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Nonkilling Arts Research Committee Letter: Vol. 4, N. 3 (May-June 2020)
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"Nonkilling art explores the spirit and practice of how to prevent, respond to, and to improve individual, social, and global well-being beyond killing." —Glenn D. Paige
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Dear NKARC members and friends,
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Grateful thanks for your contributions about essence of life in these challenging times. Each one of these creative endeavour — poetry, prose or visual art is in fact a cri de coeur about saving life, humanity, and the planet Earth. Keep On, Keepin’ On! These are grave times that will pass, with courage and fortitude, forbearance and far-sight. As I read somewhere that as the global pandemic spreads, it’s time for the collective of humanity to step into a new way of being. A great transition is upon us and our individual response matters.
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1. Nonkilling Poems
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Three thoughtful poems below echo sentiments from three continents about unprecedented cautionary call of the Universe.
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We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another.
by Anonymous*
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We fell asleep in one world, and woke up in another.
Suddenly Disney is out of magic,
Paris is no longer romantic,
New York doesn't stand up anymore,
the Chinese wall is no longer a fortress, and Mecca is empty.
Hugs & kisses suddenly become weapons, and not visiting parents & friends becomes an act of love.
Suddenly you realise that power, beauty & money are worthless, and can't get you the
oxygen you're fighting for.
The world continues its life and it is beautiful. It only puts humans in cages.
I think it's sending us a message:
"You are not necessary.
The air, earth, water and sky without you are fine.
When you come back, remember that you are my guests.
Not my masters."
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{* We couldn't confirm the poet's name as the poem is shown online to be authored by different names. Same with the graphic used below, we found it on the title page of the paperback, The Way: An Ecological Worldview by Edward Goldsmith. Grateful thanks to the original poet and the visual artist for their thoughtful creativity). -ed. }
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In times of corona
by Anoop Swarup (India)
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In times of corona, gloom and the chaos,
Lest we forget, that in times of distress,
Humanity will strive, endeavor and rise,
To a life worth living, caring and daring,
To exist on earth and persevere for others,
We shall prevail for a world even better,
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In times of corona, gloom and the chaos,
No more of death, doom or destruction,
But we pray, struggle and strive for life,
To a world that believes, cares and shares,
To life so profound that dares and endures,
Driven by courage, fortitude and invention.
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In times of corona, gloom and the chaos,
Humanity be reborn, cherish and to live,
To reap and resurrect, restore and reward,
To love and grow, embrace and give solace,
Like water on blue earth in skies and earth,
Let each of us nourish, nurture and innovate.
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In times of corona, gloom and the chaos,
Our world, all life and the land that we grow,
To live and carry let us live and be merry,
To music and dance together so simple,
Where everyone can live, give and achieve,
For a life of love, dignity and and all the glory.
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The New Virus
by Francisco Gomes de Matos (Brazil)
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The new virus frightening may be
But global faith in health protection/treatment should
ever-strengthening be
This is the time for all Humanity to unite
and healthcare— responsibly
the new virus effectively fight!
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2. Nonkilling Reflections
There has been an avalanche of thoughtful reflections on convid-19 pointing to concern, hope and creative empathy. Some examples of insightful creativity from NKARC colleagues and others:
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From Canada:
Quarantine and Number 40
by Mony Dojeiji
These days, as we all practice social distancing while others are quarantined, I began tolook at the meaning of the word “quarantine”.
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The word has its roots in the Latin “quadraginta” and the Italian “quaranta”, both meaning “40”.
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In the Middle Ages, when the plague gripped Europe, ships would be isolated in harbourfor 40 days (“quaranta giorni”) before passengers could go ashore. Hence, quarantine.
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But there are more interesting notes about the number 40:
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- The rains fell on Noah for 40 days and 40 nights before he found land.
- The Jewish people wandered in the desert for 40 years before entering the Promised Land.
- Moses spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai, and came down with the Ten Commandments.
- Jesus was in the desert for 40 days before he began his public ministry.
- A baby is in gestation for 40 weeks before it is born.
- Lent is the 40 days before Easter and the resurrection… the time where we find ourselves now.
All of these events speak to a time of great transformation, and to renewal.
We are all now in forced isolation – a time we never would have taken for ourselves – where we just withdraw from the busyness of the outer world; but have the great opportunity to go explore the sacred realms of our inner worlds. The world of Spirit.
