Essays
This is a collection of the introductions written over recent years by Gita and Anthony Brooke for the Many-to-Many Newsletter.
March 1994: Truth
In addition to the deep and real trauma of authentic cases of child abuse and molestation, we are now also being made aware of the unspeakable agony of the false allegations that some families are exposed to, hurting and splitting up longstanding relationships. With assistance of counsellors and psychologists with varying degrees of skills and zest, people are 'remembering' atrocities later proven never to have happened and naming perpetrators that never were.
These incidents highlight a very real difficulty we may all sometimes have of telling fact from fiction. Our increasingly desperate demand for answers and remedies to all our ills and predicaments have set off what looks like a compulsive and furiously competitive search for solutions to all problems. Tired of fiction and weary of lies, more and more people clamour for 'the truth'. But so eager are we to relieve our inner stress and pain that we may now and then settle for less than the truth.
Daily, new answers to our many questions and treatments of our dilemmas are pouring forth from every corner of society: scientists, the medical profession, environmentalists, 'healers' of all kinds, ministers, psychologists-all offering us an endless variety of cures. Most of these cures, however, come with strings attached and wrapped in lists of "do's and don'ts", casting an almost addictive spell over our lives as we anxiously try to comply with them in the hope of quickly feeling better.
The saying that the truth shall set us free is surely becoming a very attractive option to explore. Immersed in the chaos of often-conflicting theories as to the causes and the way out of our present dire straits we may find that within the heart of each crisis there is a door that opens into new and fresh beginnings. If we choose to face our pain and let Truth guide us, step by step, a process of healing will take place, lifting us into a new sense of freedom and giving us the strength and the will to rebuild our lives. Forgiving and releasing ourselves and others from all past atrocities, misunderstandings, and sense of failure, we will offer what is ours to give, to the healing of humanity as a whole.
With the light of truth as our guide we shall no longer get lost in the labyrinths of the subconscious mind. And our world, presently so full of tragic interpretations of the creative energy we call Love, may well begin to reverberate with an ever clearer, stronger, and more harmonious note sounding forth from the many hearts of humanity, beating in unison with a common purpose.
So what is this thing called Truth?
Could it be That to which the Heart responds by opening? That which makes our lives thrill with livingness? That which in steps and stages reveals to us the oneness of all that Is?
June 1994: the Human Family
In this International Year of the Family we have been offered both a theme and a motto to ponder and act upon, the theme being "Family: resources and responsibilities in a changing world" and the motto: "Building the smallest democracy at the heart of society".
It seems an important reminder to us all that at the core of each family unit is entrusted the inexhaustible well-spring of life, the sacred resource of every life opportunity and life expression upon which all other activities and structures within the whole community depend for its quality and beauty.
The wars and struggles around the world today are largely internal ones; individual units within countries, regions and families are fighting for what they believe to be freedom, justice, independence, and personal integrity. However painful and traumatic are these battles, going on at the very centre of our societal systems, perhaps we need to acknowledge that they could well be clearing the way for a new and truer democracy. When free and responsible people reunite in the building of a more democratic world, starting at the heart of society, we shall surely see the emergence of a governing body whose vision and aim will be to ensure the opportunity for fulfilment of every single life, human, and otherwise.
Bishop Desmond Tutu, in a TV interview, mentioned that in his language there was a word which mean the gift of the essence of life. This essence, he said belongs to all – equally. Therefore he appealed to the peoples of South Africa to relinquish hate and harbour no resentment and instead unite as one family in the work ahead.
The responsibility and the privilege for building a more democratic world rests firmly on the shoulders of us, the people. Individually and in our millions, beginning right where we are, we can – and must – change the world.
The striving for independence, freedom and personal worth will forever challenge the family structure of the day, ensuring that it changes with time and continues to serve its purpose in a changing world. Realising however that "the essence of life" makes us all equally precious member of our society, we can move ahead together towards a thoroughly democratic world, allowing every individual to develop its full potentials - in service of the whole.
September 1994: Education
Among the many societal structures which are in a state of disintegration is that of the educational system. Lack of funds and of direction leaves schools everywhere in a state of confusion and stress. Proposals for changes to our institutions of learning are being discussed which might help to bring them up-to-date and more relevant to today's youth. However, it seems hard to pin-point exactly what kind of changes would prepare young people more adequately for the future – a future which even so-called experts find it increasingly difficult to predict.
