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How much of the other language either Arabic or Hebrew do both sides get now?  Would this
be a place to begin-teaching of mutual respect as related to language?

Stephanie

A good first step would be recognizing sufferings each side has suffered (and we are suffering on both sides), and apologizing for any damage or suffering inflicted by own actions.
Publicly recognizing each-others is important, and maybe that is enough.

To build peace, actual building needs to take place, and it better be an ecologically oriented building, to preserve our resources - because running out of resources is what got us fighting in the first place.

Building houses ecologically. creating self-sufficient agronomical systems for food production. Exchanging students, knowledge and skills in every level: governmental, civilian, academic and cultural... especially cultural... if we celebrate life together we are less lightly to kill each-other. All are minimal measurements for peace building

The big Q remains: how can we ensure that land wouldn't be a thing to fight over (and destroy in the process). how can we share land and ensure safety and freedom for various peoples and even nations sharing it?
How can we strengthen Palestinians and Israel's security at the same time?
To give an example of the problem: Israel has no constitution. There are fundamental laws(basic law - חוקי יסוד) that are meant to become (someday) a constitution. One law says: people has the right to travel freely. another fundamental law says: people have the right to privately own property. How do we find the golden path where one can have without possessing?

I believe we are all part of something bigger. when we fight, earth suffers, leaving us with less and less. When we co-operate and celebrate life and earth, there is more for us to share.

Naturally, there may be many approaches to what is Ecological building and local food production - sustainable agriculture.. when combined together, these two subjects can greatly aid Human Security* to be gained.

LovePeace
Sefi, Josef Major

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_security

Greetings Everyone - as a former world history teacher I cannot help but remember as we discuss this topic one of my mentors as a young woman when studying to become a teacher, Dr. William Haddad. He helped me to understand the positive method of teaching at least two sides to a viewpoint. My point is by rewriting to broaden the way history books record what happened in the region can become a critical part of the process of healing. If we can study and read about why people believed or acted as they did in the past we are better prepared to understand the present and work towards change in our societies as well as forgiveness.

My other idea is could Victory Over Violence (VOV) be adapted for youth in the area? The VOV creators believed their techniques could be adaptable for all cultures throughout the world. http://www.vov.com/

Sincerely, Constance USA, Maryland

It's one thing to be able to forgive someone for a wrong (perceived or real) that is done to you personally, but how do you forgive when the wrong is done against you as a
?member of a community or people

What right does one have as an individual to forgive on behalf of the society, especially if that individual is not actually an elected representative of that society?

Reaching a peace agreement by the end of the year seems almost impossible. The violence between the sides is once again in full gear and the rage on the streets of both Israel and Palestine is on the rise. Israel killed more than 100 Palestinians in the last "operation" in Gaza - more than half of them civilians, say Palestinian sources. Palestinian celebrations in Gaza after the murderous attack in Mercaz Harav and crowds of Israelis calling "death to the Arabs" once again demonstrates that we have not learned anything. Jews and Arabs have been killing each other over this land for 100 years. The mutual calls for revenge continue to feed this horrific cycle of death and destruction. Many of our political leaders, on both sides, follow the mob response calling for more death, more blood, and more revenge. How many more families on both sides must bury their dear ones before we all wake up and realize that this must end? Fortunately Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded to the recent violence positively stating: "Despite all the circumstances we're living through and all the attacks we're experiencing, we insist on peace. There is no other path."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1205162814624&pagename=JPost%...
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information

I think this piece of Gershon Baskin has value. IPCRI is the organization that found that both Jews and Arabs would believe peace was a real solution if it was taught in school. This is something ECI can do something about.
Once our handbook is published, we plan to get it into the school systems.
STephanie

שפיכות הדמים נמצאת בשני הצדדים אם זה הצד הערבי ואם זה הצד היהודי וכל אחד מאשים אחד השני ומטיל אשמה שהוא הצד התוקפני וגם לא מוכנים לקבל אחד ואת השני אשר אנו כבר חיים בו בערך 60 שנה ביחד מה צריך לעשות - לשבת קצת ולחשוב ולהתחיל ללמוד איך לסלוח אני חושבת שסלחנות מילה בעלת משמעות חשובה אשר אחרים לא מבנים אתה או הם לא מזדהים אתה או שהם יודעים אבל לא ממשים אתה זה פשוט צרכים לשלוט בכעס שלנו כלפי אחרים אנו חייבים להיות בני אדם בלי שנאה כלפי האחר ובלי להתייחס לו מבחנה מגדרית או לאום ולא לדת צריך ךהסתכל על בני אדם ולהעריך אתם כמו שהם בלי להתייחס לאופי לתכונות לסטטוס גם התגבות שלנו לא חייבים להיות שליליות כלפי אחרים אני חושבת שאנו יכולים לשלוט בכעס ולהביע הערכה וסלחנות !!!!!!!

I personally am astounded by the profundity of the topic as well as the actions it proposed. Dennis work is nothing short of brilliant as well as being deeply merciful.

Pnina's remark connects me with something I would like to share on the subject. The contemporary theologian Lous Smedes has written extensively on the subject of forgiveness. One of his quotes hits me to the core in reference to Dennis' work:

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner is you."

I do not yet have the tools that I desire , but I have been working this past year on developing my power to forgive. And I truly believe that it is a power, a strength. Dennis' words hit a deep nerve in me. For a great part of my life I felt that if I was wronged, if I was 'right,' I had a license to kill, at least verbally, and I verbally attacked and destroyed more people than I'd like to remember.

