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Where Will We Go?
Reflections on Life In the Turn Lane
August 8, 2009
Note: This is a longer than usual effort. The events,
contemporary and remembered, are bigger than usual.
This week reminds me of a story from the mists of childhood: an uncle told how he and his military
buddies on Tinian Island in the South Pacific had written their names on a bomb before they loaded
it into a B-29 super-fortress bomber. That bomb founds its way to Hiroshima, Japan and began The
Atomic Age. Together it and a sibling bomb aimed at Nagasaki killed 100,000 +/- men, women and
children - in the name the USA - and my uncle.
August 6, was the 64th anniversary of that day. I reflected on its effects at a Remembrance Vigil; I
thought about the victims, war, its connection to me and our country. Thich Nhat Hanh talks about
inter-being – that all things are connected; the bomb, my country/citizenship, the victims in Japan
inter-are. Along with victims in Afghanistan....Iraq....Pakistan...and in between Vietnam, Central
America.
I can’t put a wrench in the military-industrial machine, but, what I can do is imagine - send out my
intentions and memes and practice new behaviors. With the principal of inter-being, I know they are
not wasted.
So I imagine harmony instead of management. What would it be like for a meeting to have harmony
as its goal? Where we could say, yes we got the job done, we set or met our goals AND we did it by
practicing harmony. Right away I would see that my 10 point plan might have to be adapted. We’d
be there in relationship, to each other, as well as to the task at hand.
I imagine reconciliation instead of conflict. I’d do more listening; practice empathy instead of
judgment; know I’d have time to tell my story. I would try to say I’m sorry and generously accept an
apology. My goal would be to heal, to move forward, to invite the other party to do the same. From
what I heard the “beer-summit” was not this.
I imagine community creativity not planning. Those affected by a problem or concern would,
together, explore the situation, its causes, our reactions, consequences. From that, solutions would
appear. Consensus and a chance for personal wholeness would grow. From that, solutions would
often be better than any individual could create. The context would need to be open, inviting, not
agenda driven. I’d have to swap my I-mind for a We perspective.
I imagine human not institutional integrity. Institutions have cultures, leadership paths, pecking
orders, rules, rubrics. What if the templates of “what people need”, “how people will be affected”,
“putting people first” were placed alongside budgets, calendars, communication processes,
personnel policies, tradition and inertia?
Will this week’s extreme aggression of opposition to healthcare reform jog us away from shouting at
our leaders as a path toward understanding? Is it extreme enough that we might reject it and look
for alternatives to this testosterone-driven process of conflict and superiority? Otherwise, the
shouting could become shooting.
Zaheda Ghani, an Afghanistani native who now lives in Australia, reinforces for me what shooting
means when that’s the only alternative. Hearing war from the inside-out could push our hearts to
help us change; surely our “heads” have not. Hear her:
© Beverly Jones 2009 .... Trying To Do Good. Together.
Reflections on Life In the Turn Lane
August 8, 2009
Note: This is a longer than usual effort. The events,
contemporary and remembered, are bigger than usual.
This week reminds me of a story from the mists of childhood: an uncle told how he and his military
buddies on Tinian Island in the South Pacific had written their names on a bomb before they loaded
it into a B-29 super-fortress bomber. That bomb founds its way to Hiroshima, Japan and began The
Atomic Age. Together it and a sibling bomb aimed at Nagasaki killed 100,000 +/- men, women and
children - in the name the USA - and my uncle.
August 6, was the 64th anniversary of that day. I reflected on its effects at a Remembrance Vigil; I
thought about the victims, war, its connection to me and our country. Thich Nhat Hanh talks about
inter-being – that all things are connected; the bomb, my country/citizenship, the victims in Japan
inter-are. Along with victims in Afghanistan....Iraq....Pakistan...and in between Vietnam, Central
America.
I can’t put a wrench in the military-industrial machine, but, what I can do is imagine - send out my
intentions and memes and practice new behaviors. With the principal of inter-being, I know they are
not wasted.
So I imagine harmony instead of management. What would it be like for a meeting to have harmony
as its goal? Where we could say, yes we got the job done, we set or met our goals AND we did it by
practicing harmony. Right away I would see that my 10 point plan might have to be adapted. We’d
be there in relationship, to each other, as well as to the task at hand.
I imagine reconciliation instead of conflict. I’d do more listening; practice empathy instead of
judgment; know I’d have time to tell my story. I would try to say I’m sorry and generously accept an
apology. My goal would be to heal, to move forward, to invite the other party to do the same. From
what I heard the “beer-summit” was not this.
I imagine community creativity not planning. Those affected by a problem or concern would,
together, explore the situation, its causes, our reactions, consequences. From that, solutions would
appear. Consensus and a chance for personal wholeness would grow. From that, solutions would
often be better than any individual could create. The context would need to be open, inviting, not
agenda driven. I’d have to swap my I-mind for a We perspective.
