I encourage you all to take some time to contemplate hard questions. JRPC remains committed to peace and is a safe site of powerful communication.

I have been proud to be part of the Peace Center and stand with all people who want peace. Sometimes a situation arises where it seems clear which “side” peace is on. In reality, it isn’t that simple because we all see from our own perspectives and we understand based on our own experiences. From time to time, I have written things here that someone disagrees with. And I appreciate all of you who are willing to speak up and dialogue with me about it because we both grow and get a chance to see the bigger picture.

One of the most important skills we can master in our world is communication. Increasingly, our world requires us to work in teams and the ability to communicate our thoughts and listen to others are the tools of that work. In our work as advocates for a more peaceful and just world, we are exposed to many different opinions and ideas.

We see what we want and deny the rest. We paint people, companies or governments as evil to justify our position. And I am just as guilty of using this brushstroke as anyone. As Laura Ingalls Wilder says, “Persons appear to us according to the light we throw upon them from our own minds”