2007 Spring Journal

Dear Wholistic Peace Institute Member:

I hope you enjoy our Spring Issue.  It is also the first issue we are co-editing together and the University of Portland is publishing for us thanks to their Peace & Social Justice Program.  So far this year I have traveled to Washington, DC and the Institute has helped to sponsor a forum on the “Six Party Talks” at the Senate Office Building (Senator Gordon Smith helped to arrange this) and Senator Ted Hastert and many other key US Representatives and US Senators took part.  I was also able to meet with our US Representatives: Rep. Darlene Hooley; Rep. David Wu; and Rep. Greg Walden.  I was also able to meet with Rep. Dennis Kucinich on his legislation to create a US Department of Peace.  Then I was invited to the United Nations in New York and asked to give a luncheon speech on our work with Nobel Peace Laureates and our humanitarian work.  It was quite frankly a “peak experience” for me. Afterwards I was able to meet with the following UN permanent Ambassadors: Chinese Ambassador; Liberian Ambassador; Organization of Islamic Countries Ambassador.  Then I was invited to give a speech in Seoul, South Korea at the “World Summit on Peace 2007: Forming New Alliances at a Time of Global Crisis”.  There I spoke about the Institute’s work and was invited to go to North Korea, this too was a “peak experience” for me and I believe that the Institute can make a contribution to peace on the Korean Peninsula.  We did submit an Appropriations Request to do humanitarian work in North Korea and also our World Peace Conference in Korea is coming along.

North Korea: How to Achieve Peaceful Relations through Humanitarian Service & Tourism

The Wholistic Peace Institute’s Historic Trip to North Korea
By Gary Alan Spanovich

On February 24th, the Wholistic Peace Institute made a historic trip to Geosong, North Korea.  I was the only westerner allowed into this area; all my colleagues were South Korean.  The Institute has applied for a grant to do humanitarian work in North Korea with our partner, Service of Peace; and also to teach “market economics” and to help develop the tourism industry here.

Geosong, North Korea is located on the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula and was one of the most beautiful areas of the world I have ever seen. Sort of like the US’s Yosemite National Park, in California, except the mountains are snow capped and more less come straight down to the sea.  This experiment in “market economy” was set up by the North Korean government about 6 years ago, at the time former President of South Korea, Kim Dae Jung, made the first trip to Pyongyang, to meet with the North Korean Premier, Kim Jong IL in over 50 years, since the end of the Korean War.  This simple visit opened up a major thaw in North and South Korean relationships and marked the first real progress toward peace on the Peninsula since the War.  President Kim Dae Jung went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his work and his plan, “the Sunshine Policy” for the eventual reunification of South and North Korea.

Visiting Geosong, North Korea is not without its challenges; there is the five hour bus ride from Seoul; to the South Korean side of the DMZ; then a three hour crossing of perhaps 5-6 miles of territory. You are not permitted to bring cell phones or computers into the country, nor can you travel independently.  Once you arrive in North Korea, you cannot call or email out, or receive calls or emails.  My overall impression of the people was that quite simply: “North Koreans are very easy to love and if the world knew of their kindness and their sincerity, they would feel different about this country”.  North Korea is a primarily agricultural based economy that is centrally planned and I feel resembles China, prior to their experimentation with market economics.

This agricultural based economy has created simplicity of life; actually my experience was one of deep relaxation.  As with all such economies, where people are close to the land, you sense a people who you would want to call friend, much like I suspect our US pioneers were in the last century, in the west or on farms.  The good news is that this experiment in “market economy” is working and after five years, there are at least 5 major hotels there; two or three large auditoriums where cultural (North Korean Circus & Symphony) give performances.  We stayed at the Hotel Geumgangsan, a very nice hotel.

In this part of North Korea one can use only dollars for exchange and this is probably the primary reason that the government allowed its development to help them with foreign exchange; and I believe to experiment with “market economy”.   I am hopeful that this small experiment, that has come from the visit of Kim Dae Jung to North Korea; then recognition that both countries want peace; to the allowing of this tourism area to develop; and now flourish; holds the key for the eventual development of a “market economy” in North Korea.  Once this happens we will begin to see a new North Korea emerging in the world, one not unlike China and perhaps one that is a fair share of economic muscle in this region.  The beginning is there, now the government is expanding Geosong, more hotels; then I believe they will begin to open other areas of North Korea to tourism.  I believe they feel the experiment is a success and they see that there is nothing to fear and much to be gained by the world coming to North Korea.  Likewise for the South Koreans, these trips bring them great joy.

