Letters to the Editor 3-3-16

Season of non-violence
Editor:
We applaud the commentary from the Interfaith Council of Sonoma County’s “Friendship not fear: Standing up against hate” reference to Islamophobia. In this time of worldwide struggle and turmoil, we all need to improve and hone our most important survival skills in nonviolent communication and conflict resolution as we bump up against each other in everyday associations.
Like many of you, we have attended workshops to learn about these skills and may not be using them often enough, perhaps holding them in reserve for use in larger encounters or situations — but if we don’t exercise them daily they will certainly atrophy like unused muscles. Practicing nonviolence everyday allows us to retain its effectiveness as a tool for internal and interpersonal peace. Eleanor Roosevelt famously said, “It is not enough to talk about peace, we must believe in it — and it is not enough to believe in it we must work at it.”
This is why Kendra and I decided to celebrate the Season for Nonviolence in Sonoma County. We wanted to raise awareness of the many local organizations that offer workshops all year round, which help to reduce violence in our communities. Restorative facilitators who currently work with the County Probation Office and our schools using Restorative Justice Practices and Accountability program helps to keep our kids at risk out of Juvenile Hall and graduate high school in readiness for further education. The program has also expanded our knowledge to address the social economic emotional needs of impoverished children.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) facilitator Miki Kashtan teaches us to move beyond “sides” to look out for each other’s concerns so we are able to commit to a solution that works for all our interests. The Season we refer to is the 19th Gandhi-King Season for Nonviolence, which began on Jan. 30 in cities across the globe. The annual 64-day campaign, co-founded by Dr. Arun Gandhi and the Association of Global New Thought, is an educational media grassroots awareness campaign, memorializing the anniversaries of Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi from Jan. 30 the through April 4. The purpose of the campaign is to focus on attaining peace through nonviolent action.
There are many heartwarming and uplifting stories about where we are going as a species as there are about violence and heartlessness. We who love peace encourage you to collect and share these stories.
One story Kendra and I, of the Peace Alliance, are sharing is the inspirational story of Cesar Chavez. We are presenting a moving insightful documentary “The Cesar Chavez Story: Common Man –Uncommon Vision” at the Windsor Library at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9. We plan to have a conversation with refreshments following this 45-minute film about an extraordinary man who founded the United Farm Workers and who brought attention to the shocking side effects of the pesticides used on our crops.
We hope you shall join us and encourage you to find out more at www.agnt.org/season-for-nonviolence to discover ideas for planning your own events. If we are to “stand up for peaceful coexistence,” particularly in this divisive election year, let us heed the words of Professor Michael Nagler, founder of Metta Center for Nonviolence: “Nonviolence isn’t about putting the right person in power; it’s about awakening the right kind of power in people.”
Margaret Koren, Windsor
Kendra Mon, Petaluma