource highlighting best practices, which can make peacebuilding work even more effective and efficient as practitioners learn from each other's work.

I will be posting on this blog as I conduct my research this summer, and hope that you will feel free to comment, share ideas, and ask questions. I understand that this topic may have controversial components, and ask that all posts be respectful.

Here's hoping that together we can build a more peaceful world.

~Hillary