I met with a number of government officials in formal dinners with our partner, Service for Peace and we established a relationship to begin this humanitarian work.  We were invited to go to the capital Pyongyang on our next trip, most likely in the summer.  I hope you will join me in supporting and praying for the North Korea,

The Nobel Peace Laureates Are Key to World Peace & the Planning for the Korean World Peace Conference

The Nobel Peace Laureates Represent a New Approach to World Peace
By Gary Alan Spanovich

It is gestures and symbols that are needed now to begin developing a world wide awareness of the “world peace movement”.  I have worked with Nobel Peace Laureates since 1999 and through my work with nine of them have always asked them two basic questions: “Is world peace possible?” and “What role did God play in your world peace work?”  All nine have said, “Yes, world peace is possible, today” and each has had a different understanding as to how to achieve this.  In 2001 the Institute conducted its first World Peace Conference in Portland, Oregon with 6 Nobel Peace Laureates and published a book: “How to Achieve World Peace; Six Nobel Peace Laureates Answer the Question”,

For example, Lech Walesa, the former President of Poland, leader or the Solidarity Movement that toppled the Polish Communist Government and winner of the 1983 Nobel Peace Prize told me, “World peace will be found in new solutions and new ideas and the Universities of the world are the best pleas to formulate these solutions and not street demonstrations”.   Likewise when I asked former President Walesa what role God played in his world peace work, he said, “God did it all, I went around Poland everyday, for three years, trying to convince people we could overcome Communism and after three years, I had exactly 10 people who had faith we could. One year later, I had 10 million people who believed it because a Pole had been chosen Pope and the Polish people knew that that was impossible and if God would intervene to create this miracle, He would intervene to create other miracles. God did it all and the Polish people then had faith that He would overcome Communism”.

When I asked His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the head of the Tibetan Government in Exile and the 1989 Nobel Peace Prizewinner the same question, his response was, “the proper way to reduce violence in the world that could lead to war is not through more police but through education. In the educational system, right from the beginning we must educate the minds of our students”.  As part of the planning team that brought him to Portland, Oregon in 2001 we were able to arrange a Dalai Lama’s Youth Summit, where 10,000 high school students heard a talk about non-violence.
I asked the Executive Director of Amnesty US (Amnesty won the 1977 Nobel Peace Prize), William F. Schulz, he said, “When conflict emerges in the world, almost always there have been severe violations of human rights.  We must work for human rights if we are to achieve world peace”.  At our 2001 World Peace Conference in Portland, Oregon, the Institute brought together 6 Nobel Peace Laureates to discuss, “How can compassion be brought into the diplomatic peace seeking process?”  I asked former US Senator Mark O. Hatfield and Reverend Mary Manin Morrissey, as a government leader and a religious leader to co-moderate the 6 Nobel Peace Laureates to find a way to bring “the spiritual value of compassion into diplomacy”; we were able to publish a book of their ideas1.  In the course of the conference Senator Hatfield made the statement, “I believe the 1948 United Nations Resolution on Human Rights is the most important document in human history, more important than the Magna Charta or the US Constitution and if implemented would bring world peace”.

(1) “How to Achieve World Peace; Six Nobel Peace Laureates Answer the Question”

February, 2007 Interview With 2000 Nobel Peace Prizewinner Kim Dae Jung

On February 22nd, I met with the 2000 Nobel Peace Prizewinner & former President Kim Dae Jung, in Seoul, South Korea at his home, to discuss the planning for the Seoul World Peace Conference and also his visit to Oregon.  He talked at length for over an hour on his views of the “six party talks” and the prospects of peace between North and South Korea today.  Attending the interview were Gary Alan Spanovich, Executive Director of the Wholistic Peace Institute; Mr. John Dixon, Chairman of the World Trade Center, Peace & Security Committee; Mr. Michael Marshall, Editor-In-Chief of UPI (the wire service);  Mr. Yang, Chief of Staff to President Kim; Ms. Park, Chief Translator for President Kim.  Mr. Dixon and Mr. Marshall were invited to the interview by the Institute as they have become working partners.  This is one part of a two part series on President Kim’s views with the second part to be detailed in the Summer World Peace Journal.  The following dialogue ensued:

Question 1: President Dim what are your ideas on the reunification of North and South Korea?:  Some have said that the reunification of East and West Germany is a good model for the reunification of South & North Korea; however South Korea does not have the economic capacity of West Germany.  If we were to take on this type of burden, it could prove disastrous economically.  There is a wide gap between the people of these two countries; we went to war 60 years ago and stood in conflict with one another (remember it was Korean’s fighting Korean’s).  East West Germany is not a good model to use and it did not work that well.  What we want at this stage is peaceful coexistence and I believe that the majority of the people want peaceful coexistence, in both countries

Question 2: President Kim do you think there was a break through in the “six party talks”?:  This agreement is important; but now both the US and North Korea need to implement what was agreed on and I am cautiously optimistic.  The US is presently having a problem in Iraq; it can’t wage another war and must pursue dialogue, it simply cannot afford another war.  President Bush needs to move away from dictating to North Korea and toward a give and take dialogue; these issues can only be resolved through give and take.  Likewise: North Korea should withdraw from its nuclear activities; should allow for regional inspectors; should be free of economic sanctions and receive the fuel oil it has been promised for doing so; and should be given security guarantees.  The US can continue to pursue economic pressure to North Korea; Japan and the US are doing this now; but as they do this, China simply pours economic assistance in, making North Korea more dependent on China and less on the international community.  Economic sanctions cannot be the means to resolve the issue.

