13. MY (our?) Peace Testimony
Born here 05.07.09

This is another attempt to put into words the Testimony, I (Rex Barger) try to live everyday with the hope that its ripple effect will help it to spread out to encompass the whole world (if it should prove to be both workable&wise). I will not now (or ever) even attempt to write a new Quaker Peace Testimony. I can't. That task can only be accomplished after all the Quakers in the world have had a chance to HARMONIZE OUR WISDOM (The HOW project) (Bit-by-bit!), so please don't hold your breath while you wait for me!
Instead, because this is such a huge task, perhaps, by making a lot of little efforts to 'HOW', we can slowly build quite a wide-spread batch of harmonized wisdom, one effort at a time. But only if each one of us will make an attempt to put into words the way we each try to ensure Global Peace by the way we live (including reading&commenting on each others' words). The more efforts toward harmonization that we can manage, the better.
1. So I now invite you&me to try to put into words HOW you hope we all hope to actually live to make global peace possible. Personally, I try to set flexible expectations both for myself & for what I expect of others. Flexible expectations are crucial. If we have no expectations of ourselves at all nor any expectations of others, we would have no way of judging our actions, but if our expectations are flexible, we should be better able speak our minds freely, even with those with whom we disagree (& still be able to maintain inner peace ourselves). I believe most of the tensions that occur within or between people are caused by inflexible expectations.
2. I hope not only to rejoice whenever anyone disagrees with me about matters that matter, I hope also to invite deep dialogue&deliberation (d&d) with anyone who disagrees with me about matters that matter. All who accept my invitations, I will assume are sufficiently humble to admit, that because we are human, we all may be off-track. [Nobody's wisdom ('wisdom'=what worked for them in the past) comes with a guarantee that it will work the same way in the future, so we will all have to test our ideas, always, then wait&see if what we thought was wisdom really does make the world a better place for all life.] I will also assume that those who don't accept this invitation may have other priorities (or that they are too arrogant to admit to the possibility of error). [But, if so, we will still have to figure out HOW can we respond to such arrogance in a way that will leave the door open to future d&d.]
3. Gather the willing & try to help each other understand the experiences that made us think that our way is the way for all of us to go. [But keep inviting the unwilling & keep emphasizing our need for their unique point of view & freely admit our own (human) limitations.]
4. Hone our plans till all who participate are in agreement. [The larger the consensing group(s), the more likely will be our success, but remember: NO GUARANTEES!]
5. Explore ways to prevent (or stop further) harm by those who have no compunction to causing harm. And also in the mean time, state our concerns humbly but clearly & openly while inviting, at the same time, more d&d to try to dissolve our differences. Can we find ways to engage in physical restraint without weapons or at least by using non-lethal weapons? Should we also warn of our willingness to use lethal weapons if they seem necessary to stop a greater harm, but still try our best to stop the harm without killing?
6. I recognize that one person alone can do very little to bring peace to the whole world, but peace always starts with just one person. So I must always do my best to understand our relationships & interactions. Such understandings can help me to formulate possibly more peaceful ways for us to act. Then I must put these new ways into daily practice myself to test them out. If they seem to make the little part of the world that I have access to a better place, I will probable go on with those practices (until I notice otherwise or till someone complains).
7. I must also talk about the reasons for my practices with as many others as I can. Whenever I get agreement, I feel that my ideas are reinforced; but whenever I find disagreement, I must question my own ideas & invite deep d&d in order to try to find better practices. Then, together, we must put them to the test, too!
8. I do not believe it is possible to make people behave, nor do I believe I can "speak truth to power" (because I don't believe any of us can ever know whether or not our beliefs are true). But I believe we all have a responsibility to communicate our beliefs, primarily by how we live, but equally importantly by talking about why we hold those beliefs (without 'preaching').

Please send me yours! rex.barger@hwcn.org

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