Perhaps the time has come to emphasized the need to see the whole life span of an individual, from birth to death, as one single process of learning? Maybe we would cherish more the measure of moments in which each one of us is given opportunities for learning: about relationships, and about experiencing and expressing what is – and what is not – true, good and beautiful.
Could we not envisage a future where our educational system, as well as the entire present social order – from economics and politics to science and health, right down to every member of the nuclear family – would be geared to assist the individual human being in filling his or her life with meaning and with an experience of what Joseph Campbell, the great USA thinker, calls the "Wow!" of life?
Hopefully, then, the day may soon dawn when we people realise that the catastrophic situations we are experiencing in so many places of our tormented world, are not eliminated by the rushing in of aid, the attempts at mediation between warring parties, or by punitive measures. It is becoming painfully clear that all these efforts, however urgently needed, do not in themselves bring more than temporary relief; nor will they prevent new and even more traumatic upheavals and sufferings from happening - unless we are also willing to look at and deal with the underlying causes.
Are not life and circumstances continuously trying to teach us the interdependence and the interconnectedness of all living things within the sphere of this planet of ours; and is it not becoming glaringly obvious what selfishness is doing to nature and community?
When the picture of planet earth, taken from outer space, showed us the circumference within which we and all other life forms have their rightful place, many came to realise that the time had truly come when the cruel and careless game of separateness could not longer continue and the threshold into greater maturity had to be crossed. We have come of age and, within this earthly home we all share in common, we must now learn to household for everyone in it. From the realisation of wholeness new, basic and very simple laws, principles, and values will come to guide and direct our ways, replacing the old and complex societal structures behind which selfish goals could – and were- pursued.
Surely when our hearts have been pried open and we with compassion acknowledge what causes such tragedies, we will rise to the task ahead.
December 1994: We, the Peoples
For some time the United Nations has been preparing for making its 50th anniversary in 1995 a special year. It is to be a year in which many opportunities will be created for commemorating, educating and celebrating the past while also looking towards the future. The goal of this anniversary is to reinforce and renew the United Nations and make it "fully capable of meeting the rising demands and expectations of the 21st Century".
Governments have been encouraged to set aside funds to help arrange national events, all aiming to reflect different aspects of the theme for the year: "We the Peoples of the United Nations – United for a Better World". A Fiftieth Anniversary Secretariat (s-3194, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, USA) has also been set up, ready to provide information on the many conferences, events and activities already being planned. The secretariat is open to any suggestions and ideas that we people may wish to contribute.
While festivals and public celebrations are often arranged by leaders to make people forget their many problems and appeal to their loyalty and national pride – could we not look openmindedly at the significant potentials of the theme of this particular anniversary?
Whether or not our governments are sincere in their hopes for a more democratic future world, this is an opportunity for uniting for a better world that should not be missed. True democracy will after all need people-participation – a co-governing, coming into being by the actions and services of increasingly well-informed individuals and groups of individuals, networking throughout the entire structure of our global community. It is widely agreed that it is us people who must change our governments and that governments cannot rule by higher and nobler values unless we in our millions are willing to apply these in our own lives.
Various international conferences are being planned for 1995 under the auspices of the United Nations, to which we, the people of the United Nations, are being given the opportunity to voice our views. The Fourth World Conference on Women will take place in Beijing in September; the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference will be held in April and in March the UN Summit for Social Development is to take place in Copenhagen. A non-governmental Forum (NGC Forum '95) is under preparation to run parallel to this Summit.
In their first newsletter the NGC Forum '95 Secretary-General, Jan Dirket Smith, stresses the importance of public opinion and of the role of NGOs for guaranteeing that the promises made by the world's governments won't be forgotten. Yes, we people could indeed use the UN 50th anniversary not only to celebrate but also to highlight what we believe will help create a better world: we could make our voice heard at the NGC Forum '95; we could help implement the plan of action (the so called Agenda 21) from the 1992 Earth Summit, translating this global framework into actions in our own local community; we could become more responsible for our own actions and more aware of the effects on others and the environment of the decisions we make...
Mike McCoy, USA Citizen's Network, reflecting upon the Rio Earth Summit, makes the following comment: "Now the sobering and very complicated reality of implementing that ambitious vision of two years ago squarely faces all principles Earth Summit actors, and unfortunately they are all coming up short."
Thank goodness we the people of all nations need not wait for the "principle actors" to lead the way. When we lead, they will follow.
