I Dare You To Imagine

Tomorrow is John Lennon's birthday, when he would've turned 70 years old. Can you imagine John at 70? In his short life, Lennon left such a legacy, and not just in the musical world. Today I would like to pay tribute to Lennon and what he means to me.

I was always fascinated by Lennon. I remember in 10th grade we had to write a research paper on someone who changed the world. I chose Lennon, and I got a C, because my teacher said it was a "poor topic choice." Mind you, she had to approve the topic - which is also not to say the paper was not C-worthy for other reasons. However, I thoroughly disagreed with her opinion that Lennon had not changed the world.

As a musician and music lover, I have always been in awe of the way the Beatles changed music. Their catchy melodies, tight harmonies, and their ability to just rock out gave the world countless classic songs that live on generations after they were first played. Lennon certainly made a mark on the world as a member of one of the greatest (arguable THE greatest) band to have ever existed.

However, to simply acknowledge Lennon's musical accomplishments would be only showing one side of this multifaceted man. He was an activist, and especially an activist for peace. And while his activism manifested in many ways, from his lyrics to his "bed-ins" to billboard messages, it is perhaps through his music that his activism best shown through and left the greatest legacy.

It does not do justice to boil Lennon's extensive catalogue down to one song. So much of his music contains deep spiritual, philosophical and political messages, and he was an incredibly gifted songwriter. But for me, Lennon's greatest legacy is "Imagine."

In this simple song, he beautifully captures what a peaceful world would look like. He makes you believe that it's possible, that it's "easy if you try." He places the onus on us - it's easy, and it's up to you to make it a reality. He dares us, "I wonder if you can," almost challenging us to imagine this world with him, and go ahead and make it real.

He proclaims solidarity, reminding us that he's "not the only one," and I imagine that for many people, that song captures their vision as well. He reminds us that we are not alone, and that there are so many others who have this same vision for the world. As I read the Global Campaign for Peace Education newsletter this morning, I reminded of how many people out there are working on peace initiatives, especially through education. It helps to realize that there are millions of people out there working on peace initiatives. Our voices don't attract as much attention as the voices of violence and disorder, which just means we have to speak louder. I am thankful to the PeacexPeace network for giving us an opportunity to make our voices heard.

John Lennon changed the world because he helped us to believe it's possible. He helped us to believe in the possiblity of creating a peaceful world. He didn't have the chance to transform his vision into reality. But we do.

In remembering John Lennon and his legacy, I propose that we honor him by making his imagined world a reality. Like he says, it's simple: nothing to kill or die for, no religion, no countries, no greed, no hunger. Just one world, a brotherhood (sisterhood?). A global neighborhood. Easy, right?

When I look at that list, it looks daunting. Ending violence seems almost easy compared to ending hunger. Though, it shouldn't be so difficult. Statistics show that we produce enough food globally to feed the world. Having spent 2 years in Niger, a chronically undernourished country that is often on the brink of famine, I do not have solid answers for how we can remedy the food crisis.

But while I don't personally have answers, collectively, we can find them. And finding solutions starts by using our imaginations.

Imagine if we invested all of the money that we currently invest in defense and invested it in sustainable solutions to issues such as chronic hunger and poverty? In heath care and education? I am absolutely sure if we changed the way we spend our money, we would find solutions.

Imagine if instead of the US Department of Defense, we had a US Department for Peace and Justice? Costa Rica created such a department last year. It is possible. And a movement is underway in the US to create this department.

Imagine if corporate interests were taken out of the electoral equation, and our democracy was truly for the people?

Imagine a world with renewable, sustainable energy sources that do not pollute or damage the environment.

Imagine a world where every child goes to school, and every child has a full belly.

Imagine a world where women do not live in fear of domestic violence.

Imgine a world without weapons - no guns. No bombs. How much safer would we be?

The best tribute I can imagine for John Lennon's birthday is simply that - to imagine the world we want to create, and to then take action to make it a reality. So go on, imagine it. Then take action!