I know that 'adrenalin' of anger, I know that 'high.' Anger is indeed powerful energy, but totally negative. Negative to the point of gravely injuring the inflictor even more than the inflicted.

How many modern health professionals have stated that anger, resentment, can literally kill by creating disease in people who hold on to these negative emotional loads? Louise Hay states that the root of cancer is resentment, anger. How much more fatal can stored anger be?? Anger, or may I say non forgiveness, literally kills. It kills people - their mental and spiritual health, their bodies, their families, their societies, their countries; the list is staggering as much as it is frightening.

I never thought I would see the day that there would be ANY kind of peoce in Northern Ireland. And I have lived in Southern Ireland. I also never thought that I would live to see Nelson Mendela a free man, much less see Mr. Mendela leading his country to 'reconciliation' - Bishop Desmond Tutu's words as well as the term used to rebuild South Africa. I have lived to see both.

I know I will live to see peace in my spiritual homeland as well as my home of many decades, Israel. But at the risk of sounding prosaic, I know it must start with me and my relationship with myself, and those closest around me.

Dennis' work is a compass that can help us all along that most important road to peace.

Well, Dennis, we have a situation now in Israel/Gaza that deeply impacts your subject. How do Palensinians and Israelis get to forgiveness?

I am not sure you can forgive when you are still angry or fearful, can you?   I know my mother-in-law was very angry at the Japanese for World War II for many years and probably still is but it has certainly lessened over time.  Perhaps the passing of time is a factor.  Which makes the Middle East issue such a problem because some thing is always happens to break down the peace initiatives that occur.   But they DON'T deter me -- I just keep on trucking -- until we get there.  No matter what!

 I understand that the Hebrew comments have to do with research done on how to forgive.  Am I right?

Stephanie

שלום דניס,
אכן הסלחנות עדיפה על הכעס, אך כמו שאומר הפתגם: "קל לומר, קשה לעשות"...אם היינו יכולים בד"כ ליישם את הסלחנות בחיינו, הרי שזה היה עולם טוב יותר. בטבע האנושי, הכעס קיים כאחד מהעולמות שלצערנו תופס מקום ברגעים מסויימים.

נכון שאנו יכולים לבחור אם לכעוס או לא, ונכון שאנו נצא נשכרים מכל הענין, אם לא נכעס, או לפחות ננסה להבין את הצד השני...סלחנות, זו רמה גבוהה יותר.

בעבר שמעתי שהיה מחקר מעבדתי על מדידת האנרגיה של כעס, וגילו שם הפתעות מדהימות לגבי כמות האנרגיה שאנו שורפים בכעסנו במספר דקות כעס...אולי ידוע לך נתונים מדוייקים על המאמר המדובר?

בנוסף, אם היו "סדנאות לסלחנות" או "סדנאות לניתוב הכעס לכיוונים חיוביים", זה היה עוזר ואולי אף היה רצוי להפנים זאת בחינוך הילדים בגיל צעיר. כמו שאמרתי, זה מאוד קשה ליישום, אבל בהחלט נכון ורצוי לנסות...
תודה על המאמר
אייל

What a time to discuss forgiveness!!  But what better time?  Here in
Nigeria you can see the effect of holding grudges.  I am now in Lagos
(setting up another ECCN project that fell in my lap) and Lagos which
is a place of teeming millions where the transportation and the waste
are both awful and are now the subject of the art and music of the
area -- new progress is being made after eight years of suffering and
robberies, boy gangs, etc.  The cause of the problem?  The president
of the country had a grudge against the governor of Lagos State.  So
everyone suffered and life degraded and degraded.  Now that we have a
new president in Nigeria -- the plans for reforming these conditions
are already taking effect 100 days after the governor began his term.
 People have hope and can feel the renewal in the city already.

Let us be the ones who create the environment for the peaceful
solution to Middle East Problem -- through dialogue -- through
heartfelt discussion.  The Earth Charter says we are all
interconnected.  So what we think, say and do, DOES matter even if in
a small way.

Remember that Israelis think as collectively as the Arabs.  These are
tribal connections that are similar to tribes all over the world.  You
hurt someone in one tribe and it is deeply felt by everyone in the
world.  Then where does forgiveness come in.  Where do we create
forgiveness deep in our hearts.  What is the great power of
forgiveness??

We can not just mouth the desire to put the Earth Charter principles
into action.  We cannot just point fingers at those who are not living
these principles.  We will never get to our Earth Charter goal unless
WE ourselves respect and care for the community of life (all life --
not just all living beings but also Israelis and Palestinians).  Am I
not correct?  I am neither pro-Israeli nor pro-Palestinian.  I am
pro-Life.  So I cannot afford grudges.  Mother Nature does not hold them
either :):)!!

Stephanie Tansey
Stephanie

Forgiveness!!  If you read the news or experience the pain and terror -- this seems really to be a figment of the imagination of the idealist.   How do you forgive in these conditions?  This is a serious discussion that spans the whole globe.  Whether you are in Israel, the U.S., Africa or Asia and Europe.  Forgiving takes self-mastery.  What is the difference between forgiving and forgetting to be on guard?  What is its value?

Be the master of your mind, don't let your mind master you.   What would the world be like if we all were masters of our own mind?  What role does forgiveness play in creating the peaceful, sustainable, just global community?

Let's have a great discussion!

Stephanie