March 1995: Tolerance
1995, the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations Organisation is to be the International Year of Tolerance.
This is indeed a challenging and enigmatic word to interpret and give meaning to in today's world. A tolerant person is often seen as a weak and wavering individual, not really willing, or capable, of taking a stance, nor sufficiently committed to help change any kind of status quo.
Neither does the Oxford Dictionary help much to throw light on this lacklustre word. Its opposite, intolerance, seems much easier to identify.
With all the many difficult, traumatic and confusing issues confronting human beings today, one would think that what is called for are qualities such as clarity of thought and an increased sense of discrimination to help us evaluate the lesser from the greater good and to map the road ahead towards a more enlightened and friendlier society.
However, although the development of a clear and discriminating mind is truly desirable and will give a sharpened edge when it comes to correct assessment of the issues at hand, this will not suffice for the building of a local/global neighbourhood. To become good neighbours we must learn to practice tolerance and demonstrate goodwill in all relationships.
Together with clarity of direction and an enhanced capability to tell the genuine from the make-believe, the quality and concept of tolerance will rise to a whole new dimension of active kindness and willingness to demonstrate goodness, leaving, and might hope, its weak and fuzzy image behind.
Because – in the face of intolerance and resentment, with its quick and shallow judgments justifying so much cruelty worldwide – does it not take both courage and clarity of vision to remain steadfastly and patiently tolerant?
So let us, the peoples of the United Nations, give new life and meaning to this sentiment, chosen for the year of the UN 50th anniversary, and practise enduring goodness in the difficult but necessary process of growing into adulthood and becoming open and friendly neighbours in a multifaced world community.
Let the word tolerance become the bearer of our generosity of heart and mind.
June 1995: our Global Neighbourhood
How difficult it is to get an overview of what is happening to our world society – even to our own small corner within it. On the one hand we have nations splintering into many parts and peoples fighting for recognition and for self determination. On the other hand there is an increasing awareness of the interdependence of all creatures living within and being sustained by the same global environment.
The newly published report of the Commission on Global Governance is entitled "Our Global Neighbourhood". In this publication it is pointed out that the challenge of global governance is "to strike the balance in such a way that the management of global affairs is responsive to the interests of all people in a sustainable future, that is is guided by basic human values, and that it makes global organisation conform to the reality of global diversity." We need, it says, "to weave a tighter fabric of international norms, expanding the rule of law world-wide and enabling citizens to exert their democratic influence on global processes".
However, as we have so often come to realise, no laws however forcefully applied can in themselves secure any area of our global neighbourhood from the disastrous effects of a few people motivated by their own selfish and exclusive agenda. As Erskine Childers, a longstanding UN official, put it: "We need to discuss the problem of reviewing and where necessary amplifying our ethics at the community level, as this, at long last, comes into ever more urgent focus". For far too long, he says, we have allowed "...long-established socioeconomic ethics to be shredded before our very eyes by small mercantile elites in a handful of countries." The role of the nation is threatened and weakened by the increasing power of the "unknown profiteers sitting at computer terminals", plugging more and more human beings across the world into abject poverty. Maybe it pays to look at the text of Article 55 in the UN Charter, to which (in Article 56) every member state has pledged to take "joint and separate action". Article 55 reads:
"With a view to the creation of conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, the United Nations shall promote:
a) higher standards of living, full employment, and conditions of economic and social progress and development;
b) solutions of international economic, social, health, and related problems; and international cultural and educational cooperation; and
c) universal respect for, and observance of, human rights and fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion."
Although the rights and the integrity of our natural environment is not specifically mentioned in Article 55 maybe one can hope that the ecological system to which we ourselves belong will be included in our striving to create a dynamic and thoroughly healthy, and harmonious global neighbourhood.
It is we, the peoples of all nations, who must make good neighbourhood a living reality.
Many to Many
a quarterly publication issued by
Operation Peace through Unity
Anthony Brooke and Gita Brooke, co-founders
Te Rangi, 4 Allison Street, Wanganui 5001, New Zealand
phone/fax: +64-6-345-5714 ~ e-mail:
OPTU is an accredited NGO in association with the UN Dept of Public Information
Many to Many
under the aegis of
Operation Peace Through Unity
is a communicating link between
'we, the peoples' of all nations, races, creeds and ideologies offering in the spirit of the preamble of the United Nations Charter an instrument for the furthering of better relationships based on deepening mutual understanding and the aspiration to promote unity and cooperation beyond all differences.