President Bush has failed in the Middle East and has only 2 years left.  There is a possibility of success with North Korea if he engages in give and take.  With the mid term elections; Democrats had a victory and as a result President Bush has to change his policy to be successful on the Korean Peninsula.  If North Korea sticks to the agreement and gives up on its nuclear program; and if the US provides the economic aid; does not employ economic sanctions against them; gives security assurances they will not engage in regime change as they have done in Iraq; and tries to normalize relations with North Korea, then there will be foreign policy success for Bush.  China is opposed to a nuclear North Korea; for it could mean a nuclear Taiwan, a nuclear Japan, and a nuclear South Korea.  It is important for those who want peace in the US to lobby for this deal.  If North Korea does not fulfill its commitment to end its nuclear program; then no excuses will exist for North Korea; this will make it very difficult for North Korea.  If North Korea deceives and does not keep the agreement; then the US will not provide security assurances and will introduce sanctions and there will be no normalization of relations; North Korea is not in a place to deceive.  The US should provide security assurances; try to normalize relationships with North Korea; should not engage economic sanctions; this was the deal agreed on by the 5 member states of the 6 party talks; North Korea must keep this agreement if it wants normalization of relationships; if it doesn’t then the 5 member states will take collective counter measures against North Korea.  To date the US has had no direct dialogue with North Korea; has only demanded and has not engaged in give and take talk; the US must learn how to give and take in its foreign policy.  The Institute then suggested to President Kim that they would approach all 7 members of the Oregon delegation to sponsor a bill in Congress to ask the US Department of State to open direct talks with North Korea.  President Kim felt if this one simple action could be taken, this would be the beginning of peace on the Peninsula and the “normalization of relations with the US and NK would bring an end to the standoff.

Special Event With Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s Grandson On The Importance of Non-Violence Today

Lessons I Learned From My Grandfather ~
Mahatma Gandhi” Founder of Institute for Nonviolence
Speaker • Concert • Interfaith Dialogue Panel

Saint Anne’s Chapel—Marylhurst University; 17600 Pacific Highway (Hwy 43)
Tickets $17 / Student Ticket Only $10; Sunday April 29, 2007 • 3:00pm–5:30pm

Co-Sponsored By: Unity World Healing Center; Marylhurst University; Wholistic Peace Institute

& Join us before the event at a private reception
and fundraising event and personally meet Arun Gandhi
at the new home of the Unity World Healing Center.
Ticket price includes food and beverages.
Limited Ticket Availability.

1:00pm • Sunday, April 29; Unity World Healing Center; 20255 Willamette Dr., West Linn, OR 97068; Luncheon Reception & Event: $125
For tickets go to www.worldhealing.org or call 503-697-9765.
Nonviolence – The Only Hope
By Arun Gandhi (2)

It is difficult to reconcile Gandhian thought with the modern theory that nonviolence is simply a strategy of convenience. In the words of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi nonviolence “is not a coat that you can wear today and take off tomorrow.” Although Gandhi emphasized the need for spirituality in the practice of nonviolence that was not the only reason why he believed nonviolence must be a way of life. For Gandhi living nonviolence was a practical necessity. Unless one lives it, one cannot practice nonviolence. Just as we are required to create a whole culture of violence around us to practice violence we need to create a culture of nonviolence around us to practice nonviolence.

The complexities of Gandhi’s nonviolence need to be understood holistically and not dogmatically. It is unfortunate that most scholars have looked at nonviolence only as the opposite of physical violence. We cannot appreciate the depths of nonviolence until we appreciate the breath of violence that is practiced in society today. Just as the absence of war is not peace superficial calm in a society does not indicate the lack of turmoil and conflict.

(2) Article from a January 18, 2005 article by Arun Gandhi posted on his web page: http://www.gandhiinstitute.org/

If Gandhiji was concerned about freeing India from the Imperial clutches of Britain he was more concerned about freeing human society from the stranglehold of the Culture of Violence. A culture that is so deep-rooted and pervasive that most of us have come to believe violence is our inherent nature. There is a problem with this argument. If violence is indeed our nature why do we need martial arts institutes and military academies to teach us to fight and kill? Why are we not born with these instincts?  The fact is it is not violence that is our true nature but anger, the fuel that generates violence. Anger is, to use an electrical analogy, the fuse that warns us of a malfunction. However, sadly, we have learned to abuse anger instead of using it intelligently because the culture of violence is based on the need to control through fear. Psychologists have recently concluded that an inordinately high number – over 70 per cent – of the violence that plagues human societies everywhere is the result of the abuse of anger. Anger is an important emotion that plays a significant role in our lives and yet we have ignored it totally.

