Building Alternate Universes ... Oh, Yeah!

 

Becoming A Partner for a New Media

If one person can make a difference, what can 100 people accomplish? In 2003, The Peace Hour became an hour-long broadcast on KPFT in Houston, Texas. During that time, Host P.K. McCary started a broadcast for young people called Think Peace Radio. Young people under the age of 18, some as young as 12, created shows and learned non-violence through a developing broadcast curriculum. While the cost of doing radio and television is astronomical, the Internet is evening the playing field considerably. The dream for Think Peace Media and Communications Network is to build a 24-hour Internet station with programming that illustrates all the ways in which we think peace. Humor, news, and the arts are only a few of the ways in which we can rally the peacemakers and create shows that build cultures of peace, justice and healing for the children of the world. Join us and become a Think Peace 100 Partner today and help us grow.

Storytelling is an art and everyone should be given the opportunity to tell theirs.

 

THE VISION

To provide a voice to those underrepresented in areas of the world affected by conflict and disparities by providing the tools and access to those whose stories are missing from media narratives and whose stories would provide insight and clarity to others.

THE MISSION

To give grassroots groups and organizations addressing challenges such as limited access or lack of training, the tools and support to tell their stories through various media and communications outlets.

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THINK

“The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible,

and achieves the impossible.”

Anonymous

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OUR PROJECTS

1000Kalema.org: An exciting photo competition that celebrates the first annual World Interfaith Harmony Week and the International Day of Peace, both international UN-approved events to capture stories of faith and culture through brilliant imagery.
Broadcast Training/Youth and Organizations: With multiple years of broadcast experience with members of our organization, the training of young people is a priority of the work--grassroots training to strengthen communities.
Developing Podcast and Other Broadcast Programming: We are currently producing programming for Think Peace that includes two major programs and one in production at thinkpeaceradio.net. See goals for future programming.
Provide Equipment to Areas of Conflict and Disparity: Providing individuals and organizations with equipment to facilitate storytelling has been our work for the last six years, providing audio and visual equipment to youth, women and indigenous populations around the world.

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THINK

“Thinking is easy, acting is difficult, and to put one's thoughts into
action is the most difficult thing in the world.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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 OUR GOALS

• Build a 24-hour Internet Station that includes a variety or programming committed to peace (an action word) and peacemaking.
• Continue to put equipment into the hands of grassroots communities around the world.
• Develop a more comprenhensive training program of nonviolence media.

OUR FUTURE

The future of media is a wide-open proposition. There are plenty of genres of programming--from comedy to drama, news to editorializing--but not all programming is committed to peacemaking, peacebuilding and peacekeeping. The genre of peace is relatively new, most of it considered boring or mundane. Think Peace wants a future of innovative programming, building the capacity of diverse communities to tell their stories, working collaboratively with other media outlets and creating strategies to increase awareness of independent media committed to social justice and peacekeeping movements. Out goal is to inspire others to open up their imagination in ways that creatively build cultures of peace, justice and healing.

Join us today!

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THINK

“You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the positive possibilities.
Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into
positive, effective, unstoppable determination.”

Ralph Marston, The Daily Motivator

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When We All Get Together ...

What a day of rejoicing it will be!

The most Wonderful Things Happen on the Way to Peace ... people unite in solidarity, problems get solved, and questions are answered. In the midst of this wonderful place where wonderful things happen, people walk their talk and make a difference. Oh, what a day of rejoicing it will be when people can actually believe in that most Wonderful Thing! called peace. The truth is that it is what we believe does become the change we wish to see. For some, you have to see it to believe it, but for visionaries such as our ancestors, Harriet Tubman and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., they had to first Believe. My friend, Audria Scott Williams, a modern-day visionary--believes. That is why she spearheaded the 13 Moonwalk 4 Peace and why she joined community leaders, activists and others in a walk around Houston. For several days, the mantra was "pass the peace so that peace can increase."

