I want to share some wisdom that was recently shared with me. A friend printed up a couple cards, and the information that they contain really resonates deeply with me. One is some wisdom from Marshall Rosenberg, author of Nonviolent Communication. The other is wisdom from Buddhadasa, a Thai monk.

By the way, there are nonviolent communication courses being offered at locations throughout the Puget Sound region. Northwest Compassionate Communication

Here's the card on Buddhadasa, according to my transcription:

know the heart

know the heart
or essence
of your own
spirituality,
and encourage others
to know theirs.

share with others
at deeper levels,
don't dwell on the
differences,
recognize those things
held in common
and build on that

work together to
"drag humanity out from
under the power of
materialism."

sharings from
buddhadasa

servant of the
buddha

a thai monk

The Aligning of the Souls gathering was great. Many stories, prayers - and jokes - were shared amongst the participants. The gathering kicked off last night (Wednesday night) with a potluck meal and the sharing of prayers and stories relating to the topic of healing and peace in the wake of the horrible events of September 11, 2001. Some people sang songs or read poems, some people told stories and shared wisdom, everyone listened.

This morning the gathering continued at dawn (Thursday morning, September 11, 2008) with the commencement of a day long continuous heart beat drum rhythm. We prayed for peace and healing as the cool and foggy air and mist of dawn gradually gave way to a brilliantly blue sunny and cloudless September Eleventh day. A ceremonial fire was lit in a very special outdoor fire place. The fire burned throughout the day, carefully observed, attended and listened to.

I just sent this letter off to the City Council, and I wanted to share it with you too!

From:

Robert F W Whitlock
[address redacted]

To:

Olympia City Council Members,
City of Olympia Staff,
Residents of the City of Olympia

Saturday, September 6th, 2008

Dear Members of the Olympia City Council, City Staff and Residents of Olympia:

The Olympia-Rafah Mural Project is happening. Stop by the corner of Capitol Way and State Avenue to see for yourself.

by dreamsjung

I also posted some pictures from a brief visit to the mural. I even saw mural making (preparation) in action. link here

Check out the official project web-page. Break the Silence: The Olympia-Rafah Mural Project

This is not really a local story, but I think it could have local implications. I recently came across this website Moblogic.tv. Don't take this post the wrong way, I am not posting to drive hits to another site. I think they covered the Sean Bell story from a very interesting angle that no other media source has. I urge you to watch both parts of this. Also we have been talking a lot lately about non violent protest, and this was the model example of just that.

Part 1

Part 2

Interesting read from one of the show's producers can be found here: http://www.moblogic.tv/blog/2008/05/11/safe-havens-for-crackpots/

May Day 2008 in Olympia Washington went down with a bang when a (fractional) faction of the protest turned violent. Members of the "Black Bloc" threw rocks at several windows on at least two different bank buildings. Bank employees and customers were inside the buildings when this happened.

I was there - the whole afternoon. Up until the broken windows, the protests were peaceful and nonviolent. Although some of the speeches made me uncomfortable, and some of the speakers made statements that I certainly wasn't in complete agreement with, I felt enough solidarity to stick with the protest even after the Capitol Building was defaced with graffiti.

In fact, I wasn't really uncomfortable with the demeanor of the protest (besides the graffiti on the Capitol Building) until about 10 minutes prior to the first rock throwing incident. I noticed feelings of discomfort in regard to the tone of the protest when a certain vocal group (identity unknown to me) decided to lead the march down a one-way street directionally opposed to the flow of traffic. This move seemed somewhat unsafe, and it also seemed antagonistic toward drivers on 4th Ave, who had varying degrees of understanding about, and appreciation for, the protesters who were marching. I would have felt more comfortable and would have preferred, for example, to take State Ave. West, instead of marching in opposition to the one-way flow of traffic, and then to do a loop back toward the East on 4th Ave. My discomfort makes me curious; I wonder if anyone else was made uncomfortable by this decision to march against the flow of traffic. I was also additionally uncomfortable with the antagonistic and hostile chanting (yelling) of the slogan "Tear it down". Does that slogan possibly scare people and does it turn people off to the movement?

This Saturday (1/19): a very engaging workshop... okay to just "show up"

The Philosophy of Nonviolence - a Strategy for Complete Freedom from Oppression

A special MLK workshop. Explore the philosophy of nonviolence as Mahatma Gandhi worked it out. Dare to live by the fundamental principles that he put into practice and learn to be truly free. To live by them is to throw off all oppression, internal and external, regardless of the situation.Work through these principles in depth in the morning, and explore how we can apply them in our lives in the afternoon. It is a challenge worthy of our potential. With Rod Davis, Ph.D.

Saturday, Jan. 19, 9:30 AM to 4 PM, at The United Churches (downstairs in the Purple Room), corner of Capitol Blvd. and 11th Ave. in Olympia, Sliding Scale Fee: $25 - $100/person