Ulla-Britt's visit, Locarno and Lugano

Hello,

Every year Paul's mum comes to Geneva for a week to visit us. This time she came in the beginning of September and stayed for a week. As always, our mothers make our days happier with their special treats and love. Ulla-Britt, Paul's mum, is a wonderful woman, full of patience, wisdom, kindness and innocense. A woman who transmits love and who is always willing to help, support or just be there with a smile to make us feel happy.

Her visit was very short but we had the chance to go to Locarno and Lugano in the Canton of Ticino in Switzerland. These are very beautiful places close to the border to Italy, with amazing landscapes, lively evenings and romantic spots. We had a very good time and fell in love with this part of Switzerland, which for sure, we will visit again.

Back in Geneva I went with Paul's mum to the UN for a guided tour. For those who come to Geneva and are interested to learn more about the UN, this is a very interesting visit that allows you to understand better how the UN works. I think Ulla-Britt enjoyed it a lot and discovered new things she didn't know.

Thank you Ulla-Britt for your visit. It was wonderful to have you here and I am sure it was very refreshing and special for Paul.

Enjoy some photos in Locarno, Lugano and Geneva,

Hugs,

Malu

Religion and Peace

Hello,

I wanted to write this post a long time ago but didn't find the moment before to sit down and collect all the ideas, thoughts and feelings I am putting together now. Religion and Peace, a topic researched and studied by many but understood and discussed by few, I believe. I don't intend to write about the topic itself but my own reflections based on experience about the role of religion in the lives of children and peace building.

At work I conduct trainings on interfaith learning using our materials and I directly work with different religious people and organizations that are members of the GNRC. These experiences have allowed me to reflect a lot about the positive and negative influence of religion in people, education and societies.

What triggered the latest reflections was a discussion I had with someone some time back who asked me how working with religious people contributes to peace, when according to her, most religious people hold exclusive views and violent approaches. She is not a religious person herself and was clearly defensive to and against any type of institutionalised religion. I have indeed met religious people and organisations that want to control what is said and taught to children and youth. I have also had the chance to meet wonderful religious people who are relentlesly working for peace, embracing not only their own religion but the religion of the other.

It is amazing how religion can be used as a manipulative tool to achieve hidden agendas or exclusive views and goals, sometimes unintentionally. Encouraging members to marry only people of their own religion or even the same religious denomination, asking them only to pray with those who believe in what they belief, calling themselves chosen people and putting the other on the sinners corner, or alleging exclusive truths that lead to discrimination and injustice, are some of the elements that make religion a tool for violence.

At a personal level I have come accross religious organisations that are afraid of letting their people think critically about their own faith or about what they experience in life. Religious organisations that do not want to give freedom to their people because they are afraid that those will leave their religion. Religious people who are encouraged to withdraw from the world and from those who do not belong to their faith in order to attain salvation. I have met religious people who are taught to behave in a specific way, as if they were robots or products of their religious institutions. Religious people who are afraid of thinking outside the boundaries of their claimed truths, or of asking questions like what if this weren't true.

So yes, I agree with this person I had this discussion with...religious people and organisations can sometimes, not always, hold very violent views and use exclusive and discriminatory approaches that can lead to cultural and structural violence. The sad thing is that this instead of making people closer to God or nurture their spiritual lives, lead to two unwished paths or types of people: 1) People who become fanatics and extremists about their beliefs and who are unwilling to genuinly relate to others and 2) People who become afraid of religion and who categorise religious people as violent and dangerous, either because of their own experience in a religious organisation or because of their experiences with those in the first path.

However, I have had the wonderful opportunity to personally experience a religious organisation that against all odds doesn't encourage any discrimination or exclusive views. A religious organisation that embraces each and every one who comes to it and that struggles in the midst of all its decisions to build an embracing community. I am talking about the Lutheran Church of Geneva, a Christian church that I belong to since almost four years. A church that is ecumenical, international and intercultural in its nature. A church that upholds very clear Christian principles and interpret them in the light of the protection of human rights, peace and non-violence. A church that allows its members to think by themselves, to make their own decisions and grow spiritualy by themselves.

You may think that I say this because it is my church, but all these reflections are not based solely on my experience as a member of this church but are the result of personal and working experiences with other religions and people of other faiths that make me compare and analyse my own religious organisation. There are mainly four reasons why I want to describe the Lutheran Church of Geneva as as model of how religious organisations can be sources of peace building and education:

1. The sermons. Pastors in our church do not indoctrinate people on religious beliefs or principles, but the sermons are aimed to make people reflect about their relationships with others, about life in community and about spiritual growth. Sermons are reflections with questions not aimed to give answers but provide people with questions that can challenge their views. This really motivates critical thinking and freedom to chose, which are fundamental in the ethical education of children and youth.