     I believe the children are our future. But, as one of my mentors helped us to understand (thanks, DeLloyd Parker), actually we are our children's future and unless we start believing that we can create a brighter future, it won't--can't happen. In Houston, David DeFabo took two young Houstonians under his wing and gave them cameras. David and Kayla took their jobs seriously as they participated in the Houston walk through Third Ward. The idea for this initiative is called "Through the Eyes of a Child" and for the rest of the walk (through 11-11-11), children across the country will be photographing their communities and showing the world the best and sometimes the worst of what they are inheriting. This is also about preparation. The children learn that they have ideas and can use their gifts and talents for the good.
     Many know that communities around the U.S. are struggling in a variety of ways. Unemployment is high. Housing is expensive and too many homes have been foreclosed on. There are such disparities between the poor and the rich that the middle class is suffering more than ever before. Yes, too many are falling through the different cracks of society because we have not figured it out. However, much of our problems can be solved if we'd put our heads together. Problems are being solved in certain pockets of the Houston community and we are seeing families that do more than survive, but thrive.

     One such community organization is Shape Community Center. Like its name, its mission is to shape lives and build communities because they believe that "strong families make a strong nation." There are so many ways that problems are being solved, and so many ways that people are working together. So, where are these stories? How do we learn to take what is constructive and replicate it in other communities?
     In Atlanta during the first two weeks of this new decade, Audri and I, along with friends and colleagues in Houston, Texas proved that that communities can unite. And in the midst of these events in Houston, Texas, my friend Sister Mama Sonya came up with an idea: A Bus Walk to Atlanta, Georgia on 11-11-11! You gotta believe it to see it. She saw it. And now we have, too. It is catching, after all.
     So, this is just a tease. We've got a plan and are working to make it more and more of a reality. We know that we have all been on this journey to meet one another in an explosion of peacemaking like never before. Ready for the ride? Stay tune and we'll tell you more.
     Peace. Peacemaking is a reality.

In The Beginning ...

If I'd Only Known ...

I'd still have been fearless. I still will have laughed at this moment because I would have still had the innocence and now I know,  I wouldn't have changed a thing. Knowing that I would lose my granddaughter who never got to laugh and play like this, I understand now that she was a gift, and it breaks my heart still. For the short time we had her, Melliah was, no is, my heart and I miss her. But, to hear myself say, "I wouldn't change a thing ..." she comes to my mind first. Would I want my mother back now? Would I have liked to make other decisions than the ones I've made? Of course I would. But, the question is whether or not I would change anything and the answer is no!
     The truth is that there is never just one alternative. Had Melliah lived, perhaps there would have been other danger, other tragedies since she was a preemie. I might not have Taliek, her brother who is six. Who knows? What we do know is now--the present.
     Recently, I talked with Dr. Virgil Wood about getting older. He is almost 80 (I think I can tell this). His life was spent sharing the Gospel, but also standing against injustices. He lived through the Civil Rights Movement and I know others have not. He stands there as the voice of our past, lighting the way to our future--in the present. And when I asked how he stayed so young, he confided that he talked with God about that same thing. Getting older is difficult. You're slower. There are pains. Tell me about it. Still, he said that God gave him one promise and has kept it. Give us this day!
     If you are here. You've been given this day. It is the only promise kept. Tomorrow is not promised. So, why do we procrastinate? Why do we think that it will get done eventually? This is the day. So, I'm not making New Year Resolutions. Why bother. I'm gonna work this day and make a difference each and every day that the promise is given. If I open my eyes in the morning. This is the promise. I'll put my feet on the ground and start walking (working). And if I don't open my eyes the next, well, I'm hoping that if my children are able, my friends rise that morning and even my enemies (the ones I meant to make friends, but didn't have time before I left), that they will champion the causes of the day and go for it. I'm hoping that if You who are reading this and opened your eyes this morning, in this New Year, that you will make a effort to make this day worthwhile--for the world.
     Peace!

Think Peace Media and Communications Network is growing into a full-fledged 24-hour internet station. Currently, we are using social media networks, but the plan is to have a regular lineup of shows that will encourage people to critically think peace for the children of the world.

