The world is becoming more and more polarized with religious and idealistic dogma. People are feeling separated and as a result frustrated. The following strategy, a Call to Women, is designed as a plan for unity and partnership. The strategy is designed to promote hope and understanding for difficult changes ahead. It is designed for compromise and respect for other opinions. It is designed for people to know that existing systems of society are not perfect and need change. In colonial America, Benjamin Franklin was an ardent loyalist to the King of England for 30 years (1720-1750). He had to question himself and question his loyalty about revolution and creation of a separate country from England, which created an identity crises in his own mind. Deciding to change must have been a very difficult decision. He came to realize that ideas evolve and change. Ben Franklin’s efforts to change helped bring about the implementation of the experiment called the United States of America. New changes in the world will cause people to question themselves also. A Call to Women is designed to assist a new and different pathway in life. The United States and the rest of the world are going through changes. With so many complicated issues making it difficult to find common ground for peace in the world, the question is asked, what will transcend borders and build bridges? What will bring people together? What basic common denominator is there between people and nations? The common factor found was children. Who takes care of the children most of the time? What does society try to teach the children? The answer found was women and non-violence, respectively. Sister Joan Chittister, September 11th, 2004, at the Omega / V Day conference, “Women and Power” said, “The lives of our children, the protection of millions, the hopes of all humankind, wait again now for women, from opposite cultures, opposite tradition, to step over the line of political hatred to save them.” UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan wrote, “Women, who know the price of conflict so well, are also often better equipped than men to prevent or resolve it. For generations, women have served as peace educators, both in their families and in their societies. They have proved instrumental in building bridges rather than walls. They have been crucial in preserving social order when communities have collapsed.” Women have at their fingertips, the strongest, most powerful political tool—nonviolence! Mahatma Gandhi said, “Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man.” Do women represent nonviolence more than any other element? If women are the caretakers of children and society, how can they bring unity to the world and how can they teach non-violence? The following strategy promotes women mobilizing to influence the world to make programs for children a political priority. The theory is that women can be the catalyst for peace in the world. Henceforth, the name of the plan is a “Call to Women”, a world-wide unity campaign. A Call to Women is a three phase plan (guideline). The first phase is the mobilization of women. The second phase is conflict resolution. The final phase promotes programs “For the Children.” In Phase One, the first step is to form an eight-to-twelve member Council of Women. Constant effort must be devoted to find the woman, or women, who will create and enlist the women for the Council of Women, and orchestrate the implementation of a Call to Women.” The initiative is designed for women promoters and women leaders. January 3, 2006, the senior communications officer of Global Fund for Women, Ms. Sande Smith, stated that the Global Fund for Women was preparing to assist to find ways to implement the plan. Other prominent women who have expressed initial interest are Dr. Helen Caldicott, Eve Ensler, Kavita Ramdas, and Sister Joan Chittister. However, everyone is very busy and there has been no obligation or commitment given. In August of 2007 Regina Birchem, former International President of Women's INternational League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF) and Kathe Schaaf, Co-founder of Gather the Women (GTW), joined to assist facilitating the Council. A Call to Women is a 3 year plan. The preparation time required is one year. Plans are being prepared for the initial start to begin September 11, 2020. Preparation could be underway to implement the main thrust of the movement June 21, 2021. The peace movement currently plans events, conferences and protests one at a time. A Call to Women presents a full schedule of events, developed in advance, and illustrates the final phase so everyone knows the steps and the objective. Women can be the catalyst for a new political agenda in the world. There are many groups attempting the same goal of world peace. Ex: The UN has the Culture of Peace http://www3.unesco.org/iycp/uk/uk_sum_manifesto2000.htm and the Alliance of Civilizations http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2005/sgsm10073.doc.htm. The Earth Repair Foundation, http: //www.earthrepair.net/enter.shtml has a wonderful format delineated. Howard Zinn in an article in the Progressive, January 2006, stated there is a group http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/010206M. shtml, planning to enlist tens of millions of people for the renunciation of war. The effort to eliminate war is not a new concept. A Call to Women does not exclude men. Women are selected, not because they may be inherently non-violent, but because