In a selfish, self-centered world we ignore the plight of people, we continue to over consume the resources of the world and continue to create an economic imbalance and generate anger.  Passive violence is, therefore, the fuel that ignites physical violence so, logically, if we want to put an end to physical violence we have to cut-off the fuel supply. He told us anger is like electricity – just as powerful and useful when used intelligently, but as destructive and deadly when abused. Like electricity, the energy of anger must be channeled intelligently to serve humanity constructively. Writing an anger journal is one way of recording the offensive episode for posterity. However, the intention should not be simply to get the anger out of one’s system but to find an equitable solution to the problem that caused the anger. A problem nipped in the bud saves a lot of grief.
We are building mega urban societies around the world that lack soul and substance. We ignore the basic question – can a society be cohesive, compassionate and caring if every member is taught to be selfish and self-centered? In Gandhian terms a society is an enlarged family and should possess the same positive characteristics – compassion and cohesiveness. However, the materialistic society we have created not only fosters selfishness but we encourage it in our children when we advise them to be successful at whatever cost. Passive violence festers in every society until it becomes unbearable and eventually explodes into physical violence. It incidentally, brings into question our concept of justice. In a world steeped in the culture of violence justice has come to mean revenge – an eye for an eye, Gandhiji said, only makes the whole world blind. In a culture of nonviolence justice would mean reformation by recognizing that those who do wrong do it out of ignorance or attenuating circumstances. Punishing the person instead of resolving the problem only aggravates physical violence in the form of crime and violence.

The story of the star fish has an appropriate moral lesson for us. A man once went early in the morning to the beach for a walk. Dawn was still minutes away from breaking. In the haze he saw a figure near the water’s edge picking something up and throwing it into the water. Out of curiosity he went to enquire and was told that during the night the tide came in and washed all the star fish ashore and when the sun comes out they will all perish. The curious man looked at the shoreline and saw thousands of star fish stranded. He said: “You aren’t going to be able to save all these starfish so what difference is it going to make?” The Good Samaritan was still busy throwing the star fish and had one in his hand that he was about to toss into the water as he turned and said: “It will make a big difference to this guy.” The moral clearly is that we should not be overwhelmed by the state of the world and do nothing to change the world. Gandhiji always believed that small acts of change can ultimately make a big difference. That as the essence of Gandhiji’s message.

The World Wide Association Of Garden’s Of Forgiveness & The Development Of An International Peace & Health Center in Downtown Portland

Gardens of Forgiveness Under Development Around the World
By Fr. Lyndon Harris

• Beirut
• Ground Zero, New York City
• Long Island, New York
• White Plains, New York
• Poughkeepsie, New York
• Soweto, Johannesburg South Africa
• Cambodia Holocaust Museum, Chicago
• Uganda Garden of Forgiveness
• Portland, Oregon

Contact Information on Fr. Lyndon Harris, Founder of the World Wide Network Of
Gardens of Around the World

• REV. LYNDON HARRIS, Executive Director, Garden of Forgiveness ; EMAIL: lharris@gofnyc.org
• CARLY RITTER, Executive Assistant; EMAIL: ritter@gofnyc.org
• TEL: 646-251-1181
• For general inquiries, please EMAIL: talk2us@gofnyc.org
• Sacred City, Inc.; 118-A Fulton Street, Box 250, New York, NY 10038

Contact Information About Sacred City & Fr. Harris; From: http://www.gofnyc.org/contactus.htm
REV. LYNDON HARRIS
The Reverend Lyndon F. Harris was the priest in charge of the relief ministries at Ground Zero offered through Saint Paul’s Chapel after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Father Harris joined the staff of Trinity Church/ Saint Paul’s Chapel in April 2001 in order to develop an alternative urban worship program at Saint Paul’s. However, from September 15, 2001 to June 2, 2002, Saint Paul’s Chapel was converted into a multi-faith relief center for the rescue and relief workers, and victim’s family members, at the World Trade Center site. Saint Paul’s offered food, massage therapy, grief counseling, and chiropractic and podiatric care around the clock. By the end of the operation, over one half million meals were served.  Harris has traveled the country speaking to churches, civic groups and academic institutions about the transformative experiences of Saint Paul’s Chapel and the wider community’s response to 9/11. Father Harris has appeared on many news programs including CBS News, CBS Sunday Morning, ABC News, NBC News, CNN, NPR, The History Channel, and NY1 (where Harris and the volunteers were twice selected as “New Yorkers of the Week”). Many international news outlets also featured his work at Saint Paul’s, including the BBC and German TV. Harris has been written about in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal.