I Am THANKFUL

Joyful, Joyful --- God I adore you.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. My mother and my grandmother--both gone--said this often. They loved God and not just because they believed they, too, were loved by God, but that they laid joy at God's feet. God was who they thanked and God's love was what they both rejoiced in.
     I stop this morning as we prepare for Thanksgiving gatherings. There will be more than one as I attempt the impossible--seeing everyone while I'm in Houston for a short period. I may not get to everyone, but I will give it the ol' college try. My friends, my family are all so important to me and when I think of what I am thankful for, I am definitely thankful about them--each one of them. It is an awesome gift when someone loves you, warts and all, and accepts you for who you are, and sees you as you are. When I doubt myself, I look into a loved one's eyes and see all of my possibilities. I feel the love, I know that I am forgiven (like when I don't get to everyone) and know that love will never be denied.
     I am also thankful for the gifts of my ancestors, which include my parents and even my granddaughter. They have gone before me and have entered the realm of my past, but also my present and future. Today they remind me to be vigilant and to keep moving toward the stars. They let me know that my dreams are my possibilities and to never stop dreaming. They remind me to take time to just be with God and gain my strength in God's presence. The remind me that they love me still and that love doesn't cease upon death.
     I am thankful for my children. I guess I didn't do such a bad job, but I know that they came through me, but not from me. I see their dreams being fulfilled, their adulthood representing my commitment and am thankful that we got here. Right here, where my grandchildren are thriving and the hope that I lived with while nurturing and caring for them has been realized.
     I am thankful for the bad times. The lessons are still coming and while my goal is to pass the tests presented to me, my mission is to be ready for the next and the next. What constitutes bad times? Bad times come when I doubt, resist, need to learn, or need to understand. Someone called the bad times 'lessons.' Those lessons are not always easy and sometimes quite painful, but I am thankful for them. Would I know what joy is had I not tasted sorrow? Would I be able to forgive, had I not been forgiven? Some call the bad times the rain, "It rains on the just and unjust." I call the bad times simply another day.
     Today, I have the opportunity to care and to love. Today, I have the opportunity to serve. Today, I have yet another opportunity to live with the fruits of God's gifts--God's people, And for this, I am so thankful. Be thankful with me. God bless.

Let's Make Some Magic ...

To love one another enough ...

Dear Friends,

Yesterday, someone said "the people have spoken!" I disagree. The reality is that "Some people have spoken!" It is still the same. When the Presidential election took place in 2008--"we" wanted change. Change didn't come from electing a black president, no more than it did last night with a plethora of Republicans taking seats in the House. It has always been a teeter totter where  sometimes one group is on the ground and sometimes one group is in the air.

Look, I'm just going to be honest here. We're still putting our faith in the politicians and not in each other. Friends that I have had for years are so angry that they forget they have friends of difference background, people that are their friends. They are so angry that they forget to be sensitive and have gone back to "black and white" issues, which don't exist folks. Too many gray areas.

I have had conversations that weren't conversations. People defending where they are and putting up the walls of discord without a second thought of who is on the other side of that wall now. Your friend. Once there was the conversation I had with someone about the "Wanted Poster" for Obama. I've known her since she was a little girl and all of a sudden, we aren't talking anymore. The lines are black and white.

There's the time I had a conversation with a friend about Islam. At least we still talk, but we don't talk anymore about this. I sent him a book. But, I think it was the wrong book because it was defending my idea and not the idea of that magical thing of life. I love him. I know he loves me. Will this "one" thing separate us. He's a good man. I'm a good woman. But, the bricks are at our feet. Will we build that wall?

Guys, let's stop and think. We are not always going to agree, but relationships are investments and our investments are more important than the issues that are being touted as more important that we are. Look, if those of us who are conservative would talk with those who are liberal and EVOLVE.

The time has come to do something different and I can tell you that it won't be easy, but it will be DOABLE because we invested in something more than money or "tea". We've invested in each other. Let's talk and see what kind of conversations we could have. The answers are with us. They are. Call that friend that you disagree with and see what kind of talk could bring us. Let's talk! Because of the magic. Dare you! P.K.

Burning Books?

Burning is not purging.

On September 11 of this year, members of a church named Dove World Outreach Center plan on burning the Qur'an as a protest against the religion of Islam, but also to convert Muslims to Christianity. Recently coming from the Middle East where I met Muslims as well as people of other religions, and while living in the home of a dear friend who also happens to be Muslim, I cannot remain silent on this issue of either burning the sacred text of others or converting another to my religion. In addition, since I am Christian, the idea that other Christians would think that this is right saddens me. But, why? Am I not a Christian that believes in the light of Jesus, His message to us as one that is to all? By defending Islam, does it negate my strong faith in Jesus?