2. Support of human rights. Last year our church approved the blessing of same gender couples. It was a one year process of dialogue among the members of the church, talks by medical doctors, theologians, homosexuals, etc that led to the approval of the blessing. This oppeness to discuss difficult questions, to make decisions together, to embrace those who are discriminated against and to be a refuge for those who search for God rather than to question and reject them, are some of the characteristics of the Lutheran Church of Geneva.

3. The church welcomes people of all walks of life and beliefs, including people of other religions and Christian denominations. All those who wish to worship in this church can do it. Today one of the youth from our church, whose mother is Christian and whose father is a Hindu, decided to get baptised. Our pastor commented in her sermon what this youth asked her before taking the decision to be baptised: Will the baptism make him deny his Hindu roots? and her answer was that Jesus does not discriminate and therefore he wouldn't deny his Hindu identity. Isn't it truly amazing? How many churches and religious people would have forced him to deny the other religion? How many would have questioned his decision or even persuade him that the other religion is wrong or sinful? Perhaps many.

4. Flexibility. There is flexibility for the members to create groups, lead activities, organise trips and discuss different religious or day to day issues they consider important. The church is based on ministries to practice Christian values (than in fact are common to other religions as well) rather than to indoctrinate or dictate what is right or wrong, good or bad. There is also creativity in each worship and possibility to go beyond traditional ways of preaching and praying.

There are many more reasons why this church is truly a church where peace is truly conceived and nurtured in its members, where there are reasons to believe in the power of religion to bring about transformation and peace, and where there is no room to discriminate or reject the other who is different. How powerful it is to be a member of this church, how powerful it is to be able to belong to a religious community that doesn't impose but let us chose and believe by ourselves, how powerful it is to be able to question inside our own church and be heard and how powerful it is to be in a church that progresses in time.

This example is the reason why I believe working with religious people is so needed today. Religious organisations are places of reference for ethics and peace for many people and therefore places that can help building peace and justice in the world. Religion is a part of the identity of people in many ways and of the history of societies, and thus they are key allies in promoting education for peace.

I also believe that to be able to challenge religious organisations and people who hold exclusive views sometimes unintentionaly and without thoroughly thinking about it, is an amazing way to contribute to transform the world and bring about peace.

You can visit the website of the Lutheran Church of Geneva at http://www.genevalutheran.ch and join the Facebook group here

Peace,

Malu

Celebrating our 4th Anniversary!

Hello,

I have been very slow updating my blog lately. The main reason is that we had visitors at home during the last two weeks so I was quiet busy. Anyway there is a lot to tell, to share and to write: Our anniversary celebration trip, Paul's mother's visit, my reflections about church/religion, Nadeen's visit and some other reflections and thoughts I have about simple things. It will take me some time but I hope in two weeks or so I will be ready!

In the meantime I just want to share with you some photos and reflections of our short trip to celebrate our fourth anniversary. We went to Zurich, the Black Forest in Freiburg and Titisee-Neustadt in Germany. We chose this destination because we wanted something near Geneva for a short trip, but still calm, exciting, new for us and close to nature.

We had a wonderful time, rested a lot, did many new things, had good food and promised each other to be together for many more years, respecting and loving each other as it was the first day and making the other happy every day.

In Zurich we went to the Rhine Waterfalls, which are the largest in Europe. This is nothing compared to other big water alls but I still think it was quiet spectacular. We enjoyed ourselves walking around the area and having a very good lunch in the closest town.

In the afternoon we went to the black forest in Titisee. This city in the southern part of Germany is absolutely beautiful. It is surrounded by a lake, nice restaurants, a lot of hiking paths and areas for all kinds of sports ranging from biking to skiing. It is also a winter spot for cross-country skiing, ice skating on the frozen lake, alpine skiing, tobogganing, sledding and Ski-Jumping. We will definitely come back to this area in winter time!

After walking and enjoying the black forest, we headed to Freiburg where we enjoyed a wonderful evening and the beauty of this city. Next day we went to Europa Park, which is considered the most popular seasonal theme park in the world, with over four million visitors in 2008. The park is divided in areas representing European countries. Each area is decorated according to the country and offers food, shows and information about the culture. It is a very well constructed park for children, youth, adults and elders as well.

The park has different rollercoasters, very long and scary ones, and others small and exciting. We tried all different types of rides, got wet, laughed a lot and let ourselves be carried by the power of feeling the adrenaline of speed and risk! You can also read more about Europa Park in Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_Park

Flamenco Show at the Spanish area

Atlantica Super Splash!

Poseidon Water Ride

It was a short weekend but surely a very renewing and exciting one!

Hugs,

Malu

India!

Hello,

It has already been one month since I came back from India. I went to participate in an international congress organised by Shanti Ashram and the Focolare movement in Coimbatore, India. Arigatou International was invited to run a one day workshop on Learning to Live Together, using the methodologies, activities and approach of our material.

For six days, more than 600 children from different parts of the world gathered to learn about unity and reflect about the importance of understanding and respecting people of different cultures and beliefs. The Super Congress was supported by more than 200 local volunteers who made the logistical work possible.

