NOTE: A few links are not working as we failed to transfer the information from our old site foundation for pluralism to the new Center for Pluralism. We are working on it and hope to restore the links to pictures and videos soon.
Yasher Koach!!! It was a wonderful program yesterday.
I can't help but wonder why the United Nations hasn't begun a Holocaust Memorial Day a long, long, time ago. But it is good that they did so now.
We came away with the same warm-and-fuzzy feeling that we did at the Frisco event when people of many faiths come together in good will. It is a taste of Ha-Olam Ha-Bah!
Thanks so much for yours and Denise's part in it!
Shabbat Shalom, Susan -- and Jack, too!
*** For our Non-Jewish Friends, the Phrase Yasher Koach, Literally it means "may you remain" strong or something like that. The first two paragraphs of this website explain more: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/950615_Yasher_Koah.html
Thank you, Mike Ghouse, for initiating this event, for putting together an excellent and very successful program, for being so willing to accept suggestions, and for being so courageous and taking a risk in bringing together such a diverse audience. For those that weren't there, the main speaker that evening is a Holocaust Survivor and Schindler's list member. She told her history from when she was a young child, to being forced into the Krakow ghetto at age 16, and her experiences and her husband's and the miracles that led to their survival. After the program she told me that, of the hundreds and hundreds of presentations she has made over the last 18 years, she thought this presentation to this audience turned out to be perhaps the most important one.
All of the speakers were excellent. The readings from the various liturgies were well chosen, to the point, and abundantly clear. The poetry readings were timely and appropriate, and the Imam's comments were excellent!
In these days of renewed tension and hatred in Iran and elsewhere, the comments from the floor about what nonsense it is to deny the Holocaust or to forget its lessons, and your comments about what it really means to be a Muslim were greatly appreciated by everyone there.
The feedback that I heard was unanimously positive.
Another Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate Elie Weisel, has said: "My good friends – we never try to tell the tale to make people weep. It is too easy. We did not want pity. If we decided to tell the tale - it is because we wanted the world to be a better world ."
We would say, Mike, you have performed a great mitzvah (a blessing, a commandment, a good deed). Yasher koach Mike (may you remain strong and your strength be renewed).
Thanks again, Mike, for organizing the excellent program on the Holocaust. There were four people from our church who attended, and others who wanted to come but had other commitments. Those who could not attend were very impressed with the written program which I gave them. For Muslims to show their support of Jews is very needed. You are a blessing to the community and we, at Unity of Sachse, are most grateful for all you do for the community.
Sincerely, Rev. Marylou Ghyst Unity Church of Sachse TX
Indeed, more education and information about these tragedies is of utmost importance. Without such, the possibility that these horrific events can occur again is real. I hope that along with the history, a great deal of attention is placed on what allowed these events to occur, mainly, that people watched and did nothing. When we see people being persecuted, when we see people denied basic human rights, we must raise our voices and say "no!" The mantra associated with The Holocaust is "Never Again", yet to be true to the to the call, requires first that we even know about what happened, and second, that each of us take responsibility for our role. I applaud these educational and participatory events, I encourage all to attend, and to speak out and speak up, for these atrocities still occur in our world today. Len Ellis Dallas Peace Center
As a Kashmiri Hindu, I applaud the mention of our plight at the reflection program on January 24, no one cares about our issue, it was a relief to see them mention it.
Yes, we will attend. Sikhs are those who suffered because of religious and ethnic hatred. They like to join all to make it sure that the hatred is transformed into understanding of the human suffering all over the world. The idea of sharing the suffering of the world is a powerful one to move the world where such atrocities are never inflicted on any human being, and if and when it ever happens again, it may be shared by all. Harbans Lal, DFW Sikhs for Interfaith Understanding
My heartiest wishes for the successful event ,of which I m assured when the mention of Mike Ghouse I see, as the chair,, and He is most update on the issues, and a crusader , and is persuasive in deliverance as I see him as a virtual friend,an epitome of unparalleled wisdom and heave in the betterment of humanity at large spiritedly .. GOd bless the event and the Mission , I m sure Hindus the world's most oppressed , would be able to raise their head with pride as they r the keeper of trait invaluable to the humanity ... "Tolerance" and the ancient believer and propounded "UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD" ,, with no riders.. but paying for it sadly .. the Order has to be reversed if humanity have to survive and espouse goodness. report as abusive
It was such a powerful evening, I was greatly moved as part of this event, and pleased for our Community to sponsor it.
