Shared Air

Each fall since 9-11, the insanity of humanity witnessed by our regional community, and country, has forced a change, or shift, from our previous understanding of what’s “normal” and decent and right.

With the 2001 terrorist attacks and anthrax scares, the I-95 serial snipers in ‘02, Isabel ‘03, Gaston ‘04, Katrina ‘05 and repeat Rita ‘06 (and the horrific Harvey Family tragedy in between) – - we encountered a violence in our community that was once only unimaginable.  In ‘07, security of “home” was endangered by the April VT massacre and the onset decline of the mortgage industry. With the Wall Street wreckage in fall ‘08 came significant loss of jobs, homes, savings, security, psyches and a huge hunk of public trust and personal hope.

Now, amidst health’scare’ and the pinnacle of social intolerance we are experiencing the reality of the only thing we seemingly cared to cultivate – - Greed and Fear – - exemplified in this tidbit shared by Mark B.

in DC and nine other states, including Arkansas, Idaho, Mississippi, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Wyoming,insurance companies…claiming that “domestic violence victim” is also a pre-existing condition.

Words cannot describe the sheer inhumanity of this claim.

Where is the Compassion? Where is the Limit? Where are the grown ups?!!

Well, it has been said:

If we want to build a nonviolent society, we must [look to] the children. – - Gandhi

So, let’s do…

In the fall of 2005, the 5^th Grade class of J.B. Fisher Elementary School considered the gift and legacy they would leave their school as they began their ascent to middle school.  More than anything, they wanted to express their care and respect for others and for the earth as a counteraction to the patterns of violence they had witnessed in their community during earlier years.  For these kids, 1^st Grade was 9-11 and each new school year brought a new threat to personal and mental well-being.  The scary stories of middle school could hardly compare.

Learning that the United Nations had declared the decade 2001-2010: International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for Children of the World, they created and planted a hand-made Peace Pole in their schoolyard learning garden to highlight the important work each of us does to bring about peace.

Peace Poles are an internationally recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family, standing vigil in silent offering May Peace Prevail on Earth.  There are more than 250,000 peace poles in nearly every country in the world dedicated as monument to peace.  Fisher’s pole displays their hope in 8 languages representative of their student and teacher population.

With a collective wish and pledge for a Culture of Peace, these 5^th Graders celebrated the oneness of humanity and invited people from every race, religion and background to pray for the peace and happiness of the lands and people of the work. A Culture of Peace is not the absence of war but a set of values, attitudes, and behavior in our everyday ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts through dialogue and negotiation…not just among nations, but among individuals and groups as well.

The seeds of a Culture of Peace were sown out of the belief that long-term solutions require substantial shifts in how people of all cultures view global citizenships, conflict resolution, respect for human rights and care for the earth…and the belief that the strongest force available to shape cultural change is EDUCATION.

This 5^th grade class of 2005-06 recognized that each of them shares responsibility for the future of humanity, for today’s children and those of future generations.  They asked parents, teachers and fellow students to challenge, guide, and inspire them to create a culture of peace for that day and every day through the year.  They shared what they learned with the Fisher community, and they planted the seed for other classes to cultivate and nurture.

Each fall on or around the International Day of Peace (September 21), the new 5^th Grade class rededicates the Peace Pole, takes the pledge, and champions another year of peace projects, education, actions and attitudes.  The Kindergartners of 2005-06 will be the 5^th Grade re-dedicators in the fall of 2010.

Asked again: As the season changes, can we?

Yes, we can.

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