Living Beyond War Examples (PSU)

[Debbie Kaufman]

Portland State University students will be using this space to post examples of people or organizations who are living beyond war. We hope that you will add your comments.

[Haley Swanson]

The Foundation of a Better Life

The Foundation for a Better Life is a non-profit organization who is dedicated to sharing the values that make a difference in our communities. They create public service campaigns that model the benefits of a life lived by positive values. In turn, they hope to inspire people to make values a part of their own lives, and then to communicate the benefits to others. The foundation supports a life Beyond War by encouraging people to work together to resolve conflicts and live harmoniously together. They also encourage keeping an attitude of goodwill and finding simple pleasures in life and appreciating what everyone brings to the table. The foundation recognizes that we are all in this together, or one on this planet and we need to inspire, respect, and appreciate all the positive differences people around us are making.

The ad campaigns are seen all over the Portland Metro area and on the website you can send inspiring e-mails to friends, have the quote of the day sent to you, or look up inspiring stories of people from all over the world. Enjoy the website, it can be a lot of fun!

www.values.com

[Beau Carrigan]

Boy Scouts of America


As we learn about the goals and values that go with the idea of living beyond war, we can find many organizations that help foster these same goals and values. The Boy Scouts of America is one such organization. As we strive to change our attitudes about war, we begin to understand the value of teaching future generations. The BYSA does a great job of this. They teach the importance of community service and leadership. Using these tools, young people are able to cultivate a feeling of goodwill within their family, community, nation, and hopefully the world community as a whole. By encouraging work within the community, these young people are also taught how to be accountable within larger spheres. This accountability helps to ensure that the ideal of fostering goodwill can be perpetuated. The idea is that when one person helps another, that person then turns around and helps somebody else and so on.

By teaching the importance of leadership and community service, the Boy Scouts of America help young people expand their identification levels. When people are involved in leadership and making a difference, they are able to gain self-confidence. This self-confidence radiates outward to others and keeps the cycle going.

[Leonora]

Thanks for an inspiring statement about the Boy Scouts of America - sounds like there should be an adult version of them - the Men and Women Scouts of America, or of the Earth!

[Jamison Maier]

A Portland based multi-media network, WorldPulseMedia, have been expanding the way that women view each other around the globe. Through their webpage (http://www.worldpulsemagazine.com/) they have been helping women globally voice their opinions with others. There are many stories directly from women involved of hunger, genocide and war from the perspective of the women experiencing it. However, there are also many positive stories of groups of women coming together to fight hunger/disease/ignorance in their world, and world pulse is a fantastic forum to read some of the positive stories of women globally who are working hard to build the better world of tommorrow.

[Noah]

Lawrence Krishna Parker better known as Hip Hop artist KRS-ONE (Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone) started the Stop The Violence Movement in 1989 to bring an end to violence in the hip hop and black communities. His decision to start the Stop The Violence Movement came after a young fan was killed at one of his concerts with Public Enemy. Shortly thereafter one of his bandmates from Boogie Down Productions was shot to death. The song "Self Destruction"was released in 1989, with all proceeds going to the National Urban League. He also released an accompanying video called “Overcoming Self Destruction”.

In 2008 KRS-One re-launched the campaign with the song “Self-Construction”, he worked with Hip Hop artists such as David Banner, 50 Cent, Nelly, Ne-Yo, Busta Rhymes, Talib Kweli, Method Man, and many more. Along with re-launching of the Stop The Violence campaign, KRS-One also started the organization The Temple Of Hip Hop, which is a school of thought encouraging hip hop artists to move away from their violent and hateful lyrics, and instead create more socially conscious music. He also started a petition called The Hip Hop Declaration of Peace, which follows 18 principles of non-violence, and is encouraging all hip hop musicians and fans to sign the petition.

KRS-One recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BET Awards for his work towards the Stop The Violence Movement, and for his 20 plus years of creating socially conscious Hip Hop. He was also recently featured in the Documentary The Obama Deception, and performed at a benefit in New York for 9/11 First Responders.

http://www.myspace.com/stoptheviolencemovement08

Mission Statement – “The Stop the Violence Movement (STVM) is a non-profit organization deeply rooted in the Hip Hop community with a mission to advance an ongoing series of movements to diminish global violence through education, critical dialogue, grassroots organizing and direct action. The STVM achieves its mission by providing organized programs, workshops, symposiums and media campaigns that heighten the awareness of the effects of violence, create multi-generational dialogue and supplies parent and youth oriented educational tools for conflict resolution. The STVM is calling upon fellow celebrities to take action. We are calling upon the mass media to address the images they put forth. We are calling for balance! Balance within ourselves, balance in the media, in our communities, in the world.”

“This Hiphop Declaration of Peace guides Hiphop Kulture toward freedom from violence, and establishes advice and protection for the existence and development of the international Hiphop community. Through the principles of this Hiphop Declaration of Peace we, Hiphop Kulture, establish a foundation of Health, Love, Awareness, Wealth, peace and prosperity for ourselves, our children and their children's children, forever. For the clarification of Hiphop's meaning and purpose, or when the intention of Hiphop is questioned, or when disputes between parties arise concerning Hiphop; Hiphoppas shall have access to the advice of this document, The Hiphop Declaration of Peace, as guidance, advice and protection.”