What became noticeable clear to me as the evening progressed is that as we continue to remember and reflect on these unspeakable tragedies, it does not further healing to approach them with anger, hate or the need for vengeance. We have learned that violence only begets more violence. the silence must be broken, truth and hope spoken, and a new understanding that we must respond swiftly and positively to the slaughter of humans by humans. Realizing that no one group is always responsible and no one group is always the victim helps us stop the "us vs them" perspective, and begins to move us into the "we must work together".
It is truly astounding that our media continues to spend its time showing the extreme sides and positions all over the world, rather than focusing on the moderate, reconciliatory voices that seek peace, justice and understanding. Thank you, Ms Unmuth and the Dallas Morning News, for being willing to cover this event and this story!
Katherine, I would like to thank you very much for covering this event. There were alot of insightful speeches by the speakers at the event and each one of them brought their own unique perspective to these very dire tragedies that have occured throughout history. To solve these issues we as human beings must continue to come together to witness the signs of these tragedies and find solutions to prevent them from occuring. I thank all of the guest speakers,volunteers and attendants for their support and participation in this event. We are looking forward to next years event as we hope to have a full day conference with discussion about many different genocides, holocausts and tragedies that have been occuring throughout human history. Please also give support to the next upcoming initiative of the World Muslim Congress, Project Soam, which should be occuring in the next few months,some information about the project can be found at www.holocaustandgenocides.com
Katherine, thank you for this article. We are grateful for your presence with us and in conveying its significance. We truly appreciate Mike Ghouse's dedication to human dignity and the Center for Spiritual Living's hosting of the event.
You noted that it was not an academic program yet I just wanted to mention we did have an academic talk during the program. I am a graduate student at UTD in history, and I presented a historical analysis of Jerusalem. It is interesting you chose not to mention it in your article as many audience members were powerfully impacted by it. I am grateful to Mike Ghouse for letting me know of the neglect of this area in the article. Many attendees thanked me in reminding all of us that Jerusalem was notable for 1219 years of coexistence and openness to travel and pilgrimage under Islamic rule. They expressed amazement that they had never before heard this type of academic proof that inspired such faith, hope, and love. Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together, coming and going. It is a precedent of hope and optimism that should be emphasized and appreciated rather than covered up - and of course, instead of the ad nauseum ideas of inevitable conflict or cultural clashes that usually surface.
It is very important that we consider how cruel we have been, are and can be to each other. We should not forget that we are all prone to reacting badly when outside our 'comfort zones' and forgetting about the Golden Rule that we all refer to. Come and stretch your comfort zones. report as abusive
It never ceases to amaze me how we humans are able to snuff out another human life without feeling any pangs of conscience.We all need to continue to reflect upon this question unceasingly till we,God willing, can find a lasting answer to this persistent, recurring phenomenon.
I am so hopeful to see that ALL atrocities are being remembered and acknowledged "The Holocaust was a major human tragedy and a failure of humanity. Among Genocides, Massacres and other tragedies we will reflect upon the Indigenous American people, the Mayans, the Toltecs, Darfur, Polpot, Congo, Armenia, Rwanda, Falun Dafa, Burma, Tibet, Bosnia, India, Gaza and the transatlantic slave trade". ; It is great that people from all faiths and background are starting to acknowledge and admit that these tragedies were and are still being inflicted by human beings on each other. I do pray -though- that admitting and acknowledging will be only the first step towards a sincere and persistent effort to stop these tragedies and prevent any new ones and to compensate those who had to endure the suffering; I pray that our creator bless this effort with success.
I just finished reading Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea, which tells the story of an American building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. What a wonderful alternative scenario to military solutions. We know that humanity is capable of genocide. But we have seen that we are also capable of great generosity, love, forgiveness and peace. I want to say never again to war, to genocide. I want humanity to see the enormity of the Holocaust, and all the holocausts of history. I want us to see that the victims are our own brother and sisters, though they speak another language and have different customs. Maybe then we will all say, together, Never again.
