Commentaries
A letter sent to NPR "All Things Considered " Host Leila Fadel
- Two States is not the only pathway to peace
January 19, 2024
by Don Dillard
This letter was sent to Leila Fadel, host of "All things considered" on NPR. The link to her program is included below.
Thank you for the story of Biden Admin and the two state solution. Your guest/expert characterized opposition to the "two state solution" as fringe elements who have no real interest in a negotiated peace or even those who oppose peace and prefer a total conquering of the other. His position was 1. the two state option is viable and 2. it is the only option. Although certainly there are some who prefer totally conquering the other, these aren't the only who prefer another option.
There is a growing movement of those preferring "One Democratic State." Instead of a religious government a Jewish state, that a liberal democracy with constitutional safeguards for full civil participation and rights for all including rights to return of those previously forced out. It is often said of the Israeli state that it is a democracy. However, there are special protections for the Jewish religion and the formal explicit exclusion of guaranteed civil rights and citizenship of others. A religious state and a liberal constitutional democracy are mutually exclusive. Two States is not the only pathway to peace. In future segments please find ways to highlight the full range of positive potential futures.
https://www.wusf.org/2024-01-18/the-biden-administration-insists-a-2-state-solution-remains-a-real-possibility
A Way to Celebrate, Honor and Follow Dr. King
January 11, 2024
by Len Ellis
As we recognize and celebrate the birthday of Dr. King, I believe his words and actions are no less relevant today than they were over forty years ago. In particular his actions. I know I will never be the orator that he was, but I can be a similar active, participating force, an agent for change, a contributor to peace and nonviolence. In voicing his commitment to nonviolence, he said "If I am the last, lone voice speaking for nonviolence, that I will do." And so the relevant question today is "am I willing to be the last, lone voice speaking for nonviolence"? Am I willing to express my deep desire for peace? Am I willing to do whatever it takes to never give up hope, never give up the message, never submit to apathy, never to say "oh, let THEM take care of it"?
Because what I see today, and I think Dr. King saw in his day, too many people are too quick to say "I don't have time," "What difference could it make?," "My friends/family don't agree."
You see, those committed to the power of nonviolence see it as a philosophy of life, not simply a method of social change. Those committed to the power of nonviolence see its relevance to their personal conduct and credo in everyday life. Those committed to the power of nonviolence stand in the face of bigotry and anger and hatred and injustice with the courage to show another way, and model what real freedom is.
Dr. King challenged us to work for a greater humanity, for something greater than ourselves as individuals. So I have to ask: what am I doing to meet this challenge, to honor his legacy? What am I doing with not just the dream he left, but with the love and the faith to act? I invite you to ask yourself the same.
Yes, I am challenged every day to act in integrity, to be a voice speaking for nonviolence. And sometimes I fail, but more often the universe confirms it is the right thing to do. Dr. King is gone, taken from us by an act of violence, the very thing he dedicated his life to change. But he left us a challenge, to step up to the plate and do our part; what are you doing to honor the challenge, to create a better world? When you look in the mirror in the morning, do you recognize the one person who can leave the world a better place than she found it? If not, why not?
If you are truly committed to peace and nonviolence, then live in that integrity. Stand up for what you believe. Raise your voice! Be the last, lone voice speaking for nonviolence. If I don't, who will? If you don't, who will?
Peace Begins With Me!
By Len Ellis
January 11, 2024
Have you ever had a lash in your eye? Most of us have from time to time, and at best, it is extremely irritating. A physical object in our tender eye is almost immediately noticeable. And what about the figurative lash in the eye? A situation or a person that is an irritation to us, which touches a tender nerve? We've all experienced this too, sometimes on a daily basis. And while it is happening, it seems so irritating that we just cannot think about much else.
Whether it is someone we would label as a difficult person, or a reflection of something in our own psyche, these irritations bother us. Naturally, most of us try to avoid such circumstances by avoiding these people, or not thinking about the situation. The thing is, though, by avoiding irritating people or situations, we miss out on the chance to grow, and we miss out on the opportunity to expand our peacemaking skills. And in almost every case, the irritation is not about the other person, it is about me, so dealing with the situation gives me the opportunity to find out something about myself.