DR. FRED LUSKIN
Frederic Luskin, Ph.D. is Co-founder and Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects. Recently, Dr. Luskin’s and other’s research has confirmed forgiveness’ virtues in the promotion of psychological, relationship and physical health. Forgiveness has been shown to reduce anger, blood pressure, hurt, depression and stress and lead to greater feelings of physical vitality, optimism, hope, compassion and self confidence.
In the Forgive for Good workshop and class series Dr. Luskin presents the forgiveness training methodology that has been validated through his eight successful studies. His work combines lecture with a hands-on approach to the ancient tradition of forgiveness. Participants explore forgiveness with the goal of reducing hurt and helplessness, letting go of anger and increasing confidence and hope as they learn how to release unwanted hurts and grudges. In class practice may include guided imagery, journal writing and discussion all presented in a safe and nurturing environment.
Dr. Luskin holds a Ph.D. in Counseling and Health Psychology from Stanford University. He is the Co-Director of the Stanford-Northern Ireland HOPE Project, an ongoing series of workshops and research projects that investigate the effectiveness of his forgiveness methods on the victims of political violence. He currently works as a Senior Fellow at the Stanford Center on Conflict and Negotiation and is the author of the best selling Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness (Harper San Francisco, 2003).

ABOUT SACRED CITY, INC.
The Garden of Forgiveness is an initiative of Sacred City, Inc., an educational non-profit which seeks to teach about forgiveness as a strategy for personal healing and wellness, as well as conflict transformation and peacemaking.
By creating a global network of Gardens of Forgiveness, we hope to offer venues around the world where individuals and communities can reflect on the hurts and horrors that befall us as human beings, and then choose to make the world a better place by releasing anger and grievances and not reciprocating violence with violence.
Our work is a continuation of the multi-faith effort to respond with dignity to the attacks on 9/11. While the attacks on 9/11 demonstrate what can happen when rage, religious passion and cruelty mix, Gardens of Forgiveness will offer permanent and poignant reminders that there are always alternatives to violence.  We understand forgiveness to mean the ability to release resentment and hostility after a period of mourning and grief. We understand that forgiveness never condones violence nor is it a substitute for the search for justice, nor does it demand reconciliation with those who have injured us. We understand that each of us struggles to know what to do when cruelty is imposed upon us. There is no easy answer.  And yet, without providing spaces to sit in peace and contemplate the horrors of unmerited violence and the possibility of offering forgiveness, we are concerned that revenge and retribution will dominate the conversation. Forgiveness is one of the steps toward healing that will lead to a peaceful future. Forgiveness is a means through which we create the future-a future free of repaying violence for violence and pursuing the desire for revenge. We want to heal the past and create the future-one Garden of Forgiveness at a time.
The first Garden of Forgiveness is being created in Beirut, Lebanon where over 100,000 people were killed during their civil war. The courageous spirit of the Lebanese people inspires us in our endeavor. In the work of forgiveness, we acknowledge that WHEN ONE SUFFERS VIOLENCE, WE ARE ALL DIMINISHED. It is the Zulu concept of “Ubuntu”: “I am because we are.”
Creating and promoting the Global Gardens of Forgiveness Network ©. We would like for there to be a Garden of Forgiveness in every community around the world and we are currently developing plans for supporting local communities in this endeavor. In the next twelve months, our goal is to plant four Gardens of Forgiveness and do the necessary research and development for their support. In our Africa Initiative, we are in conversation with partners in Durban, Soweto, Uganda and Liberia exploring the feasibility of planting and supporting Gardens of Forgiveness in these local communities.  Developing educational initiatives on the healing power of forgiveness. We are developing curricula for secondary schools nationally, based on our pilot program with Saint Hilda’s and Saint Hugh’s School in New York City in the academic year 2005-2006. We are also exploring a “Peace through Forgiveness Leadership Summit” for high school students from the metropolitan New York region. For adults, we will develop a six lesson curriculum for forgiveness circle groups, accompanied by a leader’s guide, to be distributed internationally.
Building partnerships with colleges, universities, and local communities. We are organizing symposia on forgiveness as a peacemaking strategy for creating the future and healing the past. We are planning four symposia in the next year, based on our successful events at Vassar College and the Institute of Noetic Sciences.
Raising awareness about forgiveness through special events. These events include the International Day of Forgiveness, on which “Heroes of Forgiveness” are acknowledged. In 2007 we will promote and observe this day in New York City, and encourage our partners in other communities to do the same.
Offering a multi-phasic pastoral and educational outreach for six months to the wounded 9/11 community. We will reach out to these heroes and offer counseling and support as we help survivors to consider forgiveness as the natural culmination of the grief process.
Continuing to create and promote the Global Gardens of Forgiveness Network ©. We will work to establish Gardens of Forgiveness across the country and around the world, including Sri Lanka, Soweto, and Belfast.
Developing additional educational and programmatic initiatives for our high school, college, and adult partners on forgiveness as a peacemaking strategy for creating the future and healing the past. We will offer workshops and dialogues to communities, empowering them with the necessary tools to let go of unresolved grievances and anger and embrace greater peace and joy in their lives.
Observing the International Day of Forgiveness in New York each year.
By creating a global network of Gardens of Forgiveness, we hope to offer venues around the world where individuals and communities can reflect on the hurts and horrors that befall us as human beings, and then choose to make the world a better place by releasing anger and grievances and not reciprocating violence with violence.