We cannot dwell in the house of suffering and resentment for it will poison our souls but, we can express our sorrow and our grief with one another, and determine that we will be ever vigilant in our efforts to not repeat the offending behavior.
We cannot change what has happened in the past but, we can certainly use it to shape how we go forward.
Simply saying "I'm sorry" as the Australian government has done with the Aboriginals is an honest beginning. To acknowledge that harm has been wrought and that harmful practices will be stopped goes a long way to promote healing of wounds that have gone unattended to for so long.
O Lord.!! This Existential System is yours. And we are also yours. Total aggregated wish of the Existence flowers. And genocides and holocausts event...as part of this system and as part of this system Science is attempting to know the reasons and what could be preventive measures to avoid and save life too. And in these systems, human lives have lost and people have suffered.. and people do get filled in with fear. So as part of the Existential system, another sub system is there to assemble and calibrate the self: heart, soul, mind, thoughts and their flows.. to pay homage and regards.. and prayers for the peace of the Departed Souls.. and at the same time prayers are the applications to prevent such further holocausts with almost zero losses..I in front of You kneel down and bow down and pray that Grant Your Heart to Those Departed Souls and give energies and courage to those people so they rise again and live their life joyfully. And fill of us with your Love... and bless that we forget the fear of such genocides and holocausts and get associated with construction, reconstruction and cultivation of love in All Human Hearts and Souls.. In your prayers.. In Your Love.. drbmsharma.
The best form of learing will come only through interaction and engagements with those who are unlike you and think and act differently.
The miseries of this world is mostly due to two prime reasons; temptation to dominate others, and resistence not to acknowledge others.
Arranging this kind of ggatherings, seminars and cultural events will certainly help heal the wounds and pains, as well as create space for others to exist.
The only indisputable lesson of human history from very long ago is all of our ancestors were nomadic and immigrated from place to place. At the beginning of this millennium it is very important that we appreciate this truth and learn that we are part of an extended human family and Earth is our common home.
Depriving others of what we want for ourselves by claiming exclusive rights should be passé. Let us join and outlaw by consensus, ethnic cleansing, genocide and wars for land. That is the only way to reach universal peace. Best wishes,
Wonderful, more awareness, more of such initiatives, and we shall have a better world. On behalf of my foundation, and the peace loving people of Indonesia, i congratulate all of you involved in this program. report as abusive
I command Mike Ghouse and his friends for organizing such an event.
Remembering past tragedies should not remain as mere remembrance of evils of the past, but should be remembered to guide us not to repeat those tragedies. The Nazis, Hitler, Mussolini may not be alive but their ditto-heads were/are in action among us, in Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan, Palestine...
As the children of Adam, we should promote peace and justice without discriminating because of religious affiliation or ethnic background.
On September 13th, 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with over whelming majority. (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States) 4 Negative votes. The combine views and Interests sets the framework of the future. It is a tool for Peace and Justice, based upon mutual recognition and mutual respect. Quoted; Article, IWGIA report as abusive
In my experience most people around the world are descent and warm individuals. As an American I also find that people in countries where America is hated, I'm am often welcomed by families. The problem seems to be religion and governments. As we have seen it is not the basic tennents of religion that are at fault, but the people practicing religion and running governments that cause the problem. So it is my opinion that humans are basically good until greed or hatred sets in. Both religion and Government are vehicles for expressing greed and hatred. So my conclusion is that humans in general would be better off with core ethincs but without religion and with governments that have little power. It would have to be universal or the governments with power would dominate and kill the whole plan.
Thank you for organizing such an important and timely event. The world desperately needs to unite around such issues to ensure that these atrocities never occur again. Kol Hakavod (Hebrew for 'Great Respect') to Mike Ghouse and all involved.
I have been consistently watching Mike Ghouse for his work on bringing communities together in acknowledging their pain and suffering. This event is one such that will help plant seeds of peaceful living for years to come.