It is here where our deepest longings and questions are answered. It is here where we are awakened.
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And what is it that we are being awakened to?
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Yes, of course, to our connectedness and brotherhood. But there is more.
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It is a curious thing that this virus is called corona-virus. Corona means crown, and as I reflected on the symbolism of the crown, I realized that:
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Our crown chakra – our connection to the Divine and Universal Consciousness – is being given the chance to truly heal and open.
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The crown in our hearts can only belong to one King or Queen… and we must choose whether it is love or fear that reigns in our inner kingdom.
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The crown that tops the Statue of Liberty –one of the greatest modern symbols of freedom –is called the “corona radiata”, the radiant crown, its seven rays forming a halo around the head. I like to think it speaks to awakening the seven chakras so that we may radiate like the sun, as the fully-liberated children of the Divine that we are!
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The crown ultimately symbolizes royalty, those of Divine or royal heritage. Is this not who we are?
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Are we all not the children of the same Divine, no matter how you define what is essentially a grand mystery?
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What a glorious, loving opportunity we are being given right now to awaken to this realization… and to live it.
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From Australia and Bangladesh:
The Covid-19 and Nonkilling Message to the World! - Life is the Prime Factor
by Rashida Khanam & Ambareen Alam
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The Covid-19 virus has brought the Nonkilling Message to the World that Life is the Prime Factor.
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“A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise”. Aldo Leopard, 1049.
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The Environmental Ethics has been breached. And it has been breached by the Global leaders and us, the humans of world societies. The virus is nature’s way of restoring the imbalance that are caused by experiments of new clear weapons in the oceans, wars and killing hegemonic policies.
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Therefore, “It is humanity’s destruction of biodiversity that has created the conditions for new viruses and diseases such as Covid-19” emerged in China December 2019.
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The Virus is a warning to the Global leaders and the population to giving importance to Newton’s Law: “Every action has its opposite and equal reaction.”
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“As long as there are slaughterhouses there will be battlefields.” Leo Tolstoy
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The virus knows no discrimination based on color, creed, race, faith, geography or social status. It is affecting all of us across the Globe and it has been declared as pandemic by the WHO.
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The virus has raised Global demand to provide nonkilling commitment for taking action “Global in discovery, creativity, diversity and effectiveness . . . in spirit, science, skills, song, institutional expression, and resource commitments.”
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It must be “Global in nurturance of creative leadership and empowerment of all to take and support initiatives that celebrate life. Global in determination to end killing everywhere or no one will be safe anywhere.”
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It is "Global in respect for diversity and in multiple loyalties to the nonkilling well-being of people of the world. Global in mutual supportiveness among all who study, teach, and act to end the era of lethality that impedes full realization of liberty, equality, prosperity, and peace.” (Glenn D. Paige, p.162)
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The pandemic virus made it to be “Global in viewing our planetary home from the moon, conscious of us as momentary sparks of life among billions yet not one insignificant as potential contributors” (Glenn D. Paige, p.162) making Democracy, the ideal system of government, to be ‘for the people.’
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The Virus, Covid-19, demands, “a shift from violence-accepting political science to the science of nonkilling responsiveness to human needs for love, well-being, and free expression of creative potential” (Glenn D. Paige, p.162, Nonkilling Global Political Science (2009 [2002]) for a Killing-free, Peaceful World.
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The Virus is our teacher
by Robert Koehler
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Koehler writes: "If nothing else, this looming pandemic makes the simplest aspects of life resonate like never before, and the sense of global connectedness that is emerging out of our sudden social lockdown used to be merely a vague suggestion. Now it’s an actual fact..."
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From Ireland:
Do Not be Afraid, All Will be Well
by Mairead Maguire
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Maguire states: "If this virus has done anything, it has reminded us that we are only human and very vulnerable; we need each other to survive and thrive. If anything, this virus hopefully will cement the opinion that we are All One, brothers and sisters; what affects one affects all. Hopefully, it will create a greater sense of community and solidarity within the human race in addition to respect for each other, for nature and the universe...”
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From Russia:
Mikhail Gorbachev on Pandemic
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Gorbachev points: “The immediate challenge today is to defeat this new, vicious enemy. But even today, we need to start thinking about life after it retreats. Many are now saying the world will never be the same. But what will it be like? That depends on what lessons will be learned...”
