Wordless Wednesday & NoBloPoMo on Peace

Wordless Wednesday

NoBloPoMo

Now that you have enjoyed some quiet, peaceful photographs, here is another article that was submitted to me be Rev. Linda Fisher. I am grateful to Rev. Linda for her submissions.



Storytelling
in Pursuit of Peace and Reconciliation

Somewhere on this planet, at any given time, human beings are at war. What can we do? How can we contribute our voices? As storytellers, we have an exceptional tool for helping to promote tolerance and understanding. It has been said that you can't hate people once you've heard their stories. Whether or not that is precisely true, we may certainly find it more difficult to dehumanize and dismiss them.

Many storytellers throughout the world devote much of their repertoire to stories of peace and reconciliation. Often, these stories are catalysts for discussion and personal or group transformation. Below is a tale that may be used to help begin a dialogue on peace. For more on the use of storytelling in pursuit of peace, click on this link www.storytellingcenter.net to visit the International Storytelling Center's resource page. For information about the Healing Story Alliance Social Action Committee, e-mail carenina@bellsouth.net.


The Monk and the Samurai

Retold by John Porcino

There was once a samurai warrior who traveled to the distant home of an old monk. On arriving he burst through the door and bellowed, "Monk, tell me! What is the difference between heaven and hell?"

The monk sat still for a moment on the tatami-matted floor. Then he turned and looked up at the warrior. "You call yourself a samurai warrior," he smirked. "Why, look at you. You're nothing but a mere sliver of a man!"

"Whaaat!!" cried the samurai, as he reached for his sword.

"Oho!" said the monk. "I see you reach for your sword. I doubt you could cut off the head of a fly with that."

The samurai was so infuriated that he could not hold himself back. He pulled his sword from its sheath and lifted it above his head to strike off the head of the old monk. At this the monk looked up into his seething eyes and said, "That, my son, is the gate to hell." Realizing that the monk had risked his life to teach this lesson, the samurai slowly lowered his sword and put it back into the sheath. He bowed low to the monk in thanks for this teaching.

"My friend," said the monk, "That is the gate to heaven."


Reprinted with permission from Spinning Tales, Weaving Hope: Stories of Peace, Justice & the Environment, edited by Ed Brody, Jay Goldspinner, Katie Green, Rona Leventhal, and John Porcino, New Society Publishers, 1992. New edition 2002.

Rev. Linda Fisher of the Center for Spiritual Living, Westlake Village - CA 91361 www.cslwestlake.org

csl@cslwestlake.org