Cultivate that plant of peace making
Editor: I experienced a good feeling and a bad feeling, that June 11 morning when I spoke to the Questelles School community and friends at their 9th Annual Peace Rally.
What a visionary programme to have an ongoing Peace Movement right there in the school! I wanted to apply for membership in their Peace Promotersâ Organisation. {{more}}
And then I started to speak to the gathering, and the bad feeling came on. In two minutes I realized that my prepared words could not reach these hearts and minds. When I had put together my thoughts on âMaking Peace Makes a Differenceâ, it was 10-year-old children that I had in mind, but sitting lowly in front of me were 100 plus five- and six-year-old pupils, then another 100 seven and eight-year-olds and so on. I was wasting their time with my feature address. Well a man has to do what a man has to do. I changed my message and my method.
But the good and bad feelings that I had at Questelles have not left me; in fact they throw a set of questions at me, like: shouldnât we develop a âpeace curriculumâ for our schools?
Isnât peace a style of loving, of living for justice and a new creation?
What about peace studies and assignments at the Teachersâ College?
Could PTA meetings have Peace Moments?
Are these things enough when great world leaders promote blood?
Then I read a leaflet that was promoting Michael Obsataâs family handbook entitled: âRaising Non Violent Children In A Violent World; 20 Vital Skills parents Need To Knowâ. We do have at least a shortage of skills in the field of peace making and it could be that a medium like SEARCHLIGHT could help.
Peace making is a God-child practice that we need to place more deeply in our culture.
Will SEARCHLIGHT join hands with Ms. Anne and the Questelles School to plant the seed and cultivate that plant of peace making in more places?
Oscar Allen
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