The sages know this lash-in-the-eye is an opportunity for learning the skills that matter most in life: patience, forgiveness, and freedom from judgment. It is only when I have detached and let go of the judgments that I can put my arm around someone who has given me a really difficult time, and sincerely say, "Without you in my life, how could I have ever learned to be patient?" What's great about this is I can even do this with someone who is no longer around. In my mind's eye, I can recreate the situation and with sincerity, from my heart, say "Thank you for this opportunity to learn forgiveness."
Good and bad, happiness and sadness, pleasure and pain; these are the very real aspects of life at the outer, superficial level. The less I am bound by these dualities, the more clearly I will be able to see the core of purity, kindness and selflessness that is the real self in everyone, even in people who cause trouble, even in those lash-in-the-eye people.
The goal, the "where we want to get to place", is that of being engaged with every lash-in-the-eye situation, and stand in our integrity in the face of hostility, stand in our persistence in the face of resistance, knowing, yes knowing, that we can remain centered, remain at peace and say "Thank you". We can be with these lash-in-the-eye situations and instead of running away from them, or cursing them, we can bless them for what they are - opportunities to learn patience, forgiveness, and empathy, as well as freedom from likes and dislikes.
Instead of seeing the lash-in-the-eye as an irritation, I can choose to see it in a positive light, because as with all other choices - Peace begins with ME!
The Impact and Legacy of John Lennon
By Len Ellis
December 8, 2023
43 years ago Tuesday, December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his Upper West Side apartment. The senseless shooting is no less repulsive today than it was then, even in light of all the mass shootings that have occurred over the past 40+ years.
Over the years, when I am reminded of John Lennon, I have to ask – what would the world be like today had he lived? I want to believe it would indeed be a more peaceful planet, at least a more peaceful USA. One cannot underestimate the impact of the thoughts, ideas, and philosophy of Lennon, which eventually was put into words, words that we all could hear and take inside, words that interact with our very being, words that lodge into our brains, into our soul.
Just as words of violence can bring about actions of violence, words of peace can create a space for nonviolence, or in the Gandhian principal of Ahimsa, “a state of the heart which has no enemies.”
Can you imagine a world of no enemies? No perceived reason to harm, let alone kill, another human being? I know John Lennon could, and did. Just look at the words to “Imagine”, key phrases extracted here:
Nothing to kill or die for
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people:
-Living for today,
-Living life in peace,
-Sharing all the world
And the world will live as one
John took his imagination to the next step – he put into words and actions these principles – and we can do the same – our thoughts become our words become our actions. Yet we must go beyond this, we must set an example, teach our children from the moment they are born, how to respect and love one another, how to get along with our brothers and sisters. Yes, we will have conflicts – conflicts are a necessary part of life, but conflicts do not have to be violent! There is always a way to resolve conflict in a nonviolent way – ALWAYS.
I truly believe John Lennon would be leading us today to help eliminate the gun violence we are seeing today. Not by calling for more gun control, but calling for more understanding and tolerance and love for all humanity. He would be writing songs and making public appearances that promoted peace. He would be taking every opportunity to be in the public view, being a model for peace, and most important, asking each and every one of us to do likewise. He would be promoting practices such as Nonviolent Communications (NVC) and Heart Math and Conscious Connections (formerly BePeace). He would be putting his words into actions. And what beautiful words they are.
I invite you to sit quietly, take John Lennon’s words into your head and your heart, and ask yourself “what can I do to make my life one of peace? What can I do to be a model for peace?” And when you get the answer, go forth into the world and show others what is possible. This is how we will create a peaceful planet. Lao Tzu, some 2500 years ago, said it this way:
“If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.”
And John Lennon reminded us in his own way. Go forth and promote peace, create peace, become peace. It isn’t hard to do.