Sign the petition - http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/endorse-hiphops-declaration-of-pea...

[Elaine Hallmark]

What a great movement. Thanks for posting this to let more people know what the HipHop movement is doing for peace! It is very important.

[David Kean]

Former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat may not be the perfect example of living beyond war, but he certainly serves as a necessary example for the world we live in today. Although Sadat was a key figure involved in launching the surprise attacks against Israel in 1973, known as the Yom Kippur War, it was his role in initiating the peace process with Israel in 1977 which history will judge as one of the most courageous moves in modern history.

On November 20, 1977, Sadat traveled to Jerusalem to deliver an unprecedented speech before the Israeli Knesset marking Egypt's willingness and courage to be the first Arab nation to recognize the Israel's existence and forge a peaceful and lasting relationship with it's most bitter enemy. Anwar Sadat, a man who had seen his nation fight 4 wars in as many decades against the state of Israel, finally realized the futility and the extraordinary amount of suffering resulting from needless wars.

Less than a year after his historic speech in Jerusalem Sadat, along with US president Jimmy Carter and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, signed the official peace agreement known as the Camp David Accords on September 17, 1978. Six months later in March of 1979, the official Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty went into effect thus bringing an end to the enmity which had existed since the inception of the state of Israel.

For his courage and leadership, Sadat was gunned down during a military parade on October 6, 1981 by a group of assassins who believed that Sadat had not only betrayed the people of Egypt, but all people of Muslim and Arab nations. I believe Anwar Sadat is an amazing yet tragic example of choosing to live a life beyond war. There are countless examples of extraordinary people who have paid with their lives in order to further the causes of peace and reconciliation, but the example of Anwar Sadat is one that does not receive enough attention.

In the 32 years since Sadat's speech in Jerusalem, the only other Arab/Muslim nation to officially recognize Israel's right to exist and signed an official peace treaty has been that of Jordan. There is still a long way to go before the seeds of peace planted 30 years ago will blossom into a garden of peaceful coexistence throughout the entire Middle East, but I still believe this can and must happen. I also believe the time has come for another Israeli hero like that of Yitzhak Rabin, who was also assassinated in 1993 for his role in the Oslo Accords in which he officially recognized the PLO and realized that the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza must end.

I would like to end this example of Anwar Sadat's vision for a world beyond war with a quote from his 1977 speech in Jerusalem in front of the Israeli parliament. In addition to this quote I will be including a couple of web-links which will take you to the translated/transcribed text of Sadat's speech as well as an interview with his widow, Jehan Sadat, on the Jon Stewart Show from April 7, 2009.

“When the bells of peace ring, there will be no hands to beat the drums of war.”
Anwar Sadat (November 20, 1977)


http://www.ibiblio.org/sullivan/docs/Knesset-speech.html
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-april-7-2009/jehan-sadat

P.S. If anyone is interested in gaining a better understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and it's history, I highly recommend From Beirut to Jerusalem by Thomas Friedman. It is a book that speaks to and for the souls of all those involved in this bitter struggle for peaceful coexistence.

[Debbie Kaufman]

I find it inspiring to learn about the work of previous leaders like this. I helps me to recognize that we are not "alone" in our efforts to move the world beyond war. So many others have gone before us and we are continuing their important work. Thanks!

[Elaine Hallmark]

I also endorse the Friedman book you suggest to learn more. Sadat was a courageous leader that began the course of change.

[Jesse Knight]

I did my Living Beyond War presentation on Robert McNamara. I know that he died here recently and I realized that I knew next to nothing about the man, except that news reports were mixed as to his effect on the world. On closer inspection, McNamara was complicated. It seems that during the Kennedy administration at the beginning of our involvement in the Vietnam conflict (he was the Secretary of Defense under Kennedy and Johnson, and is credited with being one of the main architects of the war) he was given a command to stop Communism. And he tried his hardest. Eventually though he lost his will to continue what he viewed as pointless slaughter. In the documentary “Fog of War” he hinted that the war was prolonged because it simplified or solved many domestic issues. In 1968 he resigned as Secretary and went on to work for the World Bank as well as other organizations, but it wasn't until later in life, after his active career, that he became more outspoken against war. Even then, McNamara has been criticized as saying too little too late. So, in the final analysis, was he a hero or mass murderer? I think only McNamara could truly make that call.

[Anne Millhollen]

We included "Fog of War" in our tentative core list for the Library Project and I agree with your comments. I both like and dislike it because it leaves me uncertain of what to think of McNamara. It shows us how and intelligent, ethical man can end up supporting/encouraging a war, shows how one's thinking is fogged in the midst of the war, and shows how the war did not accomplish our goals. Is that clear enough a message to communicate that war is obsolete?

[Elaine Hallmark]

I thought the Fog of War was a pretty clear message about war being obsolete. I certainly recommend using it. Perhaps because I remember McNamara, and lived through that time, I think it helps people move through some of the issues and feelings they may have carried from that time.