It is important for all enlightened people, the "connected" generation, to stand, walk, and talk for love, tolerance and find our spiritual areas in "common" so that we can build a world of peace. Ben B. Boothe Sr. Global Businessman
In the fundamental belief of the ONENESS of LIFE expressing as and through the many,the underlying value of all is LOVE. Without this essential, soul nutrient, one is blinded in radical beliefs of separation which is the seed of war, ignorance and violence. There can never be such atrocities when living from a place of LOVE--when we look directly into someone's eyes...meeting heart to heart, soul to soul.
To reflect upon the tragedies of the Holocaust and Genocides is to unroot the belief of "other" as we begin to see clearly our brothers, sister, mothers, fathers throughout this world. Interconnected, we begin to creatively come together to provide food, water, jobs, education, safety, opportunities so all may experience a full and glorious life.
The shift is from pain and suffering to positive possibilities, infinite potentialites when we align in the highest common denominator which is LOVE. Serving side by side, guided from an inner compass of the UNITY and CREATIVITY of life, we can transform the world.
I bow in deep gratitude for Mike Ghouse...he is a gentle, powerful presence of TRUTH in the community. He is grounded in his beliefs while honoring the variety of expressions and finds common ground to expand and experience life in peace.
How beautiful when we can see clearly from this place of ONENESS while honoring the individualized expressions of life. When we reach this level of awakening we will no longer have to gather to remember the tragedies but gather to celebrate our inherent GOOD. We will then be able to say, as in "Avatar" -- I SEE YOU. This then becomes poetry in action.
What is it that makes a man speak ill of another, for no reason except their own formulated preconceived ill notions; and what is it that makes a man look at another with gazing eyes of disgust and belittlement for no reason except, bigotry, hate, and ignorance.
Yasher Koach!!! It was a wonderful program yesterday.
ReplyDeleteI can't help but wonder why the United Nations hasn't begun a Holocaust
Memorial Day a long, long, time ago. But it is good that they did so
now.
We came away with the same warm-and-fuzzy feeling that we did at the
Frisco event when people of many faiths come together in good will. It
is a taste of Ha-Olam Ha-Bah!
Thanks so much for yours and Denise's part in it!
Shabbat Shalom,
Susan -- and Jack, too!
*** For our Non-Jewish Friends, the Phrase Yasher Koach, Literally it means "may you remain" strong or something like that. The first two paragraphs of this website explain more: http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/Shokel/950615_Yasher_Koah.html
Thank you, Mike Ghouse, for initiating this event, for putting
ReplyDeletetogether an excellent and very successful program, for being so
willing to accept suggestions, and for being so courageous and taking
a risk in bringing together such a diverse audience. For those that
weren't there, the main speaker that evening is a Holocaust Survivor
and Schindler's list member. She told her history from when she was a
young child, to being forced into the Krakow ghetto at age 16, and her
experiences and her husband's and the miracles that led to their
survival. After the program she told me that, of the hundreds and
hundreds of presentations she has made over the last 18 years, she
thought this presentation to this audience turned out to be perhaps
the most important one.
All of the speakers were excellent. The readings from the various
liturgies were well chosen, to the point, and abundantly clear. The
poetry readings were timely and appropriate, and the Imam's comments
were excellent!
In these days of renewed tension and hatred in Iran and elsewhere, the
comments from the floor about what nonsense it is to deny the
Holocaust or to forget its lessons, and your comments about what it
really means to be a Muslim were greatly appreciated by everyone there.
The feedback that I heard was unanimously positive.
Another Holocaust survivor, Nobel Laureate Elie Weisel, has said:
"My good friends – we never try to tell the tale to make people weep.
It is too easy. We did not want pity. If we decided to tell the tale
- it is because we wanted the world to be a better world ."
We would say, Mike, you have performed a great mitzvah (a blessing, a
commandment, a good deed). Yasher koach Mike (may you remain strong
and your strength be renewed).
Shalom/Salaam,
Bernie
Commented in 2007
Thanks again, Mike, for organizing the excellent program on the Holocaust. There were four people from our church who attended, and others who wanted to come but had other commitments. Those who could not attend were very impressed with the written program which I gave them. For Muslims to show their support of Jews is very needed. You are a blessing to the community and we, at Unity of Sachse, are most grateful for all you do for the community.