Loving Each Other Is The Key
By An Eleven Year Old Boy On How To Achieve World Peace

All you need to do is to love. If one person loves another person and the other person hates the person that was loving. It will take some time for that person that was hating to start loving again. But if every body loves at the same time then it will only take a few seconds; for every body to be happy.

A Local Collaboration Of The Wholistic Peace Institute; Oregon Health & Science University; City of Portland; Oregon State University; Portland State University & Other
Oregon Universities & Colleges To Build A World Peace Garden; Linus Pauling Plaza & World Peace & Health Building in the South Waterfront Area

Our Vision Is To Achieve World Peace & Eliminate Preventable Disease

Our Mission

Our mission is to create an International Peace and Health Center in partnership with the Wholistic Peace Institute, the City of Portland, Oregon Health & Science University, Oregon universities and institutions of higher learning, and others.  The Center will produce inspired knowledge that can be applied worldwide to achieve world peace, resolve conflict and eliminate preventable disease and facilitate healing.  A campus environment will be created that facilitates opportunities for collaboration in research, teaching, advocacy, and healing activities. This will include the convening of local, national, and international peace and health forums involving Nobel Peace and Science Laureates.   Located on the waterfront in Portland, Oregon, the International Peace and Health Center will:

• House a Wholistic Peace Institute and Nobel Peace Laureate In-Residence Program, which will work directly with the world’s living Mahatma Gandhi’s. Their inspiration, expertise, knowledge, commitment, and creativity have helped solve world conflicts, saving perhaps, millions of lives. Their work will be researched and applied to contemporary world conflict situations by both the Institute and university faculties in Oregon and world wide.  There will be a Dalai Lama World Peace Studies Center, containing library and research facilities for the study of Nobel Peace Laureate original works.

• Provide a global health program by OHSU in collaboration with other Oregon universities and institutions of higher education to promote quality and equitable health care for all people worldwide.  This global health initiative will seek to promote optimal wellness that transcends national boundaries and will identify cooperative solutions involving health awareness, research, education and advocacy.  A Nobel Science In-Residence program will bring Nobel Scientists to the Center for teaching and research.

• Include a unique public space to be incorporated into the design of the Center consisting of a World Peace Garden dedicated to Nobel Peace Laureates. This will provide an appropriate environment for personal reflection and contemplation of peace and reconciliation. This space will include a Linus Pauling Plaza, recognizing Oregon’s only Nobel Laureate and the only person to ever win a Nobel Prize for both Peace and Science.  As such, the plaza will be dedicated to both Nobel Peace and Science Laureates as a place for people to come together, find common ground, and express aspirations for peace.

Our Values That Will Shape the International Peace & Health Center

The Center will be guided by Nobel Peace and Science Laureate values to achieve their vision of world peace and the elimination of preventable disease.  These values were especially evident in the work of former Oregon State University Professor Linus Pauling; Nobel Chemistry Laureate (1999); and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate (1999).  The values that will shape the Center’s actions are: Forgiveness; Reconciliation; Compassion; Self-Sacrifice; Hope.

Our Beginning Design Guidelines

The International Peace and Health Committee have been meeting to discuss program objectives and the physical placement and size of the facilities that will be needed to achieve the vision and mission.  Generally, the program objectives will be defined by the original partners, i.e. the Global Health Initiative led by OHSU in collaboration with Oregon universities and colleges; the Wholistic Peace Institute programs which have been carried out in partnership with Oregon universities and internationally.

The International Peace and Health Center (IPHC) is envisioned as a distinctive public place in the South Waterfront neighborhood; dedicated to promoting international peace and global health.

The IPHC will consist of three key facilities, interwoven and integrated so that each enhances the others:

1. The Peace and Health Institute Building:
A place for learning; housing the Wholistic Peace Institute, a Nobel Peace and Science Laureate-in-Residence Program, and the Global Health program of OHSU and other Universities.  This may be a stand-alone building, or it could be housed in a larger building or complex.

Key design qualities: A learning environment visually linked to the exterior, sustainable, and soothing.

2. Linus Pauling Plaza:
The Plaza will be a world class public space where people’s can come from all over the world in the name of peace and to celebrate the only person to win two Nobel Prizes, in two separate categories.

Key design qualities: An open, safe, visible, place for assembly& congregation; a sustainable public space.

3. International Peace Garden:
An outdoor space for personal reflection; dedicated to Nobel Peace Laureates throughout the world.