     First, my faith is not up for debate except with God. Currently, I am not winning any of the debates I have with God, but then God and I don't debate about whether one religion is better than another. We do, however, debate other things, especially about how to respond to issues that I take exception to. God still tells me, "Can't kill 'em." I argue for maiming or insulting, but well--I get the "gotta love 'em" response every time. Truthfully, I'm thankful for the call to Christianity, one from birth in all probability. I remember that call didn't come from a church or minister. No one laid hands on me and urged me to Christ. That call came one day after a drenching rain when I stood in a pool of water and saw my reflection with the clouds. I then asked my mother if I could be baptized. I had flown the air with God without ever leaving this earth. I knew it was real and once baptized, I committed. I was almost seven. At eight, I taught my first Sunday school lesson that Jesus loves the little children--all the children of the world. I've looked the world over, met people of faith and you know what? It has strengthened my faith in Christ. My faith remains unshakable, but it also makes me understand the unshakable faith of others. I understand the love of one's faith, but also understand that unshakable faith means unshakable compassion and grace. Faith does not hurt another and the more unshakable the faith, the more reason to reach out and share the faith, not the dogma, with others.

     My friend and I recently talked about grace. She's Wiccan. If God's grace is sufficient why does it seem as if we have made grace a Christian-only concept? That's not exactly how she put it, but it is a point. Why the judging and feuding? If God's grace is sufficient, why do we need to burn books or denigrate another?
     Some people see people who are Muslim as terrorists. Others may know that Islam is not synonymous with terrorism, knowing that there is conflict in many of the world about this particular people and that particular faith. The "others" include my own relationship with Islam and its people and loving them as part of God's own. Still, I know that not everyone agrees with me. Since 9/11, we have made the face of terror a Middle Eastern one, which is scary as some of my relatives look Middle Eastern (but I digress with this point). We have made people who are faithful, loving and giving people into villains. I don't like it. It bothers me and I won't stand for it. But, you know that debate thing that I have with God--can't kill them either, P.K. Grace. Given time, given grace and what it is, will we ever understand?
     The idea of a world that is all Christian does not appeal to me anymore than a world of only black people or Democrats (especially not that). Somehow, like that moment when I stood and saw myself riding the clouds, I know that God's plan is simply awesome and that somehow, we've got to get in step with a hope that people of different faiths, cultures and races can live in this world together. 

     United Religions Initiative, an interfaith organization whose preamble, purpose and principles (the “PPPs”) guide the organization’s structure and work, is a decade old (officially) and more than 15 years in the making. There are many who have embraced URI’s work and have involved themselves wholeheartedly. Then there are those who have walked away and said simply, “I don’t get it.” There are probably as many in-between reasons why people involve themselves in URI, however. Those stories are missing and those stories are the ones that may be the most important. 

     When I think back on my first foray into interfaith, I’m amazed and full of wonder—still. I sat with Muslim, Jews and Christians to talk about the first five books of the Bible. As a storyteller, these stories are the ones I told the most. There was so much for me in these stories, but they were influenced by my Christian teachings. And then there was a door, no, two doors that opened my world and these stories took on new and greater meanings. I have never been the same. 

     Everyone has a question in their head that needs answering. I know. I also understand that there are hundreds of other questions, too, but that one question burns in each of us and must be answered, but sometimes never is. The question? What is the meaning of it all? The question may not be said exactly this way, “it” being the operative word, but the overall meaning is there. But, no matter how the question is asked, when the question is answered, life changes—for the good. 

     What draws me to URI? What keeps me here? What makes me want to leave sometimes and what makes me come back? What is URI? Those are part of the other questions that rise and fall, but the question that has been answered for me has to do with meaning. It means something, it answers the question in my heart and the rest—the struggle—is doable because I have the question answered. 

     I said that there were two doors I walked through that day as sat in the chairs of the studio taping the PBS special Genesis. I walked through the door of Islam and Judaism. That was 1995. Since then I have walked through many doors and continue to find the answer to my burning question. The answer? Love.