ReplyDeleteSincerely,
Rev. Marylou Ghyst
Unity Church of Sachse TX
Good to hear about this fantastic initiative!
ReplyDeleteIndeed, more education and information about these tragedies is of utmost importance. Without such, the possibility that these horrific events can occur again is real. I hope that along with the history, a great deal of attention is placed on what allowed these events to occur, mainly, that people watched and did nothing. When we see people being persecuted, when we see people denied basic human rights, we must raise our voices and say "no!" The mantra associated with The Holocaust is "Never Again", yet to be true to the to the call, requires first that we even know about what happened, and second, that each of us take responsibility for our role.
ReplyDeleteI applaud these educational and participatory events, I encourage all to attend, and to speak out and speak up, for these atrocities still occur in our world today.
Len Ellis
Dallas Peace Center
As a Kashmiri Hindu, I applaud the mention of our plight at the reflection program on January 24, no one cares about our issue, it was a relief to see them mention it.
ReplyDeleteYes, we will attend. Sikhs are those who suffered because of religious and ethnic hatred. They like to join all to make it sure that the hatred is transformed into understanding of the human suffering all over the world. The idea of sharing the suffering of the world is a powerful one to move the world where such atrocities are never inflicted on any human being, and if and when it ever happens again, it may be shared by all.
ReplyDeleteHarbans Lal,
DFW Sikhs for Interfaith Understanding
My heartiest wishes for the successful event ,of which I m assured when the mention of Mike Ghouse I see, as the chair,, and He is most update on the issues, and a crusader , and is persuasive in deliverance as I see him as a virtual friend,an epitome of unparalleled wisdom and heave in the betterment of humanity at large spiritedly .. GOd bless the event and the Mission , I m sure Hindus the world's most oppressed , would be able to raise their head with pride as they r the keeper of trait invaluable to the humanity ... "Tolerance" and the ancient believer and propounded "UNIVERSAL BROTHERHOOD" ,, with no riders.. but paying for it sadly .. the Order has to be reversed if humanity have to survive and espouse goodness.
ReplyDeletereport as abusive
It was such a powerful evening, I was greatly moved as part of this event, and pleased for our Community to sponsor it.
ReplyDeleteWhat became noticeable clear to me as the evening progressed is that as we continue to remember and reflect on these unspeakable tragedies, it does not further healing to approach them with anger, hate or the need for vengeance. We have learned that violence only begets more violence. the silence must be broken, truth and hope spoken, and a new understanding that we must respond swiftly and positively to the slaughter of humans by humans. Realizing that no one group is always responsible and no one group is always the victim helps us stop the "us vs them" perspective, and begins to move us into the "we must work together".
It is truly astounding that our media continues to spend its time showing the extreme sides and positions all over the world, rather than focusing on the moderate, reconciliatory voices that seek peace, justice and understanding. Thank you, Ms Unmuth and the Dallas Morning News, for being willing to cover this event and this story!
Katherine, I would like to thank you very much for covering this event. There were alot of insightful speeches by the speakers at the event and each one of them brought their own unique perspective to these very dire tragedies that have occured throughout history. To solve these issues we as human beings must continue to come together to witness the signs of these tragedies and find solutions to prevent them from occuring. I thank all of the guest speakers,volunteers and attendants for their support and participation in this event. We are looking forward to next years event as we hope to have a full day conference with discussion about many different genocides, holocausts and tragedies that have been occuring throughout human history. Please also give support to the next upcoming initiative of the World Muslim Congress, Project Soam, which should be occuring in the next few months,some information about the project can be found at www.holocaustandgenocides.com
ReplyDeleteKatherine, thank you for this article. We are grateful for your presence with us and in conveying its significance. We truly appreciate Mike Ghouse's dedication to human dignity and the Center for Spiritual Living's hosting of the event.
