" The Peace Struggle"

Hello Fellow Tolerence Troops,

This is the first in a series of thought provoking issues that I hope will energize both myself and anyone else who reads this for the "Peace Struggle" ahead.

For over 20 years I have been involved with the struggle for civil and human rights, and in that time I have become convinced that the fight for peace and understanding can be won. I know that this assertion may seem almost humorous to a lot of people reading this. How can I make this seemingly ridiculous hypothetical conclusion? First, I have spent the better part of my adult life helping to bring about change in the community by learning about others and then changing people's perceptions and dominant paradigms about either myself or others.

All human conflict has its genesis in miscommunication and preconceived assumptions about others. A thought not fully expressed in a conversation with another. A statement not fully heard by the person being communicated to. A premature conclusion by either side weighed down by the baggage of prejudice imbedded in their character by years of lazy dinner or lunch conversation with their friends and family. Years of flippant remarks in idle and unproductive banter, that seem innocent and benign at first, can lead to a festering malignancy of intolerance and narrow minded thought.

Then there is the more dangerous and intentional shaping of opinion by some spiritual leaders who arrogantly presume that they are the only ones who truly understand the mind of God. Substantiated and scholarly researched doctrine is perverted or taken out of context. You must live a certain way, or believe a certain thing, {which may or may not relate to accepted doctrine} or you are doomed to suffer in this life and the next. You must not associate with a non-group member because they will contaminate you and defile your loved ones. This then leads to more intense character shaping by some who insist that the non-believers are beneath the chosen, and are subsequently not even worthy to exist. The believers will be rewarded if they become "Gods helpers" and annihilate the non-believers.

Fortunately there are groups like "The Cow Project" doing important work by educating the young through experience about tolerance and diversity. These young people are in the frontline of the "Tolerance Troops" and we salute their efforts. To learn more you can reach them at http://www.thecowproject.com/

Some food for thought. I'll talk to you more about race and culture in the next edition:

Yours in Humanity

Phillip Sr.