A Return to the Roots of Mother's Day
By Len Ellis
May 14, 2023
As we recognize and celebrate Mother’s Day, let us first remember and honor Julia Ward Howe. Julia Ward Howe was heartbroken and distressed seeing the ravages of the American Civil War. She wrote “The Battle Hymn of The Republic” as a way to express her anguish and outrage, and saw this was not enough to bring about change. I see her as one of the first feminists, striving to make equality of the sexes a reality. A true visionary, she also saw that peace, the end of war as a way to resolve conflict, was equally as important.
In 1870, the Franco-Prussian war erupted, and Julia Ward Howe began to organize women, her goal to petition Congress to end all wars. A true activist, she took her campaign international, issuing a “Manifesto For Peace” at conferences in Paris and London. In 1872 she put forth and promoted the idea of a “Mother’s Day For Peace” to be celebrated on June 2 each year, and in 1873 women in 18 U.S. cities made this a reality.
Anna Jarvis was another trailblazer during the Civil War, establishing and organizing “Mother’s Work Days.” Julia Ward Howe was directly influenced by Jarvis’ tireless work and activism. Jarvis’ daughter, also named Anna, motivated by her mother’s and Howe’s work for equality and peace, established the first “Mother’s Day” celebration in West Virginia in 1907. Through Jarvis’ activism, by 1912, 45 states had official declarations, and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson signed the celebration into law.
Within a few years, Jarvis became disappointed with the increasing commercialization of Mother’s Day. In keeping with the intentions of peace and equality and justice, the original purpose of Howe and Jarvis, I invite you to look beyond the ‘feel-good’ façade and ask yourself “how can I honor the work of these visionary and brave women? What can I do to promote peace and equality?” I encourage you to look in the mirror and affirm “Peace Begins With ME!” and then go out into the world and make a difference.
I want to point out that both Howe and Jarvis saw the power in organizing people toward a common goal. While we each have power as individuals, when we come together in a focused purpose, our energy and effect is multiplied many times over. Looking at the peace movement, I believe Howe was the first to put forth an organized effort to end war. Compare this to the thousands of years that humans have used violence and war to address conflict, we’re just now coming into our own as a force for peace. This is why it is so important to support peace-oriented organizations, both financially and physically, to keep the momentum going, to add to the consciousness of peace and nonviolence. As I requested previously, ask yourself how you can get involved, how you can support your local or national peace efforts. Know in your heart – Peace Begins with ME!
A Mexican Mother’s Search for Justice
by José Espericueta
In early October, Lucía Díaz, founder of Colectivo Solecito, and Dr. Matt Hone, an independent researcher, came to Dallas from Veracruz, Mexico to talk about the thousands of disappeared victims of the country’s ongoing drug violence. The particular event that I helped to organize was in collaboration with Doctors Nils Ackerman and Pedro Gonzalez Corona from the University of Texas at Dallas’s Holocaust Studies Center. It was hosted by the University of Dallas and funded in part by the Dallas Peace and Justice Center.
Lucía told the painful story of the disappearance of her son. In 2013, her son Guillermo, a popular DJ with no connection to the drug cartels in Veracruz, was kidnapped and then disappeared. What makes this all the more heartbreaking is noting that Lucia’s wounds have yet to heal because she knows nothing about his whereabouts. Moreover, she has received little help from law enforcement or government officials. The work to find Guillermo has been undertaken by Lucía and mothers like her because this is not just her story, but that of thousands of other mothers whose children have also disappeared throughout Mexico, most of whom are innocent victims of the country’s drug violence.
Rough estimates put the number of disappeared around 40,000. But this number is likely far greater simply because family members are too scared to reach out to police that may be both corrupt and intertwined with powerful drug cartels. Lucía has left her job as a university professor to form Colectivo Solecito (“Little Sun Collective”) and work with other mothers who are searching for information regarding their children. Much of this work involves following tips, digging for mass graves, and providing a support network for the families of those disappeared. They do work that the police refuse to do, risking their own lives in a search for both justice and closure.