they are socialized to be non-violent. The theory is that through the strength of spirituality and non-violence, women will have an advantage to lead the way to peace in the world. Without the use of fear and oppression, the strength of “unity” will empower and initiate paradigm change. A Call to Women will also act as an emergency plan. As the police have, the fire department has, and the military has, the peace movement can be ready to answer the question, what do we do if? An objective of a Call to Women is to portray an awareness for people and governments to, as Gene Sharp wrote in Making the Abolition of War a Realistic Goal, “perceive the existence and effectiveness of an alternative nonmilitary means of defense.” There is a question of urgency. Is there opportunity for paradigm change before the next major war or major terrorist attack? A Call to Women implements a proactive plan with women leaders coming to the forefront of the peace movement to spread awareness throughout the world that there is a major nonviolent movement being initiated and a conflict resolution plan prepared. Gene Sharp wrote, “If we want to reduce drastically, or remove, reliance on war and other types of violent conflict it is necessary to substitute a nonviolent counterpart of war, “war without violence,” by which people can defend liberty, their way of life, humanitarian principles, their institutions and society, at least as effectively against military attack as can military means. “Such a substitute defense policy would need to be one which can be (1) held in reserve to encourage settlements without resort to open struggle (as by facilitating settlements, reducing misperceptions, and deterring aggression by effective defense capacity as such, and (2) used effectively in an open defense struggle against attack.” A Call to Women is also designed to combat rhetoric and terrorist threat. A doctrine of spirituality stating we are not your enemy and we want to work together is paramount. The ability to change people’s minds by military means is improbable, but with a major psychological tool, an alternative to military action, there is a chance. Given the choice, people may choose nonviolence. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote, in the “Beyond Vietnam” speech, at the Riverside Church, April 4, 1967, New York City, “We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity.” “Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late." World leaders have sent letters, had conferences, had petitions, but none are calling for action to show they mean business. Arundhati Roy, in a keynote speech at the World Social Forum in India, February 2003, pointed out the need for “strategies of resistance.” The strategy of a Call to Women calls for mass rallies. The strategy is designed to stimulate massive media coverage. The world must see leaders; the world must see the big picture. There must be action! There are many coalitions and many groups connecting through the internet, all with wonderful grassroot goals. But none are calling for world- wide political change. An incredible opportunity exists. The ability to communicate around the world is at an unprecedented high level. A comprehensive plan can bring millions and millions of people from around the world together. The world needs all of the individual efforts for peace, but it also needs a unified plan. A “Call to Women” is that plan. Utilizing non-violence and becoming politically and economically viable, a Call to Women can show the children of the world, an extroverted attempt at world unity and enable the children to grow up to see and experience the world themselves. A Call to Women is “outside of the box”. The world needs heroes. A new myth must be created. The world must see the power of non-violence. There must be prophets of a new world order. There was Jesus, Gandhi, King, and now, “WOMEN”, all women, to lead the way! The NGO’s, the grassroot organizations, the spiritual organizations, the United Nations, and many more organizations have done phenomenal work. These efforts must be in the mainstream. There has been a groundswell of awareness and activism throughout the world. Now, there must be a wildfire. Now, there must be a catalyst! To paraphrase Sister Chittister: Women must be in the forefront because being first brings “courage and hope to others”. Women must take responsibility for stopping war “in a world gone mad with arrogance, with ascendancy to patriarchal power”. Women must “refuse to be victims or executioners. Women must prod, press, and provoke to change the world. There must be a universal call to women and an organized international voice for peace. It is crucial now.” THIS IS A CHALLENGE FOR ALL TIME. A CHALLENGE OF THE AGES! There’s a storm coming. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to put out the storm with reason and compassion, and prove non-violence is a stronger force than war? The mobilization of women will capture the attention of the media, become political, and attract billions of dollars in financial support. A main objective of a Call to Women is no more war, a rallying point, as an umbrella for all other issues. Women, the world needs you, now! If all the women in the world get together for peace, who is going to stop you? All the women must come together because there is going to be violence. History has taught us that war will come again. Only a pro-active, mandate, will help to prevent war. It is time for a pre-emptive strike against war, world wide!