Key design qualities:  A special public space for introspection, contemplation, meditation, tranquility; a peaceful Garden that is both sustainable and transformative in one’s personal experience of it.

Again woven into the design of all three components are the aspirations of the Center: Forgiveness; Compassion; Reconciliation; Healing; and Hope.

The three components (building, plaza and garden) will be designed in seamless fashion, blurring edges of building and spaces and making gentle transitions from one to another.  The ultimate design of the three components will vary depending on the site selected, but they must relate to one another both horizontally and vertically.  Other key design objectives include:

Beauty:  the design of the center should be a place of dramatic beauty – a
Place known world-wide as capturing the highest of human aspirations.  The relationship of the IHPC to its surroundings must be carefully molded
In order to create a place of great sensory appeal – a place of beautiful sights sounds and scents.

Flexibility:  Each of the components must be designed to maximize    flexibility.  This will allow a wide variety of activities to occur within the IPHC as well as accommodating needs and functions of the IPHC which may evolve over time.  The facilities may also need to expand over time.

Access:  People will access the IPHC in various ways; by rail, from the river, on foot via the Willamette Greenway Trail, as pedestrians after disembarking the Tram or exiting a parking structure.   A physical landmark should identify the IPHC and serve as a beacon, welcoming people.

Arrival:  As one approaches the IPHC, there should be a sense of procession along the route, building either intensity or openness as one nears. The IPHC should reach out into the surrounding blocks, welcoming people in.  There should be a symbolic “threshold” as one enters the space, with a sense of leaving the ordinary behind and entering into a special place where peace and health happens.

Sustainability:  All facilities will be designed to be as earth-friendly as possible, and to serve as a demonstration to visitors.  The components should be flexible enough to allow evolving knowledge to be incorporated into an ICPH that evolves over time.

Integration:  Blurring the edges of building, plaza and garden is a key objective.  This should be accomplished skillfully, creating a visually interesting sequence of interior and exterior spaces that are both grand in a civic sense, but personal and intimate.

Service & Volunteer Opportunities For Those Wishing To Become Involved With The Wholistic Peace Institute, Either Locally or Internationally

Monastery Service Days

For those who are interested in spending a day at a Monastery, for a day in service to either Christian Monks Or Nuns; or Buddhist Monks & Nuns, the Wholistic Peace Institute can arrange for this. Most days consist of an 8 AM to 5 PM work period with some opportunities consisting of an evening program on “monastic spirituality”. All meals are provided and lectures will be given by both monks and also the Institute on meditation techniques and practices.

Opportunities are available (Email Lainey Howard at the University of Portland; howard10@up.edu:

• Mt. Angel Monastery; Mt. Angel Oregon; Opportunity Is Also Available To Become An Oblate
  Oblates of St. Benedict are Christian individuals or families who have associated themselves with a Benedictine community in order to enrich their Christian way of life.  Oblates shape their lives by living the wisdom of Christ as interpreted by St. Benedict.  Oblates see God by striving to become holy in their chosen way of life.  By integrating their prayer and work, they manifest Christ’s presence in society.
• The Fr. Bernard Sander Youth Center, Mt. Angel, Oregon
• The Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel, Oregon
• Trappist monks of Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey, Lafayette, Oregon
• Dharma Rain Zen Buddhist Center, Portland, Oregon

The Wholistic Peace Institute’s On-Going Events

World Peace Lunches: At the University Place (PSU Conference Center) at 310 SW Lincoln Street, Portland, Oregon; Phone: 503-221-0140

• April 20: Reverend Victoria Etchemendy on Mahatma Gandhi
  May 18:
  June 15: Dr. Catherine Thomason on her peace-keeping mission to Iran.
  July 20:
  Summer Nobel Peace Institute: The Summer Nobel Peace Institute will be held in July.
  August 17:
  September 21:
  October 19:
  November 16:
  December 21:

Please Join The Wholistic Peace Institute

The Wholistic Institute offers you an opportunity to support our work for world peace.  By joining the Institute now, you will be taking an important step to do something that will help bring about the realization of the dream of world peace.  There are innumerable organizations that strive for the ideal of peace.  What is unique about the Wholistic Peace Institute is that it advocates the utilization of the world’s greatest recognized authorities on peace, namely, the Nobel Peace Laureates to address the issues in the troubled areas of the world.  The Institute initiated this approach in 2001, by assembling six Nobel Peace Laureates in Portland, Oregon to share their thoughts on “How to Achieve World Peace”.  Their lectures were then published in a book by the Institute. Plans are now afoot to host similar gatherings in Jerusalem, Israel and Seoul, South Korea.  As you must understand, even with all the volunteer help that is given, funds are necessary to carry on the work.  We offer you the opportunity to actively advance the cause of world peace, by becoming a member.  Please fill out the enclosed membership application and mail it in with your check.  You will also receive the World Peace Journal that will chronicle the peace missions of the Nobel Peace Laureates.  You will also enjoy the greatest of all
rewards, the knowledge that you have helped bring peace to a troubled world.  With deepest thanks!