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From Israel:
NKARC/IFLAC colleague Ada Aharoni is a poet and artist, she has put together a beautiful video message about intentions for building a "wonder" bridge, a "bridge to happiness and hope to overpower corona".
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3. Nonkilling Comicstrip
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4. Nonkilling Play
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The Lifespan of a FACT by John D'Agata and Jim Fingal:
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With assertions of fake news flying in media, the new topical play full of irony shows us how mistakes, lies and opinions become interchangeable with facts in today’s world. In this case, the argument begins when an young intern is assigned to fact-check an article with its writer about a teenager’s suicide at a Las Vegas resort in 2002. See an insightful review of the new play by Jesse Green in the New York Times.
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5. Nonkilling Music
A Sufi prayer for those who can heal
Here is a call of the 17th Century Sindhi Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif. It’s a prayer to the almighty to take care of physicians and health carers. Soulfully sung by Saif Samejo, recorded at Coke Studio Pakistan, Shah Abdul Latif’s prayer song to heal and honour those who serve selflessly:
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The Beloved I perceived
You are the Friend
You are the Physician
Only You are the remedy for pain
Dearest! in my being are thousands of afflictions
O Lord, pray heal the sick and afflicted .
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6. Nonkilling Cinema
XUAN ZANG: 2019 Chinese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film
A beautifully made sublime and impacting feature film, it takes us on a spiritual quest of a young monk Xuan Zang and his travel in ancient times from China to India.
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7. Nonkilling Envisioning
A Post- Corona world
Many thoughtful individuals over past two months have weighed in on post convid-19, it was a challenge to include all pieces received. The following three serve as examples. One of the missing elements in these commentaries was an examination of the role and responsibility of the World Health Organization (WHO) in monitoring bio-hazards.
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Stephen Bezruchka broadcast (and pdf) on The Coronavirus Pandemic
Stephen Bezruchka is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington. He worked for many years as an emergency physician in Seattle. In this paper (and radio broadcast) Dr. Bezruchka writes: “What is certain is that poorer people will have worse infections and be more likely to die. We know that poorer people have poorer functioning lungs. Studies around the world have shown that richer people have healthier lungs, independent of whether they smoke or live in polluted areas. This relationship, poorer people doing more poorly, is called the social gradient in health. It is there for most health conditions. We ignore it at our peril.”
{ Full lecture below in audio and pdf }
Geopolitical and Personal Nonkilling Choices in Times of Collapse
by Manuel Casal Lodeiro
A timely two-part video Youtube lecture presented at VASA-CGNK Climate Crisis conference, wrestles with the thought of what could be a nonkilling approach to Climate change in a novel way beyond “crisis” or “change”, grounded in compassionate ethics of "Climate Care". The author presents us with application of a nonkilling paradigm based on science and ethics to prevent environmental genocide. A great opportunity for WHO to engage itself in this area connecting Climate crisis with UN's Sustained Development Goals.
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Civilized, Barbarians, Savages by Antonio C. S. Rosa
Transcend Media News editor Antonio Rosa in this thoughtful paper states: “Those who are not part of the solution are, by necessity, part of the problem in a world with a record population of 8 billion interdependent beings where everyone affects everyone and nobody is an island. We represent a colony on earth—not a globalization construct, not merely numbers, statistics or resources to be exploited....”
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8. CGNK Activism
(a) Jai Jagat (Victory to World) 10,000 Km March - A report
Previous NKARC Letters have covered the progress of Jai Jagat March that’s aimed at bringing grassroots awareness to SDG goals to UN and national governmentsl. See the following report from JJ March co-founders:
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Temporary Suspension of the Jai Jagat March and Follow up
Dear Friends:
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We hope that this postponement will result in a possibility for us to come together and revive the march soon as the COVID 19 situation improves and is under control. We are encouraging all of the people directly involved in the campaign to continue their work and to keep the spirit high. There are plans to have a continued virtual march and if possible, create more video blogs and trainings on Gandhi and nonviolence, to get people to think about alternative lifestyles while at home or in confinement.
