Bob, author of the blog Every Every Minute, recently initiated The Saint Francis Project. A project I gladly joined, give that it is an open invitation to reflect on the beautiful Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

This week, the subject is the first part of the prayer, that reflects on the way each and everyone of us can contribute to peace:
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Hatred, which is more than often closely related to fear. Each and every day we are confronted with prejudice, against people with a different religion, race, or colour of skin. Prejudice that is one of the main causes for fear, and with that, hatred. Unfortunately, it is so easy to follow the general opinion, the stereotypes the media confront us with, and to just believe what you've heard about (an entire group of!) people. Instead of forming your own opinion, and encountering each and every person with an open mind. See them for who they are, who they want to be, instead of the perceived traits of the group they belong to..

It never ceases to amaze me how this labelling can even take place on the level of small children, where this prejudice/intolerance is literally heartbreaking. Something that can break the spirit of a child, and with that, have a longlasting, divastating effect.. Personally, I've witnessed both my children having one specific classmate labelled 'bad', and 'nothing but trouble' by both the teaching staff and other parents. Young boys (from the same family), that more than any other kid in that class, were in desperate need of just that little bit of guidance, of someone seeing them for who they are. Or better yet maybe: seeing them for who they could be..
Next to that, a class full of children were taught that there is such a thing as a child that is 'nothing but trouble'. An ideal opportunity was missed to teach those children one of the main assets in life: Compassion.

Because to me, trying to 'sowing love where there is hatred', can be best accomplished by trying to be more compassionate. Be more open-minded and curious towards others. From an earlier post 'Trying to be More Compassionate':
Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else's skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too. Frederick Buechner

Funny, touching and thought-provoking. In her 18 minutes TED Talk novelist Isabel Allende combines personal anekdotes with compelling stories of powerful women to share her view on women's role in modern society. Do take the time to sit back, relax and enjoy her talk (here:
http://marcomblog.web-log.nl/marcom_blog/)!

Isabel Allende:
"I fear abuse of power, and the power of abuse. Abuse trickles down from the top of the ladder to the bottom. Women and children, especially the poor, are always at the bottom of the ladder. For real change we need feminine energy in the management of the world. We need a critical number of women in positions of power. We need to nurture the feminine energy in young men. Women working together, linked, informed and educated can bring peace and prosperity to this planet."

I would love to have Sophia Loren's long legs and legendary breasts. But given a choice, I would rather have the warrior heart of these powerful women. I want to make this world good. Not better, but good. Why not?"

There is no way to peace, peace is the way.- AJ. Muste

A New Year has begun. Another year in which war continues. In which the fear, distrust and prejudice between races and religions only seems to intensified. Resulting in intolerance, misconceptions and a (conceived) justification for war. When there in fact can never be a justification for war. War doesn't solve anything, it only further intensifies the hatred, and with that, the fear..

Read more here: http://marcomblog.web-log.nl/marcom_blog/2008/01/peace.html