I imagine human not institutional integrity. Institutions have cultures, leadership paths, pecking
orders, rules, rubrics. What if the templates of “what people need”, “how people will be affected”,
“putting people first” were placed alongside budgets, calendars, communication processes,
personnel policies, tradition and inertia?
Will this week’s extreme aggression of opposition to healthcare reform jog us away from shouting at
our leaders as a path toward understanding? Is it extreme enough that we might reject it and look
for alternatives to this testosterone-driven process of conflict and superiority? Otherwise, the
shouting could become shooting.
Zaheda Ghani, an Afghanistani native who now lives in Australia, reinforces for me what shooting
means when that’s the only alternative. Hearing war from the inside-out could push our hearts to
help us change; surely our “heads” have not. Hear her:
© Beverly Jones 2009 .... Trying To Do Good. Together.
| V More Photonews to come. Visit www.wangnews.net again and soon! V V |
A Vigil at the Theodore M. Berry
International Friendship Park: We
Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki
And the skies rained down fire.
Hiroshima. Nagasaki.
In the gardens of those Cities
the agony began.
The images of flames, smoke, destruction.
The smell of burning flesh.
The taste of ashes on the tongues.
International Friendship Park: We
Remember Hiroshima and Nagasaki
And the skies rained down fire.
Hiroshima. Nagasaki.
In the gardens of those Cities
the agony began.
The images of flames, smoke, destruction.
The smell of burning flesh.
The taste of ashes on the tongues.
Hiroshima. Nagasaki.
We ask forgiveness again, decades later.
And we will continue to ask forgiveness,
Through our acts of contrition,
May we learn to act as peacemakers,
So peace may be the restitution
We offer humanity. Amen.
A Remembrance Prayer for Peace,
08/06/2009. Organized by the
Interfaith Justice & Peace Center,
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
We ask forgiveness again, decades later.
And we will continue to ask forgiveness,
Through our acts of contrition,
May we learn to act as peacemakers,
So peace may be the restitution
We offer humanity. Amen.
A Remembrance Prayer for Peace,
08/06/2009. Organized by the
Interfaith Justice & Peace Center,
Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
| Hiroshima was destroyed by an atomic bomb on 8/6/1945, and Nagasaki, 3 days later. |
| Photocredit: Charleston C. K. Wang |
| FIREWORKS ON THE OHIO RIVERFRONT LABOR DAY 2009 IN CINCINNATI, OHIO - USA |
| Afghanistan Paper continues to fall, communist propaganda literally rains down on us. The helicopters are so noisy, so high in the sky. I stand looking up, my arms are wide open. I wantto catch all the pieces of falling paper. Paper, paper, everywhere At least it’s better than when they decide to shower us with bullets. Mother is at work. She is a teacher at the school across the street. You can see it when you go outside the huge walls of my grandparents’property. The walls are made of the thick hay and mud. I remember the walls. The height of them makes me feel protected. I imagine that these walls are strong enough to stop the rockets. I go inside the house to play behind the big black couch in the main guestroom. This is where we hide when the sirens sound in the middle of the night. One night, I hear my father pray for us to die together if we are hit. That night he holds mother and I close to him. I can feel him shivering as I secretly agree with him. I’ve never seen father frightened before. Now, I play with my big red doll when it happens. I hear a loud noise. I know it is a bomb. I run out into the garden. Somehow, I find my hand in my aunt’s hand and I am being pulled behind her. Small feet try to keep up. Everyone gathers outside, smoke rises from the direction of the school. I see it come up over the wall. The noise numbs my ears. There is screaming and shouting on the other side where mother is. We run out of the gates, into the street, though I am hesitant. I don’t want to see her pieces lying before me. She would be coming home for lunch now. All I see is smoke. My heart has stopped, my knees shake, I know she’s gone. Everyone is crying. My grandmother holds me. My head is on her chest and I watch the smoke. I don’t say a word. I want her to walk out of the smoke. That’s all I want. I break free of my grandmother. I stand alone, but I do not cry. After that I don’t remember what happens. What I do recall is my mother, running out of the smoke. She runs towards me. I’m in her arms. I can smell her. She smells of mother. She holds me tight. She cries as she whispers “we have to get away from here.” My mouth is dry. Yes. We have to get away from here. |
