Messages from Nance and David
OUT BEYOND IDEAS
It feels great to have this project moving out into the world. Weve been writing, recording and organizing the benefit component of this cd for three years. In the process weve learned more about these poets and international peace efforts than we ever thought possible. It innocently began with us writing music to poetry that moved us. We had no idea it would move us to birth this peace project. Step by step each turn was revealed to us and we followed. After plodding along with the ground work its now time to let the wind catch the sails and watch it fly.
There are at least two levels of peace that this project hopes to inspire. The first comes from the music itself. These songs are written using mystical poetry from many traditions. The poetry holds messages from saints who were masters of love and deep peace. Weve found that the more we sing and listen to these poems the more deeply they move us. One said These songs are like prayer beads, the more you use them the more meaning they hold. We hope you will be able to take these songs and sing them as your own prayers for peace.
It is now well researched that when groups spend time in states of deep peace there is a decrease in violence in the community around them. It therefore holds to reason that singing and listening to songs like these can contribute to greater peace in the world one heart at a time. Hard to believe, but evidently true. The other level of peace building comes in supporting the work of Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peace Building. All of the profits of the sale of this CD will be donated to this important project .
Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there is a field; Ill meet you there. When this Rumi poem spoke to us from the pages of a book several years ago, we did not consider its global implications. We just knew that we could relate to the concept in our own hearts. As is the case with many great truths, there are layers. Internally, we know there is a place of peace beyond all the mental chatter and judging voices. Between ourselves and others we also know there is a place of peace beyond individual wants and desires, beyond the self-centered play of a two year old. We all learned in childhood that group play is fun, and everyone deserves to be listened to and included. The same holds true between groups facing civil or international war. When we become too entrenched in defending our own ideas, it is difficult to listen beyond and meet in the field of peace Someone who is not in the throes of self defense is needed as a reminder that everyone will win if everyones needs can be considered. Otherwise everyone will lose. Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding help parties to major conflicts recognize their common human needs and hopes beyond the separate demands which have led to hatred and violence.
Like most people, we have always wanted to help bring about peace but often felt helpless in the face of all the complicated conflicts in the world. We are happy to report that there is good news we are not hearing. There have been many peaceful negotiations in the past 15 years through what is called Second Track Diplomacy where negotiators meet with citizens on both sides of a conflict and support them in unlocking ideas for peace. Those groups then approach their governments with these ideas for change and new agreements come to pass.
All profits from sales of this CD goes to support this work. If you buy an extra copy of this disc for a friend you can take an additional step towards peace. We have worked hard to insure that the maximum amount of dollars flow from CD sales directly to Partners In Conflict. Many people and businesses involved with this disc, (including musicians, photographers, graphic designers, the record label, What Are Records? amongst many more) have either donated their services or have greatly reduced what they would normally charge for their services to help us raise more money. Your gift makes a big difference because much of Partners in Conflicts time is spent fundraising for this work and those grants usually require quite a bit of lead time. This does not allow for the quick action that is called for in conflict resolution. Fundraising from this CD may give mediators an opportunity to act quickly when they are invited to help. We will be adding a link to allow you to make a donation directly to Partners in Conflict Partners in Peacebuilding if you are so moved. Please check back here soon for more information, and please consider signing up on the email list on the home page here so that we can keep you informed on this project.
David Wilcox and Nance Pettit August 2005
There are at least two levels of peace that this project hopes to inspire. The first comes from the music itself. These songs are written using mystical poetry from many traditions. The poetry holds messages from saints who were masters of love and deep peace. Weve found that the more we sing and listen to these poems the more deeply they move us. One said These songs are like prayer beads, the more you use them the more meaning they hold. We hope you will be able to take these songs and sing them as your own prayers for peace.
It is now well researched that when groups spend time in states of deep peace there is a decrease in violence in the community around them. It therefore holds to reason that singing and listening to songs like these can contribute to greater peace in the world one heart at a time. Hard to believe, but evidently true. The other level of peace building comes in supporting the work of Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peace Building. All of the profits of the sale of this CD will be donated to this important project .
Out beyond ideas of wrong doing and right doing, there is a field; Ill meet you there. When this Rumi poem spoke to us from the pages of a book several years ago, we did not consider its global implications. We just knew that we could relate to the concept in our own hearts. As is the case with many great truths, there are layers. Internally, we know there is a place of peace beyond all the mental chatter and judging voices. Between ourselves and others we also know there is a place of peace beyond individual wants and desires, beyond the self-centered play of a two year old. We all learned in childhood that group play is fun, and everyone deserves to be listened to and included. The same holds true between groups facing civil or international war. When we become too entrenched in defending our own ideas, it is difficult to listen beyond and meet in the field of peace Someone who is not in the throes of self defense is needed as a reminder that everyone will win if everyones needs can be considered. Otherwise everyone will lose. Partners in Conflict and Partners in Peacebuilding help parties to major conflicts recognize their common human needs and hopes beyond the separate demands which have led to hatred and violence.
Like most people, we have always wanted to help bring about peace but often felt helpless in the face of all the complicated conflicts in the world. We are happy to report that there is good news we are not hearing. There have been many peaceful negotiations in the past 15 years through what is called Second Track Diplomacy where negotiators meet with citizens on both sides of a conflict and support them in unlocking ideas for peace. Those groups then approach their governments with these ideas for change and new agreements come to pass.
All profits from sales of this CD goes to support this work. If you buy an extra copy of this disc for a friend you can take an additional step towards peace. We have worked hard to insure that the maximum amount of dollars flow from CD sales directly to Partners In Conflict. Many people and businesses involved with this disc, (including musicians, photographers, graphic designers, the record label, What Are Records? amongst many more) have either donated their services or have greatly reduced what they would normally charge for their services to help us raise more money. Your gift makes a big difference because much of Partners in Conflicts time is spent fundraising for this work and those grants usually require quite a bit of lead time. This does not allow for the quick action that is called for in conflict resolution. Fundraising from this CD may give mediators an opportunity to act quickly when they are invited to help. We will be adding a link to allow you to make a donation directly to Partners in Conflict Partners in Peacebuilding if you are so moved. Please check back here soon for more information, and please consider signing up on the email list on the home page here so that we can keep you informed on this project.
David Wilcox and Nance Pettit August 2005