ReplyDeleteYou noted that it was not an academic program yet I just wanted to mention we did have an academic talk during the program. I am a graduate student at UTD in history, and I presented a historical analysis of Jerusalem. It is interesting you chose not to mention it in your article as many audience members were powerfully impacted by it. I am grateful to Mike Ghouse for letting me know of the neglect of this area in the article. Many attendees thanked me in reminding all of us that Jerusalem was notable for 1219 years of coexistence and openness to travel and pilgrimage under Islamic rule. They expressed amazement that they had never before heard this type of academic proof that inspired such faith, hope, and love. Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived together, coming and going. It is a precedent of hope and optimism that should be emphasized and appreciated rather than covered up - and of course, instead of the ad nauseum ideas of inevitable conflict or cultural clashes that usually surface.
Excellent initiative. We as a human race need to recognize the sufferings before we can expect them to never happen again. I appluad the organizers..
ReplyDeleteIt is very important that we consider how cruel we have been, are and can be to each other. We should not forget that we are all prone to reacting badly when outside our 'comfort zones' and forgetting about the Golden Rule that we all refer to. Come and stretch your comfort zones.
ReplyDeletereport as abusive
It never ceases to amaze me how we humans are able to snuff out another human life without feeling any pangs of conscience.We all need to continue to reflect upon this question unceasingly till we,God willing, can find a lasting answer to this persistent, recurring phenomenon.
ReplyDeleteI am so hopeful to see that ALL atrocities are being remembered and acknowledged "The Holocaust was a major human tragedy and a failure of humanity. Among Genocides, Massacres and other tragedies we will reflect upon the Indigenous American people, the Mayans, the Toltecs, Darfur, Polpot, Congo, Armenia, Rwanda, Falun Dafa, Burma, Tibet, Bosnia, India, Gaza and the transatlantic slave trade". ; It is great that people from all faiths and background are starting to acknowledge and admit that these tragedies were and are still being inflicted by human beings on each other. I do pray -though- that admitting and acknowledging will be only the first step towards a sincere and persistent effort to stop these tragedies and prevent any new ones and to compensate those who had to endure the suffering; I pray that our creator bless this effort with success.
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading Greg Mortenson's Three Cups of Tea, which tells the story of an American building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. What a wonderful alternative scenario to military solutions. We know that humanity is capable of genocide. But we have seen that we are also capable of great generosity, love, forgiveness and peace. I want to say never again to war, to genocide. I want humanity to see the enormity of the Holocaust, and all the holocausts of history. I want us to see that the victims are our own brother and sisters, though they speak another language and have different customs. Maybe then we will all say, together, Never again.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot dwell in the house of suffering and resentment for it will poison our souls but, we can express our sorrow and our grief with one another, and determine that we will be ever vigilant in our efforts to not repeat the offending behavior.
ReplyDeleteWe cannot change what has happened in the past but, we can certainly use it to shape how we go forward.
Simply saying "I'm sorry" as the Australian government has done with the Aboriginals is an honest beginning. To acknowledge that harm has been wrought and that harmful practices will be stopped goes a long way to promote healing of wounds that have gone unattended to for so long.
O Lord.!! This Existential System is yours. And we are also yours. Total aggregated wish of the Existence flowers. And genocides and holocausts event...as part of this system and as part of this system Science is attempting to know the reasons and what could be preventive measures to avoid and save life too. And in these systems, human lives have lost and people have suffered.. and people do get filled in with fear. So as part of the Existential system, another sub system is there to assemble and calibrate the self: heart, soul, mind, thoughts and their flows.. to pay homage and regards.. and prayers for the peace of the Departed Souls.. and at the same time prayers are the applications to prevent such further holocausts with almost zero losses..I in front of You kneel down and bow down and pray that Grant Your Heart to Those Departed Souls and give energies and courage to those people so they rise again and live their life joyfully. And fill of us with your Love... and bless that we forget the fear of such genocides and holocausts and get associated with construction, reconstruction and cultivation of love in All Human Hearts and Souls.. In your prayers.. In Your Love.. drbmsharma.
ReplyDeleteThe best form of learing will come only through interaction and engagements with those who are unlike you and think and act differently.
ReplyDeleteThe miseries of this world is mostly due to two prime reasons; temptation to dominate others, and resistence not to acknowledge others.
Arranging this kind of ggatherings, seminars and cultural events will certainly help heal the wounds and pains, as well as create space for others to exist.
Good luck.