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Just to let you know the course of events, we reached Yerevan less than a week ago after a 400 kilometer march over one month. It was an exhilarating experience and we have met with incredible hospitality of the Armenian people in the process of spreading the message of peace and Gandhi. The Armenian people have suffered so much conflict and war historically, that it is no wonder that they visibly responded to this message of peace. The experience has resonated deeply with the Indian and International marchers and given them more strength to continue peace building in their future lives as they leave the march in Armenia.
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The Armenian march had followed a very good four month walk in India, which had also brought us much closer to people and their desire for peace along with their commitment to the values of Mahatma and Kasturba Gandhi. The work of all Ekta Parishad made this Indian trip an amazing experience and we need to build on this in facing the violence in the society at many levels.
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The other visits to Nepal, Pakistan, UAE, the Balkans and especially to Iran, did bring a strong message of peace and Gandhi's nonviolence. We are ready to take up considerable follow up work with the networks that have been created. Also such extensive networking that has been done in Geneva, Europe, and the US, and this has given us a direction for continuing peace education, nonviolent economy and nonviolent governance in future.
So returning to the issue of postponement, we did find it difficult to stop this action after seven years of planning. On the advice of the Armenian Government, we have sent thirty five participating marchers back to their homes. We have received the news from these Indian marchers that they hall reached their homes safely. Those flying to outlying areas of Kenya and Australia, Mexico and Argentina are currently on flights or about to fly. The Europeans remaining will travel back in the next few days. There is a small group of three that will wait in Armenia. Once we are assured of everyone's safety and the paperwork is in order, then we will also return to India.
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The Jai Jagat marchers want to reiterate, that while we face a global pandemic and must be prudent, let us take this as an opportunity to press for change in the approach to development and the current political economy. Let us not get so caught up in the panic, so that we obscurate the Jai Jagat vision. There are many activities to be done.
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With warm regards, Jill Carr-Harris and Rajagopal
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(b) Obama Foundation
“The world is a very different place than it was just a few weeks ago. But even as we adapt to weather this crisis, some things remain constant. The importance of looking after our communities. The need for big-hearted acts to help the most vulnerable. Hope.
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The necessity of hope never changes.
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Last week, we began sharing the stories we were hearing of individuals and organizations doing their part to lift up others during this crisis—and asked you to submit your own."
— David, STORIES OF HOPE, FROM THE OBAMA FOUNDATION
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"Like so many middle schoolers, 13-year-old Miah is spending hours every day online in school. On her breaks, she will draw, chat with friends and ride her bike. We have an elderly neighbor who walks daily around the block using his walker. To make his trip pleasant, she has been drawing chalk art on the sidewalk. Little bits of visual happiness for his daily walk."
—Julien S., Salt Lake City, Utah
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(c) 2020 CANSEC Arms Bazaar and World Beyond War Conference Cancelled
We have been reporting in earlier NKARC Letters on the two events. See below a note from Koozma J. Tarasoff on current status. He writes: “Update April 2, 2020: Both CANSEC 2020 and the 'No to CANSEC' rally have been postponed to June 2021. People not Bombs! You can't kill a virus with bullets. Only after massive public pressure from our peace coalition, 7,700+ letters sent, and 19 days after a pandemic was declared, the cancellation followed. The World Beyond War conference has been rescheduled and will be held in Ottawa June 2021. The peace movement is now working to shut down CANSEC..."
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9. Nonkilling Pandemic Appeals
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Last Word
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By Francisco Gomes de Matos:
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Nonkilling: a new word? A new world!
A world without violence
A world without killing
A world without threats/intimidation
A world without disease/pandemics
A world without indignity
A world without injustice
A world with Everlasting PEACE!
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My grateful thanks to all who contributed and pointed to the material for this Letter. Also, deepest gratitude to our health care and all front line first responders for continuing to serve selflessly in facing the Covid-19 epidemic.
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"Nonkilling Culture crosses all the lines." —Glenn D. Paige
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Nonkilling is THE measure of Human progress
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[THIS IS AN INTERNAL NEWSLETTER OF THE NKARC. COPYRIGHT FOR ALL MATERIAL IN THE NEWSLETTER REMAINS PROPERTY OF THE SOURCES/WRITERS/ART CREATORS]
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Stay in contact also on Social Networks
- Please feel free to contact NKARC Letter's coordinator at billbhaneja@nonkilling.org.
- You can also follow the Center for Global Nonkilling at these social networks:
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