Be Peace For Peace: A Journey to Interconnectedness

The book is in process!!  Here is the teaser:  Be Peace for your own Interconnectedness.  Be Peace such that you recognize interconnection within (sound intereseting??) and Be Peace FOR peace in terms of interconnecting with others outside of self all for the purposes of peace and peacefulness.

The journey is something you create for your own path to peace and peacefulness.  For me, I started purging in 2018.  I was not sure why but a few months ago I just started cleaning closets, the attic, drawers, the car... you name it!  And, quite honestly a few people, but that is another post!

By the time 2019 rolled around (despite the crazy start that I wrote about earlier), I had nearly everything purged in terms of things (of course, the dreaded basement remains) and I had created a retreat day (every Friday).  I was not quite sure where I would spend that retreat day when the answer appeared one day in the form of our Nature Center!  I will be able to take walks in nature and spend quiet time in the library that is 90% windows looking out over the Nature Center!

I have cleared my calendar for daily spiritual practice that no  matter what I try to make happen, always synchs up with the time I would meditate in India.  So be it!  And, I have blocked out time for my beloved warm water exercise at our gym.

Additionally, some of you know I am an Ayurvedic specialist and I am recommiting to that practice.  It is hard for me to maintain when I travel so I am being very careful about travel this year!  When I travel to DC every other week, I have ways of maintaining the practice.

I am saying NO a whole LOT this year!  It will have nothing to do with you and all about me if you ask me to do something or go somewhere and I say no. 

My"to-do" list is ONE PAGE for the entire year! And, it will likely be completed by next week.  Again, due to 2018 preparation.

As I have been "being Peace" and preparing to take that to another level, "doing peace" started to emerge in amazing ways!  More on that later but beautiful interconnectedness as brought about relationships that will take this peace leadership work to the elevation needed for today's world.

As I am writing this post, I am listening to Girish's Diamonds In The Sun.  Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu: May all beings everywhere be happy and free!  Happy 2019!!

Be Peace for Peace: Intuition

Welcome to 2019!   I am so grateful for 2018 and also grateful not to still be living in it!!  I spent quite a bit of time examining lessons and patterns and doing inner work towards the end of the year.  I thought I "had it"!  Then the beginning of 2019 rolls around and although I intuitively knew I was not supposed to make a trip on January 6th, I set out anyway.  It turned out to be the 12 hour trip to nowhere!  I have never had a day quite like that one and the universe clearly indicated how serious it was about me listening to my intuition!!! So, here I sit two days later, committed more than ever to Being Peace in order to be For Peace by at the very least, listening to my intuition!!!  My gift to you all for this year is to encourage that you too listen to your intuition and do so deeply and seriously!! Sending so much love to you all!

Be Peace For Peace: Global Flourishing

In our last blog post we discussed that Peace Leadership could yield global sustainability.  But the word sustainability always bothered me a bit.  Yes, it is a necesasry first step AND it has been discussed as an end goal.  There is where my discomfort lies.  I kept asking myself, what is beyond sustainability and the answer  was flourishing!  So, why do I feel it is important to Be Peace For Peace, because the net result can be global flourishing.  If we revert to an earlier concept discussed here, Ubuntu, and we recognize that we are all interconnected then we would want everyone connected to us to not only have a life that is merely sustainable but rather one that is flourishing.  Peace leadership, and everything connected to it from positive peace constructs to positive leadership constructs can yield global flourishing.  Let's start with Being Peace.  What can you commit to for your daily practice that will assist you with Being Peace?

BE PEACE FOR PEACE

BE PEACE FOR PEACE:

BE PEACE -  FOR PEACEsm*

Be Peace For Peace is more than just a catchy phrase.  The phrase expresses what we stand for at the Deeper Peace Leadership Institute (DLI) and that is to BE peace first and foremost and then take it one step forward and act FOR peace.

DLI works with Peace Leadership in the context of Being Peace For Peace.  Specifically, Peace Leadership encompasses Positive Peace and Positive Leadership and the Nexus of those two is Peace Leadership and thus the operationalization of Be Peace For Peace.

Positive Peace is NOT the absence of violence, but rather a situation that creates social systems that serve the needs of the whole population through equitable methods.

Positive Leadership focuses on virtuous behaviors, positive emotions and energizing with an affirmative basis.

Picture a:   Drawing of Two Circles:  One is Positive Peace and the other is Positive Leadership with the Intersection of those two circles:  Peace Leadership, aka Be Peace For Peace.  Under the intersection of those two circles, the words:  Flourishing Global Society.

In other words, individuals and groups operating from a place of peace AND bringing that peace to their world by acting with integrity and from a place of equity for the purposes of creating flourishing societies, is how we define Peace Leadership and thus Be Peace For Peaceä.

Examples of Being Peace:  Meditation, Yoga, Attitude of Gratitude, Mindfulness Practice…

Examples of For Peace:  Tutoring students in the inner city, providing complimentary coaching sessions to low income individuals looking to secure a job, initiating a corporate program to train low income individuals, create weekend and after school education programs to supplement public school education in “failing districts”…

The examples from Being Peace and For Peace all would benefit from technology in order to reach a wider group and have maximum accessibility.

To what end?  We maintain that Peace Leadership, the Nexus of Positive Peace and Positive Leadership, aka Be Peace For Peaceä, will result in Global Flourishing.  For years DLI maintained that peace was the necessary, and missing, component of sustainability.  We realize now that the world must move to a higher level than sustainability to a level of flourishing.  We believe the components and the operationalization of Be Peace for Peace will create a Flourishing Global Society.

*NOTE:  "Be Peace For Peace" is a registered Service Mark for the Deeper Leadership Institute.

Peace Leadership and Martti Ahtisaari

I had a remarkable opportunity to spend three days with the Former President of Finland and Nobel Laureate, Martti Ahtisaari and learn first hand about peace leadership.  I will share more in the next blog entry but for now, I want to acknowledge that in Finland it is Martti Ahtisaari Day. See below:

• FI
• SE
• EN

Briefly in English

Ahtisaari Days

The purpose of the Ahtisaari Days is to increase knowledge of mediation at all levels of society. The aim is to make peace work and mediation part of everyone’s daily life by treating the theme in schools, at public events and among experts. The Ahtisaari Days are held yearly in November, around Martti’s nameday (10 November). In 2014, the Ahtisaari Day events will take place in Turku (11th & 13th of November 2014). The Ahtisaari Days are organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

More information about Ahtisaari Days 2013 can be found here.

Background

The original idea for Ahtisaari Day came from the Country Brand Delegation which outlined solution-oriented approach and functionality as the key strengths of Finland. The Country Brand Delegation assigned the Ministry for Foreign Affairs with a mission to organise an annual peace mediation event, which would be called the Ahtisaari Days. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs accepted the mission and considers the Ahtisaari Days an important initiative by means of which it is possible to enhance international cooperation in peace mediation and highlight Finnish expertise in the arena. In the future, Finland wants to make even stronger commitments to peace mediation. By means of peace mediation, it is possible to affect conflicts in their various stages. In the best-case scenario, conflicts are prevented before they arise.

Material for Schools

Schools around the world are more than welcome to join Ahtisaari Days.

• Conflict resolution role game, Kurkum Peace Talks, suitable for high school students can be downloaded here.
• Ahtisaari Days Online game can be played here.

Additional information

Director Keijo Norvanto, Unit for Communications, Foreign Ministry,

tel. +358 1605 5836 or mobile tel. +358 40 520 3925

or info@ahtisaaripaivat.fi