Revenge

"He whom seeks revenge digs two graves"

- a Chinese proverb

Thought for the day

"Revenge is directed passionately at a specific target with the intent of doing them harm because they have intentionally done you harm. It is the dark side of reciprocity" Click on image above and explore the dimensions of revenge more fully.

Quote of the Day: 'The harder the conflict... '

'The harder the conflict, the greater the triumph.' - Thomas Paine

'The best way to motivate other people to help you fulfill your goals is to help them fulfill their goals'. - Deepak Chopra. When you want to motivate somebody to help you or join you, see it from their side, how will it benefit them or help them? Working out how to go forward together is the way to peace. This is one step further than compromise. In compromise, there is always someone that looses.

The journey of the Tibetan people is also a long hard struggle, however, as the reward is so great, the journey, although hard, is well worth while, writes James De Havilland author of the Temple of 42 steps.

The Forgiveness Project

I have come across the 'forgiveness project' a week or so ago and have been mulling it over during a very busy couple of weeks.

Marino Cantacuzino, the journalist who founded this project, says she did so because, 'gentle people attract me more than resolute ones, vulnerability more than strength, and I believe there are very few truly malevolent people in the world.

'The F Word' is an exhibition highlighting some of the work carried out by the 'Forgiveness Project', a charitable U.K. organisation. I am intrigued to find out more about the work although I admit to feeling somewhat uncomfortable reading about peoples' reactions to the exhibition.

Below is an excerpt from the Forgiveness Project website;

As I talked to friends, colleagues and strangers about this exhibition, I began to notice two very different reactions. There are those who see forgiveness as an immensely noble and humbling response to atrocity – and those who simply laugh it out of court. For the first group, forgiveness is a value strong enough to put an end to the tit-for-tat settling of scores that has wreaked havoc over generations. But for the second group, forgiveness is just a copout, a weak gesture, which lets the violator off the hook and encourages only further violence. This is why we called the exhibition The F Word. For some people forgiveness is a very dirty word indeed.

'The F word' exhibition includes real life stories and has been used for the purposes of raising awareness and education in prisons and schools, and by organisations promoting non-violence, "If one can understand why people behave as they do then often the road to forgiveness is opened" says Terry Waite, in support of The Forgiveness Project.

For example, Marino has visited Israel and the 'Parents Circle' which was founded by Yitzhak Frankenthal after his son was kidnapped and murdered by Hamas militants in 1994. The Parents Circle is a group of families whom have suffered loss of loved ones and are working towards peace and reconciliation as a solution to the ongoing conflict.

Whilst Marino says she 'defends the notion of forgiveness' she cannot 'advocate it as the way forwards' as it is a personal choice.

Please take a look at the website www.theforgivenessproject.com to read more.

Source: The Forgiveness Project website, http://www.theforgivenessproject.com/project/marina/ and http://www.theforgivenessproject.com/project/about/ accessed 9/2/09

"We have to risk trusting each other"

Who was Martin Niemoller? From the University of California website it seems he was a Peace Activist in the 1980s. But he didn't start out this way, he started out as a Commander of a German U-boat. Read all about his life by following the link http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/niem.htm.

A quote pertinent to peacemaking from the same website;

Martin Niemöller: "Wer den Frieden will, muß mit dem Gegner gemeinsam leben wollen. Wir müssen vertrauen wagen. Darum Schluss mit dem Rüsten."
('Whoever wants peace must want to live together with their opponents. We have to risk trusting each other. There stop the arms race.')

I was reminded of the quote above when I read the notes written by a commentor on recent Israeli Air Strike Article on AlJazeera News website: "Your report states that 'Hammas wants the border crossings into Gaza reopened, including the Rafah crossing into Egypt, to end the Israeli blockade in the territory' and that 'Israel wants to stop the rocket fire and prevent Hammas fighters from using smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt to rearm themselves with weapons'. I'd add that the Palestinians wants most of their land back, while Israel wants all of Palestine".

I wonder whether Palestinian government and Israeli government want to live together and work out a solution to live in peace? Not all the population of Palestine and Israel want to fight, so how can governments be pursuaded to move forwards, and start trusting each other?

Sources: 'Niemoeller Quotation Page', UC Santa Barbara, published 12/9/2000 accessed 27/1/09
http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/niem.htm,
Aljazeera News website, 'Gazans Wounded in Israeli Air Raid' updated 27/09/2009 http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/01/20091271411489965.html accessed 27/1/09

Inexplicable Impartiality - the BBC

The BBC has confounded the British public, politicians and Aid Organisations by choosing not to screen an appeal in aid of Gaza, saying it would compromise the impartiality of the BBC and they expressed some doubt that aid could be delivered effectively. During the Israeli military offensive, Israeli government spokeswoman Livni said there is, 'no humanitarian crisis in Gaza', and by invading Gaza, the humanitarian situation was, 'kept exactly as it should be'.

Other channels are broadcasting the appeal on behalf of the DEC. The DEC is an umbrella organisation in the U.K. for aid agencies such as Oxfam and Islamic Relief and Save the Children.

Health minister Ben Bradshaw said the decision by the BBC was, 'inexplicable' and the Stop The War organised a march in protest of the decision attended by at least 5 thousand people at Trafalgar Square, London. The British government is donating £25m to the relief fund.

Aljazeera which has reporters stationed inside Gaza reports that some aid has started to reach into Gaza, however the crisis has left 100 000 displaced from their home and 50 000 people still living in temporary shelters, there is a lot that needs to be done.

I wonder, if the BBC is worried about impartiality, why not screen the appeal and let people make up their own minds about the existence of the humanitarian crisis? - This would be more impartial than not presenting the appeal at all.

Source: Yahoo News website accessed 25/1/09 http://uk.news.yahoo.com/5/20090124/tuk-protest-march-over-bbc-gaza-move-45dbed5.htm, Aljazeera news website accessed 25/1/09 http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2009/01/2009123194844488755.html

Obama: 'We gather on this day because we choose hope over fear'.

President elect Barrak H Obama has been sworn into the office as President of the United States of America - at 4pm Washington, U.S. local time.

After swearing Oath of Office, and signing the papers, Obama gave a great address to crowds of at least one million people who had travelled near and far to be in the crowd on this historic day.

Obama used a quote from Thomas Paine in his address, whom argued passionately against slavery in the U.S.A. As the first U.S. president of mixed African American descent, Obama has a rich personal history to draw from. Crowds around the world have been celebrating, from the U.S. to countries in Middle East, Kenya, Indonesia, Japan. To young people especially, Obama represents the hope the world needs.

News footage showed an interview with young Jewish people whom hope that Obama will bring a new approach to the problem in Israel and the middle east, saying that war is not the right way, it 'hasn't worked'. The whole world is looking to Obama to be the change the world needs, to turn away from the antagonistic methods of the Bush era, and bring a more conciliatory approach to conflict, giving Hope to the world.

Source: Aljazeera News Hour (Triangle TV)

Full Text of Address: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/01/2009120164354602654.html

Malaikat Juga Tahu (Angels also know)

Dewi Lestari has an unexpected hit for her song entitled 'malaikat juga tahu' (Bahasa Indonesia) she says she believes Guardian Angels can appear in the form of friends who are there for us, or in the form of those whom criticise us, 'because we can learn from all of them'.

Dewi Lestari is based in Bandung and wrote the novel 'SuperNova' about 8 years ago. She says, when she was writing the song, she had an inkling it was special

Source: Jakarta Post, 15/1/09, 'Dewi Lestari: Dewi says angels can be friends, foe' http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/01/13/dewi-lestari-dewi-says-angels-can-be-friends-foe.html