President's Corner: Become the Bridge
Dear friends,
What do you do when something is broken, falling apart or damaged? You fix it! At least you will seek to fix it. Right?
America was founded on a great ideal, namely, that "all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." However, that ideal, the cornerstone of the American Dream, has never been fully realized. Why? I dare say it was because, from its inception, the ideal was compromised and tainted, especially by selfish acts of exploitation, and racial and religious prejudice.
This struggle, so long unacknowledged, is now rising to the surface, so we can no longer ignore it. The good, the bad and the ugly of this struggle are what we read about today in our newspapers, causing many to experience fear, confusion and hopelessness -- and all this is in addition to the ongoing disruption caused by Covid-19.
In a way, however, this is also our great opportunity to finally "fix" our unrealized ideal. And how might we do that?
As a first step, we feel there is now a call, nationally and worldwide, to address the pain and hurt of the heart, for sincere repentance and forgiveness in order to lift the burdens of the past, to be able to rise above and find solutions to our problems TOGETHER. Peace and reconciliation begin with ME taking responsibility for the good, the bad and the ugly, to honestly and sincerely acknowledge the wrong, the pain, the injustice. Thereafter, there is also a need for genuine forgiveness from the side who was wronged. It always takes at least two to heal!
Our Bridge of Peace Ceremony (the flagship project of WFWPI) may seem like a simplistic tool, but the many women who have participated in it have experienced powerful healing and transformation. Former enemies have consciously decided to step on that bridge and repent to one another with a sincere heart and have forgiven one another, also representing their ancestors, cultures and religions that have been enemies to one another for decades and centuries.
At this time, when America is suffering and hurting, we are taking our Bridge of Peace to the next level, and ask EACH of us to BECOME A BRIDGE, initiating acts of repentance, forgiveness, reconciliation and healing as we take responsibility for each other's pain.
Thereafter, we will feel that we indeed are sisters or family members of the same human family, and that we do have the solutions right in our hearts. We will further discover that TOGETHER we can turn the tide and establish new and healthy relationships, patterns of behavior, just laws and so much more.
In this issue, you will find stories where women, motivated by their motherly hearts and bringing their expertise and creativity to the table, address some of the areas of family, education and also our racial divide.
We also invite all to join the PEACE ROAD 2020: Peace Starts With Me project, also dedicated to Heal the Human Family, which WFWP USA is co-sponsoring this year (see article). We invite you to join the PEACE ROAD starting on July 28 and concluding on August 21, 2020, possibly coming to a city near you!
The road to peace starts with me and you, and, I would say, many are already well on the way, as we are determined to "fix" the wrongs and heal our nation.
Wishing you a hopeful month of July!
Angelika S.