After a very long series of flights, and two days after I left, I arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal, on July 19th to attend the International Institute on Peace Education, or IIPE. The experience of traveling to another country and culture is always enriching, and this trip was particularly enhanced by the community that was formed at this institute. Often I was aware that I was involved in deep, meaningful conversation circles in which I was the only American and/or native English speaker. What a humbling realization! Everyone who attended was involved in peace education in some way in their own context, whether it was in a school setting or a religious institution or a non-profit or NGO or a government-sponsored program. All brought powerful insights relating to the various ways in which we can generate attitudes and actions that move towards peace in and with students, colleagues, neighborhoods, communities, and nations.
In my co-led workshop, we looked at the role of the sacred and ritual in peacebuilding, utilizing the work and writings of scholar Lisa Schirch, who describes the power of ritual to “use symbolic actions to communicate a forming or transforming message in a unique social space” (Lisa Schirch, Ritual and Symbol in Peacebuilding, Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press, 2005). My co-presenter shared her experience developing a ritual that heightens awareness of and establishes kinship with the non-human species that are part of our environments. I led the group in a ritual of lament and mourning for the realities of climate change and environmental damage that plague our world, as well as other losses and challenges in our lives. We connected deeply together and were informed by one another’s thoughts and work.
The institute was in Nagarkot, perched up in the mountains surrounding the busy city and valley of Kathmandu. It was a beautiful location. Because this time of year is the rainy season, we had many hours of sunshine and gentle breeze, punctuated by clouds and frequent downpours. But our energy and spirits were not dampened, and I left with a valuable and exciting network of peacebuilders around the world, eager to continue this work here in this place, and looking forward to the next time our paths cross.
Pastor Naomi
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