Let us pray in communion with our brothers and sisters worldwide:
Christian Prayer for Peace
Lord, make me an instrument of Thy 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.
St. Francis of Assisi - 13th Century CE
Muslim Prayer for Peace
In the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations
That we may know each other, not that
we may despise each other.
If the enemy incline towards peace, do
thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
Most gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say "PEACE."
Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty,
may there be peace in celestial regions.
May there be peace on Earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome,
and may trees, plants bring peace to all.
May all beneficent beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law
propagate peace all through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all
and may that peace come to me also.
May all beings everywhere
plagued with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless,
fearful wilderness .... the children,
the aged, the unprotected
be guarded by beneficial celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood.
Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
that we may walk the paths of the Most High.
And we shall beat our swords into plough shares,
and our spears into pruning hooks.
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation -
neither shall they learn war any more.
And none shall be afraid,
for the mouth of the Lord of Hosts has spoken.
Be generous in prosperity,
and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in judgment,
and guarded in thy speech.
Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness,
and a home to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind,
and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring.
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind,
a dew to the soil of the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.
About René Girard: Born in Avignon, France, on 25 December 1923, Rene Girard is the author of works that have been published in more than two-dozen languages, including The Scapegoat and Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World. His latest book, Achever Clausewitz, will be published in the U.S. in 2010 as Battling to the End: Politics, War, and Apocalypse. In 2005, Girard was inducted into the Academie Francaise.
The suggestion for "action" is to play the EnerCities game and provide some feedback to the developers at Paladin Studios, The Netherlands.
Introduction: "Are you ready to take on the challenge of running your own virtual city? Do you have the skills to create a solid, sustainable energy strategy? Will you build a nuclear plant or go solar? Whether you are an industrial tycoon or treehugging hippie, join the exclusive EnerCities beta program now. Your citizens need you!"
This is a "serious game." You must register (the teacher code is optional), then you can play the game free of charge. It is a good experience in sustainable urbanization. Just click on the logo to find the EnerCities web site:
Please take notes as you play the game, and give the developers the benefit of your experience via email to the development team leader, Derk de Geus. The development of this game has been sponsored by the European Commission on Sustainable Energy. The game will be installed in 50 European universities during the year 2010. Play, have fun, and provide input for further development of this tool!
5. Education for Sustainable Development 2009 Surveys
The Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) research project is moving forward as a series of surveys to identify the critical issues that sustainable developers must be ready to face. During the year 2009, survey test versions V0 to V1.7 have been posted. The survey is structured around the "key action themes" proposed by UNESCO for the "Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (2005-2014):
Paulo Freire's educational model of recursive questions and answers
Ken Wilber's integral model of experience, behavior, systems, and cultures
René Girard's mimetic theory of scapegoating behavior
Note: For a complete description of the design evolution, click here
The survey of the design is stable. However, the questions still need more work pursuant to an optimal combination of brevity (maximum of 16 questions), neutrality (unbiased questions), and questionnaire coverage of the most critical issues in sustainable development. Thus far the responses have been as follows:
As of 24 April 2009, 61 persons had taken the V0 test survey.
As of 27 May 2009, 129 persons had taken the V1 test survey.
As of 27 June 2009, 263 persons had taken the V1.5 test survey.
As of 31 July 2009, 513 persons had taken the V1.6 test survey.
As of 29 August 2009, 36 persons had taken the V1.7 test survey.
Links to the forms, data, and analyses for the initial series of surveys are listed below:
Posting of the ESD 2.0 comprehensive survey is still under consideration, but there is much information yet to be analyzed in the 1004 responses received during the 2009 series. Rather than posting comprehensive surveys, the plan going forward is to post short surveys as required to support further analysis of the transition from consumerism to sustainability.
O, Birther of the Cosmos, focus your light within us — make it useful
Create your reign of unity now
Your one desire then acts with ours,
As in all light,
So in all forms,
Grant us what we need each day in bread and insight:
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us,
As we release the strands we hold of other’s guilt.
Don’t let surface things delude us,
But free us from what holds us back.
From you is born all ruling will,
The power and the life to do,
The song that beautifies all,
From age to age it renews.
I affirm this with my whole being.
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