“God does LOVE  the whole world—no exceptions”

Special note: Look for a new broadcast from the Think Peace Media and Communications Network called The Witch and The Preacher's Kid with Rachael Watcher and P.K. McCary. For more information email us at office@thinkpeaceradio.net.

Who Are the Faces of URI?

Yoland Trevino Speaking at the 10th Anniversary Celebration in Amman, Jordan

The first time I heard about this idea called United Religions Initiative, I had my doubts. Still, I couldn't help myself. I had to go and find out more. One of the reasons I had to go was simply because the door had been opened when I sat with men and women, Muslims and Jews (and yes, other Christians), who told me stories that captivated my spirit. The PBS Special Genesis was the door that opened my heart to the wealth of faiths not one's own. When you hear a story that touches your heart and soul, well--believing or not, you are caught up with the spirit of the story and the storyteller. You can't walk away. I had to go. I'm glad I did.
     I won't say that the doubts didn't stand just outside the door that was opening, however. As a child, my grandmother would warn me of the shadow maker, the deceiver and urge my caution. The question becomes just who is the deceiver telling stories (lies)--and--which one of these stories is not from the deceiver leading to the truth? A quandry, to be sure. In addition, I found out that fear will trick you as well. So, I decided not to be afraid, but there were always those moments that cast both shadows of fear and doubts. I can tell you now and even looking back, those of you who know me, know that those moments are now cause for celebration because they erased the shadows and cast out all doubts.
     Of course, those doubts were erased over time by the people I had been taught to fear (non-Christians) with a simple effort of getting to know them. In many ways, I've come a long way from that stalwart Christian with fears to a stalwart Christian of knowing. Knowing that together we can make this world better. That is the just one of the reasons I am a part of the United Religions Initiative ("URI").
     URI just celebrated 10 years of existence, but having come before we were "official" I know that we have to count more than these 10 years. We have to count the years the vision came into existence and we have to count the years of our lives and years, millenniums, before we even existed. In this clip, I take some of Yoland Trevino's welcome to share the journey of URI. Still, in all of my hopes and dreaming of a future where the URI is more than a face and a vision, but a reality--well, there is still much work to do.
     The Bad News
     There is bad news. This is hard work. This work sometimes leaves me drained and frustrated. And sometimes we don't get very far. I don't want to mislead anyone in thinking that we have all of the answers, but then I'm not a proponent of just finding answers. In truth, I believe that we should not be so focused on answers, but making sure that we're asking the right questions. As Richard Bach has often said, there is no problem without a gift in its hands for you. The bad news is that we carry remnants of that fear of "the other." We seem to have difficulties with acknowledging that God loves us all. After all, aren't some of us "bad people"--"Evil"? Evil exists. Right?
     The other bad news is that we're still trying to figure out how to solve our problems without vilifying whole groups of people. We aren't succeeding (as much as I think we should or even close to what I would like). We wrestle with conversations that happen in different circles, linked by that degree of separation that comes when we walk in more than one world. We still focus on our dogma(s) that we feel are hurdles that cannot--should not--be crossed. And we have a lack of trust that is deeply rooted from varied cultures and beliefs. So, how can we respect one another? The elephants in the room are numerous and sometime we feel trampled by the isms that just don't want to go away.
     Is there good news?
     Oh, Yeah! The Good News
     There are those who have to see it to believe it. They wait, often times impatiently for someone to solve these problems that plague the world so that they can join in the efforts once they can believe it will work out. But, they often run at the first wrinkle. They also stand on the sidelines. Well, sometimes they are backseat drivers, but that's okay. Because the good news is this. There are those who believe. Just that simple. We can see it no other way. It helps us accept the frustrations and moments of exhaustion. It helps us sit down and write a missive that says, "We'll hold the light" and "We'll keep the faith." It took four years to write a Preamble, Purpose and Principles for URI. The words "We Unite ..." usher in a new era of believers. I am stronger than I've been and am able to recharge the batteries of my soul with the aid of those who also believe. So, when you hear the bad news, don't ignore it. Check it out and remember that the light casts out darkness. Just sometimes you have to work through a storm to get to the other side.
     Peace.