NON-VIOLENCE IS A CHOICE: PEACE WITHIN, PEACE IN THE FAMILY, PEACE IN THE COMMUNITY AND PEACE IN THE WORLD
When I heard about, saw the photos, and heard the participant comments about the program at Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) in Gresham, Oregon, I couldn't help but wish I had participated. Ms. Denise Harris said, "The forgiveness we heard at the beginning of the conference from Kilong Ung was amazing. Also hearing from human trafficking survivor, Rachel Hestmark, has brought us great understanding about how people get into this problem, and how we can get families back. It was very deep." And Ms. Christine Edwards summed it up nicely saying, "What I liked about this event is that all ages were represented, and there was continuation from the previous event when Gandhi's grandson visited at MHCC [Mount Hood Community College]. There was co-sponsorship by three different non-profit organizations. It was a wonderful collaboration centered on peace."
The article called, "Leaders with experience with violence talk peace," by Mr. Hayden Hunter, in the Advocate (the independent student voice of Mt. Hood Community College), intrigued me and gives great insight into the different aspects that were covered that day. I was told by WFWP member, Mrs. Stephanie Herremans, that he had fully engrossed himself in as much of the day's activities as is humanly possible. Click here to see his article.
"Non-Violence is a Choice" Event
The April 17th peace event entitled, "Non-Violence is a Choice" was held in the MHCC student union. It was a collaboration of the Oregon Chapter of WFWP, the International Sufi School of Peace and Service, and Mt. Hood Community College. There were provocative and inspiring testimonies, a student panel discussion, interactive theatre, dancing, an Eco-Peace seminar, a presentation by Mrs. Miyuki Pollman on "Inner Peace;" all at one location, in one amazing day.
The day began with WFWP Oregon Chapter chairwoman, Ms. Laila Al-Amin's introduction. Then came the student panel discussion. Following that Sheikh Ally Peerbocus gave a presentation on "Non-Violence is a Choice: the Initiatory Way to Peace." He spoke on how people are born innocent, but take on the attitudes of their parents and those around them as they grow and soon become self-centered, cruel, and even violent. He pointed out that one major reason for this is comparing ourselves to others. Learning to understand where our feelings of inadequacy come from can stop us from becoming dissatisfied with who we are and what we have, and stop violent tendencies.
Mr. Kilong Ung, Cambodian genocide survivor and author of "Golden Leaf: A Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor," has founded the Golden Leaf Education Foundation that builds schools in Cambodia. He calls a genocide survivor a "golden leaf." He spoke about his journey from being unable to forgive to forgiveness. He said, "For 20 years after I was freed from slavery, I was a victim of that feeling." He explained that when a person decides not to be a victim of not forgiving the unforgiveable, only then can he or she move forward to face his fear, anger, and pain. He said he went from having PTSD from the horrors he survived to "no more nightmares."
Student Panel
There was dancing as well, with the Dances of Universal Peace, through facilitators Ms. Michelle Sparks-Smith and Mr. Michael Sheehan; Mindfulness Exercises with Ms. Heather White; an Eco-Peace seminar hosted by the International Sufi School of Peace and Service in the afternoon; as well as a presentation on Non-Violent Communication by Dr. Kathy Masarie. Dr. Masarie had left her medical practice and founded the Family Empowerment Network (www.family-empower.com). In her work with parents and adolescents, she said, "Empathy is the key ingredient to getting along."
There was so much more. Please visit the WFWP website to follow what the Oregon Chapter is doing and contact them for more information about these events. http://wfwp.yolasite.com/peace-conference-2015.php.
Also please read the article in the Gresham Outlook and see some wonderful photos of the Dances of Universal Peace that all participated in during the conference: http://www.pamplinmedia.com/go/42-news/257399-128325-photo-gallery-mhcc-hosts-non-violence-conference. Non-Violence is certainly a choice, and through such seminars and sharing, I am sure we will learn to be more and more non-violent as we search for the way of peace in our lives.
Presenting during the "Non-Violence is a Choice" Event
