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Love, Peace and Aloha
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Aloha Mom and Dad,
Tried to call you today, Monday April 23, but could only leave a message. Hope you were out having a good time. We are now doing some work with Willie Nelson. Willie created the Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute and we have launched a web site. The web site is a blog and we have both been writing on it since we launched it on Thursday.
This is very exciting because we have always wanted to be able to do more for peace. Among other things, this is a platform to support the Peace Alliance, which is spearheading the drive for a Cabinet level Department of Peace. I am also the Hawaii Congressional District 2 Team Leader for them. We are trying to get the County of Maui to pass a resolution supporting this effort.
We are already using the blog to reach out for more team leaders for the Peace Alliance. Team leaders are still needed in about a third of congressional districts. For example, your congressional district lacks a team leader. This is typical for red states; blue states are better represented in the organization as is to be expected.
All of this has required we do much more research into the state of peace. We try to keep up good spirits. Sometimes this is challenging, such as today when I was reading about the huge and growing Iraqi refugee crisis. I know from history that this type of situation has always accompanied the lack of peace but with on line media we can be so much more aware of it.
The Iraqi refugee crisis is already larger than the Palestinian refugee crisis caused by the Israeli aggression in Palestine. I look for the good in all of this. At best, if United States citizens can understand what they have allowed to occur in their name, then there will be a larger movement to change national priorities. A good start here would be to begin impeachment proceedings against the current administration. This would set a meaningful example for all politicians.
There was another thing I was reading about the role of mainstream media in selling Bush’s invasion of Iraq. But it said little of the continued under reporting of ongoing events. The Internet has really filled in the gaps for what was called the alternative press. I think of this as a good thing.
I have also been reading the work of Lloyd deMause. The Emotional Life of Nations is available free on line and so is Foundations of Psychohistory. Psychohistory is the study of the psychological basis of history. It looks at the psychology of leaders, the psychology of groups and most importantly the effects of child rearing practices through history.
There is a strong correlation between advances in child rearing practices and advances in the human condition. This has been quite a revelation to me because all of my education and previous study emphasizes sociological ideas. Psychohistory looks at everything from the opposite side of sociology and anthropology.
Lloyd deMause really rocks the boat. Historians and psychologists see his work as threatening their turf so they are defensive and critical. But it is clear that neither group really adequately considers the points he brings to light. And Lloyd deMause is critical of sociologists and anthropologists concerning cultural relativism. Psychohistorians maintain that the extreme cultural relativism proposed by many sociologists and anthropologists is contrary to the letter and spirit of human rights.
We have also discovered over a thousand active peace groups with web sites. We find this encouraging. One of the goals of the Willie Nelson Peace Research Institute is to increase intercommunication among peace groups. Every day we discover new bright spots. For example, did you know that the Quakers run the largest peace lobby in the country? They are really doing some fantastic work. They have played a pivotal role in the creation of the Peace Corps, played an important role in lobbying for the Civil Rights Act, and led efforts in Washington to oppose both the first (1991) and second (2003) Iraq wars.
Love, Peace and Aloha
After I wrote this to my parents I thought it would be good for a post.
What do you think?
Tags: Peace, peace_alliance, u_s_department-of-peace, Willie Nelson, willie-nelson-peace-research-institute
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