If you have something you would like to contribute to our website, publications or newsletters, please get in touch with us (campaigns@for.org.uk).
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If you have something you would like to contribute to our website, publications or newsletters, please get in touch with us (campaigns@for.org.uk).
Would love to contribute to peacemakers publication by providing information when asked
Recently FOR USA has changed their focus to domestic issues and has decided not to publish articles about Syria / Bahrain. When I started with them 3 years ago I did so knowing that I would primarily be working on the Syrian prisoners of conscience page forusa.org/content/syrian-political-prisoners. I would like to still contribute to FOR by writing for IFOR.I am still well connected with the activist and specialist in and out of Syria and Bahrain. Please tell me what I can do to contribute.
Maureen McDonald
1-941-421-2394
In Search Of Silence
Beyond the storm,
Where blue sky
Still cradles
The morning sun.
In the clearing,
Where shafts of light
Hold back the shadows
Of the ancient wood.
Beyond conflict and pain
And the inhumanity of man.
Beyond duty
And this journey
That has seemed so long.
Beyond the history
That has brought me
To this sacred place,
This spiritual sanctuary.
This peace,
This silence,
This love.
Tolstoyans (UK)
Our pacifist convictions may be considered fair enough, but anarchism and veganism – what’s that got to do with pacifism? Well, non-violence leads us to think that living a diet and lifestyle that seeks to minimize killing is most fully expressed in veganism. It was Tolstoy who said: “As long as there are slaughterhouses there will always be wars.” As to why we are anarchist we simply say we wish to live in peace without coercing anybody. And, let’s face it, the world over has governments who coerce their peoples and even other peoples by force of military, police, courts and prisons. While we live in a society with government, we prefer to live out our lives, in Gustav Landauer’s words, “in a rearranged fashion”, despite the overwhelming presence of government. The government we look to is self government, that is to act with self control and self restraint. In terms of peace witness, though we are scattered across the UK, we are actively involved in peace, environment, human rights, and animal rights issues. Someone said “be the change you want to see in the world”. That is what we strive for. Peace is not just the absence of war, although that would be a great start when you consider all the wars going on around the world right now. Peace is about how we live and how we might live. We seek to negotiate peace in all our dealings, trying to see another’s point of view, and trying to resist the all too common temptation to get angry, which too often leaves in its path humiliation and hurt. Our spirituality, while reflecting the spiritual philosophical outlook of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) – a non-resistance Christianity stripped of dogmas, ritual, mysticism and mystery, and hence entirely rationalist – may be defined more broadly as accommodating other faith traditions that may commit to non-resistance pacifism, anarchism and veganism. For more information please contact:
Gerard Bane at 59 Chapel Road, Ramsgate Kent CT11 0BS UK. Email: gerardbane@rocketmail.co.uk