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Veterans & CCP Spiritually-Grounded Training

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San Diego veterans in CCP training.A military wife and a peace activist--I was both at the same time!  My husband’s security clearance was threatened, yet he remained supportive. With other friends in the nuclear submarine service, we spent hours discussing the Vietnam War.  They wanted peace, like we did. My husband considered, but decided against, seeking sanctuary as a conscientious objector at the Episcopal convention; he was due to be discharged soon.  When he got out, he went to high schools, joined veterans’ and other peace groups, and marched. Together, we spoke to congregations; our largest and most attentive crowd was at the Navy submariners’ church. Over and over again, I discovered that military personnel were not necessarily pro-war and that they pondered the moral issues.  And I observed that the public held veterans as among the most credible voices in the peace movement.  These experiences convinced me to join Veterans for Peace (VFP) as an associate.
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Circle of Truths: Role-Taking and Active Listening

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Circle of TruthsThe CCP circle of truths exercise is a transforming experience that engenders surprising respect and understanding toward opponents. It also is an effective tool for planning nonviolent actions. We know that a growing child eventually develops the cognitive and emotional maturity to conceptually "put herself in someone else's shoes." It is this ability to role-take that is practiced and refined in the circle of truths exercise.

Role-taking is a skill that oppressed people master in order to deal effectively and nonviolently with their oppressors. This same skill can help us develop humane responses in situations where there are inequalities of power--through knowing the heart and mind of others, a concern for how we will appear to them, and a motivation for cooperation.

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International Midwife to Nonviolent Change

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Nonviolent social movements require midwives.
They are NOT spontaneous events.

Many historians fail to portray the intense preparation and training which precede the dramatic and courageous actions of nonviolent social movements. Richard Deats, himself a peace activist and teacher, is an exception. His new book, Marked for Life (New City Press), describes the life and work of Hildegard Goss-Mayr, a midwife to people power movements across Africa, Europe, North American, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East.

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Creating Safe Space

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Mahatma Gandhi envisioned the shanti sena, a trained corps of Peacekeepers. They would be able to intervene as an impartial third party in areas of violent conflict. This Peacekeeping would create Safe Space for adversaries to engage nonviolently and fashion for themselves new relationships in a more just and peaceful culture. It would provide a foundation on which both Peacemaking (negotiation and the creation of solutions) and Peacebuilding (constructing alternatives) might proceed. Today we recognize that Peacekeeping can be effective in countries and communities, in organizations and homes.

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Story Time

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"Don't forget your mother's emotional outburst: 'They told us it was safe! They told us it was safe!' You shouldn't leave out that part." As strange as it seemed, I was being corrected on my own biography as I had shared it in a keynote speech at the Pax Christi National Conference. Someone who had heard me speak once before felt I had omitted an important part of the story from her point of view. "Can I get a copy of your opening talk--it was so inspiring?" another asked. Unfortunately, I could offer only pencil notes on index cards. "What made you change your goals?" asked another. I had to admit that memories and insights about my past were surfacing all the time, and I was still trying to understand my own journey. Wasn't it that way for everyone?

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Creating a Culture of Peace

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