VISIONS OF PEACE?

I want to try something new with this post. Lately I’ve been exploring how concepts like control, leadership, direction and sense of purpose, relate to empowerment and the creative impulse itself. With this in mind I’ve kept this post intentionally brief to open up space for your responses.

I’ve had this idea rattling around in my head for what I think might be a film, a film called simply - Peace. Throughout my involvement in the peace & justice movement I have met a number of organizers/activists who view the movement as one long ceaseless struggle. I have great respect for my sisters and brothers, for their passion and resolve, but I find myself wondering what happens after the struggle?

I have recently come across two strategies for realizing our creative potential. One focuses on removing obstacles that get in the way of being your true self, the creative spirit effortlessly emerging with the restriction removed. The other focuses on visualizing where you are headed, seeing yourself already there; obstacles fall away, replaced by this new focus of your attention. I like both of these approaches. I conceive of the Peace “film,” as a kind of visionary reference point, a common shared experience that might make it easier for us to recognize moments of peace wherever they exist (whenever they happen) in our lives and in our world.

As weapons dealer to the world and our own best customer, is it any wonder that American cultural promotion of war is second to none? Images of war (of violence and cruelty), those depicting the harsh reality of war and those meant to hide it from us, easily come to mind. But what of peace? Does peace appear more elusive simply because we haven’t taken the time, made the effort, to develop a peace vocabulary to speak of it?

Why a film? Primarily because of the grand scope of the medium; its ability to deliver powerful, meaningful, moving images; and its ease of replication and distribution. But also because, though films usually have a director, the scope of the medium generally requires a collaborative approach. That said, there is no set medium for this project. Indeed, an exploration of the very concept of medium might be one facet in the evolution of this idea...

Please accept my invitation to dialogue, to share your visions of peace with myself and other readers in the comments below. Feel free to approach this from any direction, any perspective, addressing any aspect of the idea that resonates with you. I am excited to hear your thoughts and I thank you for sharing them.