I believe the workshop held on Learning to Live Together helped the participants to reflect about issues they hadn’t consistently and intentionally thought about before. It provided them with space to listen to what others had to say about different situations and themselves and most importantly it gave them the chance to think of what can be done when conflicts happen. This was a unique space during the congress for the participants to get into dialogue, listen to one another and get to know each other better.

A one day workshop on Learning to Live Together doesn't help much in changing attitudes and views that are discriminatory or exclusive, or in developing skills to work with people from different backgrounds. However, it opens windows for reflection, increases the ability to critically think about specific issues, provides space for challenging views and enhances the knowledge of the "other". I believe, this workshop was a good complement for the congress and an opportunity for the participants to develop their critical thinking.

The whole event brought together different sectors, organisations and individuals in Coimbatore in partnership. Government agencies, UNICEF, Universities, NGOs, companies, the National Post Office, children, young people, elders, politicians, professors and social workers contributed to this Super Congress and brought added value to the results and impact in the young people. The Shanti Ashram made an excellent work coordinating the event and sowed the seeds for future crossectorial partnerships in Coimbatore and India.

During the workshop I had the opportunity to get to know and work with wonderful people who share with me the vision of transforming the world and making it a better place for children and young people. Some of them had worked with me before, like Vinu, Suchith, Vijay, Parthi, Sundaresan, Aswathi, Kaveri and Nicolas, whom I respect and admire a lot. I also met other new people, Prabha, Kalpala, Raja, Janani, among others with whom I got very good synergy and a lot of inspiration.

I got inspired by their ideas, motivation, willingness to leave footsteps during the Congress and by their peaceful approach to situations that can be challenging and discomforting. I am grateful that I had the chance to develop myself further by challenging my views and learning from the wisdom and knowledge of these amazing individuals.

Facilitators of the Learning to Live Together workshop during the Super Congress 2009

I also had the chance to visit local villages, a place for children affected by HIV/AIDS, different religious places and listened to the wise words of Dr. Abdul Kalam, former President of India 2002-2007 who attended the closing ceremony of the Super Congress. I was positively impressed by the commotion he created among the participants and the respect given to him by the young people. He is definitely a role model for the entire nation and for the children and youth in India.

I also had the opportunity to meet again with wonderful friends with whom I have worked together before. It was a great chance to see Suchith and Martha again after a long time, two individuals who always inspire me. Thank you for your time, words, smiles and friendship. I also had the chance to meet another friend, Nazly, together with Martha in Bombay before I went to Coimbatore. I will post about it later.

India was again a very touching experience, full of colors, challenges, discoveries, inspiration and motivation to continue changing the world.

Enjoy the photos and stay tuned for a video of Jey Ho performed by some of the dancers of Shanti Ashram.

Peace,

Malu

The Salt Doll

Hello,

Today I have been thinking about living life with a purpose and feeling renewed every day. I don't want to live my life without getting up every morning knowing and feeling that there is something beyond and that what I do every day matters. I want to get up grateful of who I am and what I do and be humble of the opportunities and challenges I get. I don't want to live a life without meaning, without discovering the depth of life and without being surprised by what life has to offer. I don't want to get up every morning tired to go to work but I want to be filled with joy to be able to do what I like.

I want to get up every morning giving thanks to God because there is more to do than I possibly can imagine, because there is more to see and understand than what I can possibly expect and because there is something more I can learn if I am willing to get immersed in it. I want to live a life full of possibilities and openness, full of rediscoveries and self-awareness.

In the midst of this reflection I remembered a poem called the Salt Doll, which reminds me of the need to go beyond and find myself in the journey for discovering the unknown.

Read the Salt Doll below.

Peace,

Malu

The salt doll

After a long pilgrimage on dry land a doll of salt came to the sea and discovered something
she had never seen and could not possibly understand.

She stood on the firm ground, a solid little doll of salt, and saw there was another ground that
was mobile, insecure, noisy, strange and unknown.

She asked the sea, “But what are you?”
The sea replied, “I am the sea.”
The doll said, “What is the sea?”
To which the sea replied, “It is me.”
Then the doll said, “I cannot understand, but I want to; how can I?”
The sea answered, “Touch me.”

So the doll shyly put forward a foot and touched the water and she got a strange impression that it was something that began to be knowable. She withdrew her leg, looked and saw that her toes had gone, and she was afraid and said, ‘Oh, but where are my toes? What have you done to me?”

And the sea said, “You have given something in order to understand.”

The doll went farther and farther into the sea and the water took away small bits of the doll’s salt, and at every moment she had a sense of understanding more and more, and yet of not being able to say what the sea was.

As she went deeper, she melted more and more, repeating: “But what is the sea?” At last a wave dissolved the rest of her and the doll said: “It is I!”

She had discovered what the sea was, but not yet what the water was.

(Anthony Bloom: Living Prayer, Libra, London, 1966, pp.105-106)