PATHWAYS for PEACE

Below are listed some of the core pathways to peace which Spirit of Peace wishes to embody in its work. These include both the principles underpinning the work and the means of achieving it, as they cannot be separated.

• The relationship between inner and outer change:

To paraphrase Gandhi, we must embody the change we wish to see in the world. Spirit of Peace seeks to model this balance in its activities and resources, encouraging personal reflection and transformation alongside activity for peace. Without transforming our own attitudes which can lead to violence, we have nothing to offer. Some refer to this approach in terms of 'contemplation in action'.

• Inclusiveness:

The most comprehensive and lasting peace requires that 'all the voices come to the table' so that a solution can emerge which does not leave some participants as victors and others as vanquished. Spirit of Peace works collaboratively with individuals and other organisations. It offers training and experience in teamwork, partnership, and the mutual empowerment of one another, helping each of us to fulfil more of our potential.

• Emergence:

We live in a dynamic, ever-changing universe - as Heraclitus wrote 'everything flows, nothing stays still'. The work of peace building needs to reflect this by embracing tools and concepts such as 'letting go of certainties' and not being too attached to a particular outcome within the overall aim.

• Nonviolence:

Spirit of Peace sees itself as being part of the continuing expression of seeking peace through non-violent means. Gandhi and Martin Luther King both developed and effectively used nonviolence in their campaigns for justice. We are taking an active part in the current exploration of nonviolence - what it means and how to implement it.

• Heart-centred awareness:

This underpins all our core pathways. Without this there can be no true, just and lasting peace in our world. It involves both rational and non rational consciousness. Stephen Levine suggests we need to, 'Go to the truth beyond the mind. Love is the bridge'.

In Spirit of Peace our understanding of heart-centred awareness includes the following:

Hope: In the words of Jesuit peace activist and author, Fr John Dear 'to be hopeful you need to do hopeful things'. This highlights the link between hope and action. Without hope it is impossible to continue to be motivated in the demanding struggle for peace and maintaining hope depends both on inner resources and outer actions. Martin Luther King, for example, drew hope from the idea that the universe is on the side of justice.

Trust: trust enables us to take the creative risks which are necessary for a just peace, whether personal or societal.

Humour: Creates a relaxation of tension and bonding, which can enable communication and change. It can also help in illustrating points in a way which is readily heard.

Love: Love can operate as a powerful social force. Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King were committed to this concept of love, which for both of them was drawn from the teachings of Christ about Agape - universal, disinterested love.

• Networking:

This is a powerful agent of social change. Catholic priest and author Adrian Smith, in his book 'A Reason for Living and Hoping' discerns that:

Change is born at the grassroots and what is giving power to this source of change today is 'networking'. The power to forge our future lies in the large number of ordinary people, with their inventiveness and enthusiasm, pooling their ideas and resources… This is the new force shaping world opinion and bringing about change.

Networks operate through a synergistic process, and result in outcomes that are greater than the sum of the contributing parts. New and more fluid structures are evolving in society and Spirit of Peace, whilst a registered charity with structural constraints, aims to serve as a network for individuals and organisations interested in spiritual and holistic peace building.

• Conversation:

particular forms of conversation allow all voices to be heard. The process of deep listening, awareness, openness, and a sense of being guided by the questions rather than the solutions, becomes a tool for transformation. There are many methodologies for this form of conversation including Listening Circles, Non-violent Communication and Conversation Cafe.

• Creativity, celebration and the Arts:

These are an important part of creating and sustaining peace. Often both before and after peace agreements have been reached, people have found that participating in the creative arts has created a bridge where wounds can be healed and reconciliation reached and sustained. The Arts offer powerful tools to create the inner shifts in awareness which render people more able to 'embrace the other'.

• Shared spiritual practice:

Our experience has shown that this pathway plays an important part whenever people come together in a spirit of peace. For example moments of corporate silence and reflection/meditation deepen our connection to ourselves, each other and our place within the whole. For many, the whole is experienced as The Divine, Allah, God, Sacred Unity, or the totality of being/consciousness

'Let us not look back in anger or forwards in fear but around us in awareness'.

James Thurber

The door to the human heart can be opened only from the inside.

Spanish proverb

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