Comments on: Young Leaders Peacebuilding Retreat, October 25 - 28, 2006 http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2006/11/02/young-leaders-peacebuilding-retreat-october-25-28-2006/ Dispatches from the Youth Climate Movement Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:44:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU hourly 1 By: Shadia Wood http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2006/11/02/young-leaders-peacebuilding-retreat-october-25-28-2006/#comment-44432 Shadia Wood Fri, 03 Nov 2006 17:28:24 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/young-leaders-peacebuilding-retreat-october-25-28-2006/#comment-44432 Kassie, this is a beautiful piece, asking challenging and needed questions. What are our motives? Where is the space for sharing? What are we doing in this global community? But more importantly, How are we doing it? My mother always taught me, "Shadia, it's not what you do but, how you do it." Somewhere along the way, I had misplaced that powerful lesson, until I was hanging out with one of this years Yoshiyama Awardees, who reminded me of that. If we are not moving from a place of love, and understanding and I don't just mean "I absolutely love what I am doing!" and "I completely understand, I know what you are talking about. That is great!" I mean doing what you do with agape, with sincere love and understanding, we won't change anything, our revolution will be fruitless. Even if something is out of our experience- ie environmental racism- we can still be open, hear one another, and put our hearts to the best of our ability where their's have been. I think we need to continue to reflect on what we are doing? why we are doing? and How we are doing it? Thank You Kassie so much for this! Kassie, this is a beautiful piece, asking challenging and needed questions. What are our motives? Where is the space for sharing? What are we doing in this global community? But more importantly, How are we doing it?

My mother always taught me, “Shadia, it’s not what you do but, how you do it.” Somewhere along the way, I had misplaced that powerful lesson, until I was hanging out with one of this years Yoshiyama Awardees, who reminded me of that. If we are not moving from a place of love, and understanding and I don’t just mean “I absolutely love what I am doing!” and “I completely understand, I know what you are talking about. That is great!” I mean doing what you do with agape, with sincere love and understanding, we won’t change anything, our revolution will be fruitless. Even if something is out of our experience- ie environmental racism- we can still be open, hear one another, and put our hearts to the best of our ability where their’s have been.

I think we need to continue to reflect on what we are doing? why we are doing? and How we are doing it?

Thank You Kassie so much for this!

]]> By: Aditya Nochur http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/2006/11/02/young-leaders-peacebuilding-retreat-october-25-28-2006/#comment-44431 Aditya Nochur Fri, 03 Nov 2006 05:57:18 +0000 http://itsgettinghotinhere.wordpress.com/2006/11/02/young-leaders-peacebuilding-retreat-october-25-28-2006/#comment-44431 Thank you for sharing these deep thoughts, Kassie. I know that my work is an activist is greatly influenced by my spirituality as a Hindu, and I feel that we do need to create the space to reflect upon why we do the work we do. Whether we are motivated by religion or spirituality or something else all together, we need to take the time to forge these bonds of solidarity through dialogue. A world powered by renewable energy is only truly sustainable insofar as it challenges us to reflect on how we should relate to nature, our fellow human beings and the world around us. Will our overall mindsets remain unchanged, or will we usher in a new transformative ethic of sustainability? I'm hopeful for the latter and I look forward to creating that kind of ethic with you! "And we will continue to transform minds -- one world at a time." Thank you for sharing these deep thoughts, Kassie. I know that my work is an activist is greatly influenced by my spirituality as a Hindu, and I feel that we do need to create the space to reflect upon why we do the work we do. Whether we are motivated by religion or spirituality or something else all together, we need to take the time to forge these bonds of solidarity through dialogue.

A world powered by renewable energy is only truly sustainable insofar as it challenges us to reflect on how we should relate to nature, our fellow human beings and the world around us. Will our overall mindsets remain unchanged, or will we usher in a new transformative ethic of sustainability? I’m hopeful for the latter and I look forward to creating that kind of ethic with you!

“And we will continue to transform minds — one world at a time.”

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