Hey everyone!
We are well into our second day of POWER Summit and Colleen and I wanted to share with you some of what we talked and learned about so far today.
Dot spoke with us today inviting us to become a culture of peace. In order to do this, she reminded that we need to be feeding the fire of peace instead of the fire of violence, which, as we all know, is raging in the universe today. She names us as design architects in this culture of peace.
She also talked about the difference between diplomacy and dialogue. For instance, diplomacy being done solely in the interest of one and acting from that singular interest, whereas dialogue involves real communication where we find out and keep in mind the needs of all involved.
She asked "What is the vaccine for violence?" She pointed out that in the US, our first reaction to violence is to try to cut it out (putting people in prison). Versus trying to prevent violence by changing the systems that support violence.
She introduced us to the idea of an iceberg of violence, that is, what we see (violent acts, words) is just the tip of the iceberg; a small part of something much bigger and well established. Immediate violence is supported by structural violence (social, economic, and political violence) and cultural violence (social norms and values).
Peace,
Colleen and Esther