The only indisputable lesson of human history from very long ago is all of our ancestors were nomadic and immigrated from place to place. At the beginning of this millennium it is very important that we appreciate this truth and learn that we are part of an extended human family and Earth is our common home.
ReplyDeleteDepriving others of what we want for ourselves by claiming exclusive rights should be passé. Let us join and outlaw by consensus, ethnic cleansing, genocide and wars for land. That is the only way to reach universal peace. Best wishes,
Mirza A. Beg
Wonderful, more awareness, more of such initiatives, and we shall have a better world. On behalf of my foundation, and the peace loving people of Indonesia, i congratulate all of you involved in this program.
ReplyDeletereport as abusive
I command Mike Ghouse and his friends for organizing such an event.
ReplyDeleteRemembering past tragedies should not remain as mere remembrance of evils of the past, but should be remembered to guide us not to repeat those tragedies. The Nazis, Hitler, Mussolini may not be alive but their ditto-heads were/are in action among us, in Bosnia, Rwanda, Sudan, Palestine...
As the children of Adam, we should promote peace and justice without discriminating because of religious affiliation or ethnic background.
Peacemakers of the World, Unite!
Peace,
Edip Yuksel
islamicreform.org
On September 13th, 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples with over whelming majority. (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States) 4 Negative votes. The combine views and Interests sets the framework of the future. It is a tool for Peace and Justice, based upon mutual recognition and mutual respect. Quoted; Article, IWGIA
ReplyDeletereport as abusive
In my experience most people around the world are descent and warm individuals. As an American I also find that people in countries where America is hated, I'm am often welcomed by families. The problem seems to be religion and governments. As we have seen it is not the basic tennents of religion that are at fault, but the people practicing religion and running governments that cause the problem. So it is my opinion that humans are basically good until greed or hatred sets in. Both religion and Government are vehicles for expressing greed and hatred. So my conclusion is that humans in general would be better off with core ethincs but without religion and with governments that have little power. It would have to be universal or the governments with power would dominate and kill the whole plan.
ReplyDeleteThank you for organizing such an important and timely event. The world desperately needs to unite around such issues to ensure that these atrocities never occur again. Kol Hakavod (Hebrew for 'Great Respect') to Mike Ghouse and all involved.
ReplyDeleteI have been consistently watching Mike Ghouse for his work on bringing communities together in acknowledging their pain and suffering. This event is one such that will help plant seeds of peaceful living for years to come.
ReplyDeleteIt is important for all enlightened people, the "connected" generation, to stand, walk, and talk for love, tolerance and find our spiritual areas in "common" so that we can build a world of peace. Ben B. Boothe Sr. Global Businessman
ReplyDeleteIn the fundamental belief of the ONENESS of LIFE expressing as and through the many,the underlying value of all is LOVE. Without this essential, soul nutrient, one is blinded in radical beliefs of separation which is the seed of war, ignorance and violence. There can never be such atrocities when living from a place of LOVE--when we look directly into someone's eyes...meeting heart to heart, soul to soul.
ReplyDeleteTo reflect upon the tragedies of the Holocaust and Genocides is to unroot the belief of "other" as we begin to see clearly our brothers, sister, mothers, fathers throughout this world. Interconnected, we begin to creatively come together to provide food, water, jobs, education, safety, opportunities so all may experience a full and glorious life.
The shift is from pain and suffering to positive possibilities, infinite potentialites when we align in the highest common denominator which is LOVE. Serving side by side, guided from an inner compass of the UNITY and CREATIVITY of life, we can transform the world.
I bow in deep gratitude for Mike Ghouse...he is a gentle, powerful presence of TRUTH in the community. He is grounded in his beliefs while honoring the variety of expressions and finds common ground to expand and experience life in peace.
How beautiful when we can see clearly from this place of ONENESS while honoring the individualized expressions of life. When we reach this level of awakening we will no longer have to gather to remember the tragedies but gather to celebrate our inherent GOOD. We will then be able to say, as in "Avatar" -- I SEE YOU. This then becomes poetry in action.
What is it that makes a man speak ill of another, for no reason except their own formulated preconceived ill notions; and what is it that makes a man look at another with gazing eyes of disgust and belittlement for no reason except, bigotry, hate, and ignorance.
ReplyDelete