lessons i'm learning as a peace-builder
being a peace worker is all about building trust and genuine relationships so that the people who feel they have to take arms in order to be heard will find a non-violent alternative to express their search for justice.
here are the lessons i'm learning in my journey as i develop positive relationships with the bangsamoro people in the barangays (villages) around sultan kudarat.
1. i must start my day with my ultimate point-of-reference and my ultimate energy source--god. it is so easy to be lost into a confusion-loop in the political-military chaos here. it is also easy to be burned-out here. in the work of peace, everything starts and ends with the prince of peace.
2. i must learn to relate the specific stories of the people i talk to with the bigger story of their journey as a people in this land. furthermore, i must be aware that my story is ultimately connected with their stories--for all human beings are part of god's great story.
3. i must make the initiative to trust them first with my life. if indeed my life is ultimately in the hands of god, then i must learn to risk my life for those whom the prince of peace gave his life. there is wisdom in consulting the local army captain who has become my security adviser. there is wisdom in listening to the local police inspector's advice when to go or not to go to certain barangays. but i make the final decision to enter the barangays i need to reach based on the invitation of the barangay leaders themselves.
4. i must learn to be calm when guns are used to secure the barangay's safety as i, along with my team, enter their perimeter. it is often a normal process to search my backpack and my body while holding their m16 rifles. i'm starting to get used to it. at the same time, i must be courageous in begging them to leave their guns outside the madrasa (islamic school) where we often hold our peace dialogues. it is also our policy not to publish pictures of people with guns to help minimize the glorification of firearms.
5. i must learn to drink their water, eat their food, and enjoy their hospitality even if i know that they often give me the best share of their scarce resources. i must learn to trust god to provide for their needs as i share their provision. here, we all need each other to survive. eating their children's food humbles me--it makes me realize that i am as needy as they are. my economic superiority complex as one coming from canada is immediately debunked through this experience of hospitality.
6. i must focus on listening and let my team members do most of the talking during the actual dialogue. i must listen attentively to their specific cry for justice--"a powerful christian family grabbed my family's land," "my water buffalo was stolen by unidentified armed men," "we're getting so little with the farm produce we sell"--and compare them with the official cry for justice expressed by their leaders.
7. i must be honest with them about my peace-agenda and my search for a non-violent means to achieve justice. i must always ask for the holy spirit's wisdom and discernment regarding the appropriate time to inject our peace agenda. we often ask: "is there a way to achieve the justice you are seeking without using guns and other forms of violence?" i must respectfully accept "no way" for an answer, knowing that this is a long process towards peace. i must affirm that genuine peace is not just the absence of war but also the presence of justice. i must genuinely be interested to continue my relationship with them as human beings even if they choose violence for now.
8. i must insist in demonstrating my sense of security in a non-violent way. i must remain vulnerable to both sides, rejecting offers of armed security escorts either from the grp or from the milf.
9. i must return to their barangay within two weeks to start an on-going series of friendly visits. i must insist on visiting them especially during actual skirmishes with the government soldiers--to document the conflict, to help those who are wounded, to help secure the safety of the women and children, to volunteer as couriers between the conflicting parties, and if the situation requires, to step in their way.
10. i must learn to lead my team to be effective and efficient in the long-term development of nonviolent institutions, as well as the development of skills and training for intervention in conflict situations in mindanao.
here are the lessons i'm learning in my journey as i develop positive relationships with the bangsamoro people in the barangays (villages) around sultan kudarat.
1. i must start my day with my ultimate point-of-reference and my ultimate energy source--god. it is so easy to be lost into a confusion-loop in the political-military chaos here. it is also easy to be burned-out here. in the work of peace, everything starts and ends with the prince of peace.
2. i must learn to relate the specific stories of the people i talk to with the bigger story of their journey as a people in this land. furthermore, i must be aware that my story is ultimately connected with their stories--for all human beings are part of god's great story.
3. i must make the initiative to trust them first with my life. if indeed my life is ultimately in the hands of god, then i must learn to risk my life for those whom the prince of peace gave his life. there is wisdom in consulting the local army captain who has become my security adviser. there is wisdom in listening to the local police inspector's advice when to go or not to go to certain barangays. but i make the final decision to enter the barangays i need to reach based on the invitation of the barangay leaders themselves.
4. i must learn to be calm when guns are used to secure the barangay's safety as i, along with my team, enter their perimeter. it is often a normal process to search my backpack and my body while holding their m16 rifles. i'm starting to get used to it. at the same time, i must be courageous in begging them to leave their guns outside the madrasa (islamic school) where we often hold our peace dialogues. it is also our policy not to publish pictures of people with guns to help minimize the glorification of firearms.
5. i must learn to drink their water, eat their food, and enjoy their hospitality even if i know that they often give me the best share of their scarce resources. i must learn to trust god to provide for their needs as i share their provision. here, we all need each other to survive. eating their children's food humbles me--it makes me realize that i am as needy as they are. my economic superiority complex as one coming from canada is immediately debunked through this experience of hospitality.
6. i must focus on listening and let my team members do most of the talking during the actual dialogue. i must listen attentively to their specific cry for justice--"a powerful christian family grabbed my family's land," "my water buffalo was stolen by unidentified armed men," "we're getting so little with the farm produce we sell"--and compare them with the official cry for justice expressed by their leaders.
7. i must be honest with them about my peace-agenda and my search for a non-violent means to achieve justice. i must always ask for the holy spirit's wisdom and discernment regarding the appropriate time to inject our peace agenda. we often ask: "is there a way to achieve the justice you are seeking without using guns and other forms of violence?" i must respectfully accept "no way" for an answer, knowing that this is a long process towards peace. i must affirm that genuine peace is not just the absence of war but also the presence of justice. i must genuinely be interested to continue my relationship with them as human beings even if they choose violence for now.
8. i must insist in demonstrating my sense of security in a non-violent way. i must remain vulnerable to both sides, rejecting offers of armed security escorts either from the grp or from the milf.
9. i must return to their barangay within two weeks to start an on-going series of friendly visits. i must insist on visiting them especially during actual skirmishes with the government soldiers--to document the conflict, to help those who are wounded, to help secure the safety of the women and children, to volunteer as couriers between the conflicting parties, and if the situation requires, to step in their way.
10. i must learn to lead my team to be effective and efficient in the long-term development of nonviolent institutions, as well as the development of skills and training for intervention in conflict situations in mindanao.
posted by Luis Daniel Alba Pantoja @ 7:56 PM
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