• ________$ 40 General Membership; _______$ 100 or more; Patron Membership (incl. hat)
• I would like to support the Wholistic Peace Institute and am going to donate $___________ per month to its on-going world peace work with Nobel Peace Laureates.

Send Check To: Wholistic Peace Institute; PO BOX 1178; Portland, Oregon 97207

The Wholistic Peace Institute’s World Watch Page

Remarks at the US House Foreign Relation Committee Hearing on
“Foreign Policy and National Security Implications of Oil Dependence”
By Chairman Tom Lantos, US Representative
The United States is gorging itself on oil from overseas, a diet that is both unsustainable and unhealthy – and it seriously weakens our nation.
With five percent of the world’s population, we are using fully one quarter of the oil consumed on this planet.  Worse yet, the bulk of the stuff are under the soil of hostile or despotic states, and to get hold of it we are making compromises that undermine our foreign policy.
Any way you slice global oil production along political lines, the picture is bleak:

• The non-profit, non-partisan NGO Freedom House reports that over half of the world’s oil-rich countries are not democratic.
• Six of the top ten oil-exporting countries to the United States rank at the bottom third of the world’s list of most corrupt countries, according to Transparency International.
• And more than 70% of the global oil reserves are controlled by countries with which the United States has tenuous and troubled relations, such as Venezuela, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

These are the people we cut deals with to satisfy our thirst for oil.  Our insatiable quest for more and more of it has got to come to an end.  It is a matter not only of financial stability and environmental imperative, but it also goes to the core of our national security policy.
Take, for instance, our ties with Saudi Arabia.  If it were not for U.S. intervention in 1991, the House of Saud would be a nothing more than villa on the Riviera by now.  And because of its petroleum wealth, it continues to enjoy unwarranted indulgence where U.S. interests are concerned.
Blessed with the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and riding on a close relationship between Washington and Riyadh going back some 60 years, Saudi Arabia received a free pass when it was identified as the home of 15 out of the 19 hijackers on 9-11.  And it has bristled at subsequent suggestions by the United States that it has taken inadequate action against the private financing of terrorist activity within its borders.  But since a steady supply of oil and a stable regime of whatever nature in Riyadh are key to our country’s actions in the Middle East, our government does next to nothing to pursue these matters.
Consider, too, the latitude we grant to Russia, the second-largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia, with increasing amounts of that output coming to the United States.  The Administration talks a great game about spreading democracy and promoting human rights abroad, yet refuses to pressure Moscow to reverse its brutal crackdown on political dissent.  Is it because we have a financial stake in the reliability of the Russian oil supply, and its guarantee by the state?  As long as Russia uses its energy sector as a foreign policy instrument, it will continue to enjoy the upper hand.
It is important to note that even if the United States completely switched to some other energy source tomorrow and no longer imported a drop of oil, we would remain vulnerable to oil-related disruptions in the rest of the world.  This is because other countries, large and small, are also hooked on petroleum.
China is the second largest consumer of oil after the United States, and its oil consumption is expected to increase from 8 percent of world demand today to 13 percent by the year 2030.  To feed its growing energy needs, China scouts the globe for sources of oil, and has come to rely increasingly on supplies from Africa – including Sudan.  Is it any wonder that China has been a stubborn impediment to international efforts to pressure Khartoum into bringing its genocide in Darfur to an end?
Similarly, as we seek to galvanize international public opinion and to mobilize diplomacy to put an end to Iran’s quest for nuclear arms, we are once again handicapped by the world’s dependence on oil.   Iran continues cut lucrative deals with other countries involving its energy sector, which directly benefits Teheran’s quest for nuclear weapons.  It is able to do so because the European Union and others are reluctant to compromise their steady oil supply in favor of international nonproliferation goals.   They are willing to flirt with the threat of nuclear disaster to keep the oil flowing.
Creating viable and renewable energy alternatives to oil is clearly a matter not only of U.S. foreign policy interest, but also a matter of global security.
Unfortunately, it took five years for the current administration suddenly to wake up to the fact that the United States is “addicted to oil,” as President Bush announced last year.  A new office to coordinate international energy priorities was only just created.  I am glad that the Administration finally has acknowledged our energy insecurity, but the rhetoric must be followed by decisive action.
We need to continue to press for higher CAFÉ standards, so that the vast majority of vehicles in the United States will be more fuel-efficient.
We have to put real resources into research and development of alternative fuel sources, with the aim to replace petroleum altogether.
And we must immediately step up national efforts at energy conservation, which is an immediate and effective way to way to wean ourselves away from oil and gas.
It is clear that the United States cannot be completely energy independent.  But the goal of reducing our energy dependence is within our reach, and stabilizing the supply of energy is and should remain a key component of United States national security.  Our energy and foreign policies are inextricably bound.