“I will not raise my child to kill your child.” - slogan - Women Peacemakers Unite, from Global Coalition for Peace “No more war” - slogan of Feb 15, 2003 Rallies Stop the Next War NOW - Book title - Compilation by Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans from CODEPINK “Another world is possible” - slogan of World Social Forum “World Unity and Peace is not an option – it is a necessity” - slogans from Earth Repair Foundation “Invest in Caring, not Killing” – slogan of Global Women’s Strike “Women Say No to War” - slogan of CODEPINK Quotes Kavita Ramdas, CEO of Global Fund for Women wrote in Stop the Next War Now, “Whether we can stop the next war will really depend, to a great extent, on our ability to build strong connections with women in the rest of the world. Because they can’t do it without us.” The women in the “West,” as Kavita inferred, must come to the forefront to bring millions and millions of people together from around the world. Conversely, the international peace movement lends credibility to the West. Thousands of new ideas will spring up from a world-wide initiative. Also, thousands of connections will take place. For example, if Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and Yolanda King lend their name to a women’s movement, it would be fantastic! Arundhati Roy, in a keynote speech at the World Social Forum in India, February 2003, stated, “Radical change will not be negotiated by governments; it can only be enforced by people.” Roy said there should be “international alliances.” She pointed out the need for “strategies of resistance.” Kavita Ramdas said, “I know we have the capability.” I am a man, a person, who believes society can change from a male-dominated society to a partnership society (cultural transformation theory from the Chalice and the Blade) and am dedicated to help bring awareness of the women’s movement. Andre Sheldon “A non-violent revolution is not a program of seizure of power. It is a program of transformation of relationships, ending in a peaceful transfer of power.” Gandhi Gandhi quote – GPIW “ In the war against war women of the world will and should lead. It is their special vocation and privilege. If non-violence is the law of our being, the future is with women.” Thomas Merton, in Gandhi and the One-Eyed Giant , Chapter One, stated, “Non-violence heals and restores man’s nature, while giving him a means to restore social order and justice.” Kofi Annan said, “The future of the world depends on women”. “But as we have seen, the problem is not men as a sex, but men and women as they must be socialized in a dominator system.” Riane Eisler in The Chalice and the Blade “Turn to the world’s tales of spiritual growth, and they all describe enlightenment as the dissolution of the illusion of separateness.” Kathryn Blume, cofounder Lysistrata Project “Real security can come only when we weave a global web of mutual aid and support. As we make larger connections and take action together, we must assert what we as women know to be true: compassion is not weakness, and brutality is not strength.” Starhawk, author Salmon Rushdie, 10-29-05, on O’Reily Factor, “…need the broad mass of Muslims to stand up and say enough.” “Real solution must come from within the Muslim world.” |
PEACE and LOVE
How beautiful the world is when we live and work together in peace.
Global Strategy of Nonviolence
Mother Theresa said, “Peace begins with a smile.”
Welcome! A Global Strategy of Nonviolence
FOR the CHILDREN A World-Wide Unity Campaign
A Strategy to Bring Peace For the Children and Stop War
FOR the CHILDREN A World-Wide Unity Campaign
A Strategy to Bring Peace For the Children and Stop War
| (GS of NV) |
| GUIDELINES In 3 years, we the people, can change the world. PLAN ALL 3 PHASES PHASE ONE: Mobilize, in every village, town, and city,in every country! Select Demands and Deadlines One year awareness campaign Starting Event Septermber 11, 2021 +23 scheduled events |
PEOPLE POWER The People must be HEARD, the Moderate Voice We want the children to see an overt exhibit of nonviolence. |
| PHASE TWO: Conflict Resolution and Disarmament PHASE THREE: Programs For the Children |
| Origination February 11, 2008 Date updated February 11, 2008 List of Updates |
Current Status Support Information Links |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |