July 4th – Engaging Peace

Revolutionize society with revolutionary peace

Posted on July 4, 2013July 3, 2013 by kathiemm

Millions of Americans celebrate the Fourth of July, honoring the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the subsequent Revolutionary War by waving flags and marching in parades.

Swept up in patriotic fever, many celebrate by getting drunk and harassing people perceived as less than “red-blooded Americans.”

There must be better ways to honor the goals of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” A new revolution is painfully overdue. It’s once again time to confront distant and out-of-touch power structures with the demands of a new age and a new frontier.

A peace revolution is already underway:

Don’t be left behind. Join the REVOLUTIONARIES.

R=Rightfully revolt against raging reactionary rhetoric

E=Enthusiastically endorse enlightening programs for peace

V=Valiantly voice views against violence

O=Obdurately occupy oppressive institutions

L=Lovingly learn lessons in lessening violence

U=Universally unite under peace’s umbrella

T=Tactfully tailor tactics towards tolerance

I=Intelligently invest in innovative peace

O=Openly oppose onerous taxes for war

N=Nicely nurture the pathways to peace

A=Adamantly advocate apology and forgiveness

R=Rigorously restore routes to reconciliation

I=Imperturbably initiate ideologies of peace

E=Energetically embark on ensuring social justice

S=Solicitously support efforts of engagingpeace*

*Small donations will help; we need your support to maintain our status as a non-profit.

Peace riding in triumphal chariot — Peace riding in a triumphal chariot. Image in public domain.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

A week for celebrations

Posted on July 2, 2012June 26, 2012 by kathiemm

Fireworks — Photo by Ikluft, used under CC Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

In two days Americans will celebrate their Declaration of Independence. If we want to pursue its values, how should we define patriotism?

No one is more eloquent on this topic than Howard Zinn, one of the dedicatees of this blog:

“If patriotism were defined, not as blind obedience to government, nor as submissive worship to flags and anthems, but rather as love of one’s country, one’s fellow citizens (all over the world), as loyalty to the principles of justice and democracy, then patriotism would require us to disobey our government, when it violated those principles.” From: Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology (1991).

Also relevant are the words of the other dedicatee of this blog, Freda Rebelsky. In a note to students, she wrote:

“In a democracy, each individual must share in deciding the direction society shall move. It is up to you to decide when to conform and when to defy authority, when to trust and when to be skeptical. I believe you will make better choices when you remember your humanity.”

Please celebrate July 4 by recommitting yourself to the ideals of liberty and social justice.

Also join your minds and hearts with us today as we celebrate the 200^th post on Engaging Peace, a blog dedicated to peace, peace education, and the promotion of social justice.

We are grateful for your readership and support of both the blog and e-newsletter. As a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, Engaging Peace relies on donations from individuals such as yourself. If you feel moved to support our work financially, please click on the Donate button in the sidebar.

You can also support our work by using the link to the right to do your shopping on Amazon.com. Engaging Peace will receive a small donation that in no way affects the price of the goods you order. Thank you!

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology

Independence and freedom movements

Posted on July 4, 2011July 2, 2011 by kathiemm

Declaration of Independence by John Trumbull. Image in public domain.

In the American Declaration of Independence, dated July 4, 1776, one can find the famous words: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

To pursue their unalienable rights, the revolutionaries among the American colonists successfully took up arms against what they saw as unjust authority and ultimately won independence for the colonies.

Historically, the Greed Elite in this country, the Robber Barons and their successors, have scoffed at the idea that all men are created equal, and have helped dictators around the world resist freedom movements. Greed has trumped human rights for much of history, but that does not mean that progressive change is impossible.

Based on our belief in the values within the Declaration of Independence, and the responsibilities that come with liberty and leadership, we have three recommendations:

Seek ways to insure that people in other nations gain the rights enjoyed by Americans, who were born into a country where freedom was won centuries ago
Remember that many successful freedom movements were won through non-violent resistance and negotiation
Strive to reverse the failures of many of our leaders at all levels of society to live up to the principles in the Declaration of Independence.

Efforts to support principles of equality and human rights can be taken in the home, the community, the state, the nation, and internationally.

What have you done to support these principles—for example, through signing petitions, writing letters, marching peacefully? Please send us your stories.

Kathie Malley-Morrison, Professor of Psychology