| Dulcimer music by Rev. Don Drewry, Ludlow United Methodist Church 8:30am Invocation, Paul Whalen, N.K.I.F.C. President 8:45am Rabbi Robert Reiner, Wise Temple , Cincinnati (8:46am American Airlines flight 11 crashes into north tower of World Trade Center) 8:47am Vocal solo by Anna Hope Curwood of First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Fort Thomas 8:50am Rev. Steve Hecky, St. John 's U.C.C., Newport (9:03am United Airlines flight 175 crashes into south tower of World Trade Center ) 9:15am Ahmer Sheriff, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati 9:30am cello solo by Ellen Stephens of N.K.U. (9:45am American Airlines flight 77 crashes into the Pentagon) 9:46am Rev. Patricia Hatfield First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Covington (9:59am south tower of the World Trade Center collapses) 10:00am Rev. Jerry Zehr Florence Christian Church (D.O.C.) (10:10am United Airlines flight 93 crashes in Pennsylvania ) 10:15am Charleston Wang, Editor, Wang News Service Reading Zahedi Ghani's Afghanistan (See column on right) (10:28am north tower of the World Trade Center collapses) 10:30am Benediction, Rev. Jim Bishop, N.K.I.F.C. Executive Director A brief history of "Interfaith" and the 9-11 Pray for Peace Rally: The Northern Kentucky Interfaith Commission is a non-profit organization formed in 1969 by the merger of the Northern Kentucky Association of Protestant Churches and the Catholic Information Center . It was initially dedicated to improving communications between Protestants and Roman Catholics. But the ministry of this open-minded group soon broadened to include race relations and inter-faith relationships as well. It has never been the intention of Interfaith to duplicate the efforts of other religious groups, but to facilitate their combined efforts. The 9-11 Pray for Peace Service at the World Peace Bell was the invention of our current Executive Director, Rev. Jim Bishop. Shortly after he had been installed in 2006, Enquirer newspaper Reporter, Karen Vance called to ask what Interfaith was doing to remember the events of 9-11-01? He was saddened to report to her that this ecumenical body of believers had made no plans other than private prayers. Shortly thereafter, as he was drinking coffee at the White Castle restaurant across the street from the World Peace Bell in downtown Newport he thought, "What better place to make a public, cooperative witness for PEACE?" You are now invited to become an active participant in Interfaith. Our Board of Delegates meets at 7:00pm on the second Monday of each month at Henry Hosea House at 9th & York Streets in Newport . All of our meetings are open to the public and all people of faith are welcome. And if you cannot join us-- pray for us. Northern Kentucky Interfaith Commission Rev. Jim Bishop, Executive Director 901 York Street PO Box 72296 Newport, KY 41072 Phone: (859) 581-2237 E-mail: nkifc@fuse.net Web site: www.nkyinterfaith.com |
| 9-11 Pray for Peace Rally at Newport Peace Bell 9/11/2009 |
| Rev. Jim Bishop |
| ARTHUREX DEBUTS ON YOUTUBE ORIGINAL AND COVER SONGS CLICK ON PHOTO TO ENJOY |
| RABBI ABIE INGBER GIVES MESSAGE ON DARFUR SUNDAY 9/13/09 AT CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL IN THE CITY OF CINCINNATI |
| COFFEE RECEPTION ON DARFUR SUNDAY |
For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something
This quote from the twenty-fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew begins to
describe the theological imperative to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, I was naked and you gave me We invite you join us in a coalition of churches,
synagogues, mosques
and secular organizations to bring peace and comfort to Darfur.- Dean James A.
Diamond. For more information click here.
This quote from the twenty-fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew begins to
describe the theological imperative to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed
me, I was naked and you gave me We invite you join us in a coalition of churches,
synagogues, mosques
and secular organizations to bring peace and comfort to Darfur.- Dean James A.
Diamond. For more information click here.
| 6th Annual Iftar Dinner Celebrating End of Ramadan, Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, West Chester, Ohio |
| Assalaamu Alaikom - Peace be upon you. Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic lunar calendar. It is a month of fasting for Muslims, during which they refrain from eating and drrinking from dawn to sunset. The month ends with the celebration of the first of two annual Islamic holidays, Eid-ul-Fitr. It is a day of feast in which Muslims celebrate the completion of the month and thank God for His infinite blessings. There are many lessons Muslims learn from fasting and compassion for the poor is one of them. It is also one way Muslims are reminded that it is God who provides from day after day and so gratitude is owed to Him. It is also a lesson in self-control and restraint from evil tendencies. Lastly, it is a purification of the soul, because it offers a time for repentance and forgiveness among people. By breaking bread together today, the resolution is made to strengthen religious harmony through mutual tolerance, respect, and understanding. - Council on American-Islamic Relations, Cincinnati Chapter |
"The Three Suns"
"In The Beginning"
"Nebula"
"Starbursts"
Photocredit: Charleston C. K. Wang
| back is straight, your hair is smooth on the pillow where you lie. But I don't sense affection. No gratitude or love. Your loyalty is not to me but to the stars above. One more cup of coffee for the road. One more cup of coffee 'fore I go to the valley below. BOB DYLAN. |