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Women's Legacy Project > Blog > CREATE > Blogging & Writing > Deja Vu All Over Again Within The Women's Peace Movement

Deja Vu All Over Again Within The Women's Peace Movement

Written by: womenslegacy
Published: September 4, 2012 -- Last Modified: September 4, 2012
10 Comments

I am approaching the ten year mark for becoming a peace activist. That is a big chunk of my life and probably worthy of some reflection.

Working with groups of women to create public messages that cannot be missed and are memorable has been a big part of my life over the last decade. I became involved in working for peace, which is distinct and stands apart from being anti-war.
Working for peace has allowed me to find my personal power and true convictions. My search for peace and how I can help create a more peaceful world for my daughters and granddaughters has opened areas of understanding about my personal and family history and indeed about culture and humanity that I could have missed had I walked a different path. I have found meaning behind phrases. The courage of conviction means much more to me after facing adversity and knowing that truth and goodness backed me up. It is not a zealous fervor, rather it is a calm peace.
Working for peace, for me, requires being peace. After years of involvement I can now see themes and threads within the cloth of the movement. The patterns repeat and can prompt questions about the very notion of progress. I’m not sure that things ever really get better. Overall things just change. We can have some influence over the aspects of our lives where that change occurs, however. We, as a culture, can change the areas where we direct our focus. The places we focus our attentions are the areas where we put our practice and the areas where our visualization of goals can change outcomes.
I like the birth of movements and strategies. Small numbers of newly energized people more easily focus on large unifying goals, and differences have not had time to become entrenched. Ten years down the road that is less likely. The differences between the Democrats and the Greens, for example, in the ranks of the women’s peace movement are more evident as tactics that clearly frame different belief sets become the focus of disagreements within the larger group. There is a reason beyond simple financial considerations as to why 501c3, also known as “nonprofits,” steer clear of allegiance to particular political groups.
I love working for peace and pressing progress towards the area of peace. I dislike internal, fracticious divides as to who is more left or right. I dislike absolutes. I dislike oversimplification. I dislike the internal absolutes that divide people who should be working together for advancing overarching principles. Whether these divides are political or religious, we sometimes have to look beyond the differences to commonalities. Where can we work together? This is the question we should be asking ourselves.
I have no room for division. We can only advance toward common goals. You can call these goals progressive or conservative, but neither is accurate, we can only move toward preservation of our best aspirations as we move forward in time. The words of a woman who lived 150 years ago echo in my thoughts as I write this. I will listen for her voice in the messages that I hear this week I will align myself with the women who echo her message in calls for present and future action. That is all I can ever do.
 

Posted with BlogsyPosted with Blogsy

Categories: Blogging & Writing, Creekside Commentary, Election 2012Tags: cross-purpose, difference, goals, movements, organizations, Peace, Peace & Justice, Political Woman, Politics and Punditry, Politics, Punditry & Peace, Punditry & Peace, religion, similarity

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Still Blonde after all these YEARS

    September 4, 2012 at 10:24 am

    “we sometimes have to look beyond the differences to commonalities.” No greater negotiation statement was ever spoken but a hard lesson to learn.

    Reply
  2. Jo

    September 4, 2012 at 12:00 pm

    peace begins with you … and with me. One person at a time peace could happen, but not until we all forget or at least accept that we are not the same. Celebrate our differences and work together for what we all want..peace.

    Reply
  3. Kathy

    September 5, 2012 at 6:14 am

    I applaud your diligence in supporting the causes that matter most to you!
    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

    Reply
  4. Lee

    September 5, 2012 at 9:16 am

    Many Kudos for your efforts.
    I hope some day your efforts are realized and we can all live in peace.

    Reply
    • Nancy

      September 5, 2012 at 5:45 pm

      Thank you. Yes it would be lovely to become a peaceful people.

      Reply
  5. Beth

    September 7, 2012 at 7:17 am

    “Working for peace, for me, requires being peace.”
    I LOVE that.

    Reply
    • Nancy

      September 8, 2012 at 4:46 pm

      Thanks Beth. Glad you appreciate the sentiment, no matter how difficult it is to live.

      Reply
  6. Phoenixritu

    September 8, 2012 at 3:11 am

    And we have such a lot to do – your blogpost is truly inspiring

    Reply
  7. Brenda Stevens

    September 8, 2012 at 3:15 am

    YEAH JULIA WARD…and YOU!! (like the new web page too!)

    Reply
    • Nancy

      September 8, 2012 at 4:44 pm

      Aw, shucks!

      Reply

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