Why A Peace Hour?

If for one hour we could focus on peace --- intentionally --- with purpose and commitment, what could be accomplished? That's the question I've been asking for more than a year with The Peace Hour, an Open Journal radio program airing once a month on KPFT. We've tackled issues such as Education, Poverty, Health, and yes, War! The formula for the show is a basic one. Non-Violence. Not just as a tool, but as a way of life. July's show was "The Hard Conversations." It came about because of the bombings in London and the issues surrounding suicide bombers. There are those that believe that suicide bombers are not made from fundamentalist religious urgings, but something more basic. These individuals are willing to die for a cause that has its tentacles around occupation. However, as I attended my Christian church, I heard conversations that lent themselves to the same fanaticism they claim to rebuke. Where was the grace, the compassion? More importantly, where was the intelligence that comes with asking questions and seeking answers rather than regurgitating the words of those whose agendas are truly suspect.

The show gave rise to other concerns of individuals -- racism at the forefront. And it gave rise to the conversation at the core of The Peace Hour: Is non-violence a valuable tool? Is there ever a time when non-violence is inappropriate? Does being non-violent mean literally "turning the other cheek"?

I believe that non-violence means listening. I believe that it means valuing all as human beings. Yes, seeing even the worst of our kind (humanity) in a light that they are uninformed, unenlightened. But, I also believe in justice and truth. It doesn't mean foregoing punishment or consequences. It is not a Nirvana concept. It is realistic. Peace is not the absence of conflict, but how we handle conflict in ways beyond politeness, but in a direction of solving the problem, getting out of our comfort zones and seeking justice and healing as the only answer for all of us.

I will bring more of The Peace Hour to you over time. It is our hope to make The Peace Hour a regular weekly show, more informative and focused on real solutions from people dedicated to non-violence and peace as partners for solving our world's problems.

Namaste.
P.K. McCary