World Teacher's Day

See my blog entry about World Teacher's Day on the PeacexPeace network:
http://peacexpeacecommunity.ning.com/profiles/blogs/world-teachers-day

Women's Peacemaker Conference

It is well known that history is often a case of "his"-tory - that the stories of women are omitted and forgotten, even powerful women who have broken down gender barriers and made a difference in their societies. Furthermore, the peaceful side of history is often neglected, as history textbooks tend to be a litany of battles, conquerors, and consequences. As a result, so much is missing, and our view of history remains slanted and incomplete. How can we reconcile this? How can we ensure that women's stories, and particularly stories of peace activism, are told?


The Women's PeaceMaker program at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice (IPJ) seeks to do just that, by annually bringing 4 women who are working in the peacebuilding field to the University of San Diego campus to document their stories. I had the priveledge last night to listen to some of these amazing women share their stories at the Women's PeaceMaker conference, which this year is focusing on the 10th anniversary of UN resolution 1325, in which the Security Council called for the inclusion of women in all levels of decision-making and peacebuilding processes. The title of the conference"Precarious Progress," indicates that while some progress has been made, much work remains to be done.

The first event was the showing of the documentary "Pray the Devil Back to Hell," which documents the women's peace movement during the civil war in Liberia. One of the women featured in the film, Viaba Flomo, is a 2010 Women's PeaceMaker, who shared some words and answered questions from the audience after the film. The movie portrays the incredible perserverence and strength of the Liberian women as they advocated for peace talks, pushed for results, and successfully campaigned for the election of Africa's first female head of state, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.


While the film had some very shocking and upsetting moments as women described the atrocities that they had been through or witnessed, overall the film was inspiring and surprisingly uplifting. When the women began their campaign, rampant violence and abject poverty plagued Liberia, but through their persistence and hard work, the women brought the country to peaceful, democratic elections. Flomo emphasized that now there is much work to be done in order to further secure peace and prosperity. If anyone can do it, it is the incredible women like her who are working for peace. The movie leaves no doubt in the viewers mind that these women can - and will - accomplish anything.


Flomo said, "We need to strengthen peace where peace is. To build peace where peace is broken is hard." Speaking to an audience in sunny, prosperous San Diego, it seemed that Flomo was calling on the members of the audience who were fortunate enough to come from places that were not torn by civil war to work harder at building and maintaining peace. As the subsequent speaker, Monica McWilliams said, "Peace is a process, not an event." Peace requires constant work, constant cultivation, and it is far easier to do this in places that are not at war


Flomo's words and the documentary highlight the importance of the work that the Women's PeaceMaker program is doing. So often, women are written out of history. Peace movements are not well-publicized, and the women behind movements for freedom, democracy, and human rights go unrecognized and unacknowledged. By bringing them to San Diego to tell their stories, the Women's PeaceMaker program ensures that the stories of four women, from different movements in different parts of the world, will not be forgotten.


Monical McWilliams, the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and a leader of the women's movement throughout the peace process, also emphasized the importance of the Women's PeaceMaker program as a refuge for the women, a place where they can reflect, recharge, and return to the homefronts ready to take action. The women in the program are engaged in work that is exhausting, physically and emotionally draining, and ongoing. They work tirelessly and selflessly to promote peace in their home countries and in the world. The PeaceMaker program provides them with the ability to take some time for themselves to rest, rejuvenate, and replenish.

McWilliams' talk - a part of the IPJ Distinguished Lecture Series - was entitled "From Peace Talks to Gender Justice," during which she described her experience working in the Northern Ireland Women's Coalition and the peace processes. A thoroughly engaging speaker, McWilliams adeptly used humor as she described the challenges and lessons from the peace talks. Her talk was peppered with brilliant nuggets of wisdom, such as "all parties to the problem should be part of the solution," and "exclusion breeds insecurity." She highlighted the importance of continued dialogue between sides, and said that "the real sign of leadership is when you challenge your own side and not the other." Her words highlight the need for us to be reflective and critical of our own beliefs, something that is not common in politics.

McWilliams ended her speech with the statement, "When women awake, mountains move." The women at the Women's PeaceMaker conference truly have moved moutains. They have built peace in areas where most of the world had given up. As women, they had to fight for their places at the peace talks tables, and had to speak louder than anyone for their voices to be heard.

Imagine a world where women's voices and stories are heard equally. In that world, I have no doubt that peace will prevail.

Living, Learning, and Teaching Peace

Living, Learning, and Teaching Peace