Make A Little Space.....To Make A Better Place.

Well, as I'm sure all of you are aware, there is a lot of chaos and violence going on around the world.
Today as I was going about my day and getting stuff done, I was thinking in the back of my mind about all the violence in the middle east, the children who are fleeing their countries and trying to come over here for a chance at survival, about the water issues that Detroit is having, and just about all the chaos that our world seems to be. It appears that the world is not in a good place.....

So, when I got home, I needed to clean up a little bit and felt like I needed to listen to some Praise Music, so I can do some musical intercession, in my heart, for those suffering. But I also wanted to post a song that I thought would appeal to people because it was familiar, and yet provoke a little thought because the words seemed more relevant probably now, due to the craziness going on.

I chose the song, "Heal the World" by Michael Jackson. This song was appropriate to me because, it answered a question I kept asking myself, and I'm sure many of us probably have asked ourselves this lately as well...."What can I do to help" ?

Read the Chorus to the song and see what it says to your heart....

 If you care enough for the living
Make a little space, make a better place

Heal the world

Make it a better place

For you and for me and the entire human race

There are people dying

If you care enough for the living

Make a better place

For you and for me

The words "make a little space...to make a better place..." really stood out to me. 

I think it is important that when we ask the question "what can I do?" that we realize, the size of what we do, does not matter completely...at first. The size of your efforts IS important, but even more important than that is the fact that you are making an effort and how consistent you are to creating sustainable change. 

So, here are some of my suggestions to help facilitate change in our lives, and ultimately to help make a little space...to make a better place....

1. Every Morning Ask Yourself "Am I able?", "Am I willing?". "Am I ready?": If you're capable of answering yes to at least the first two, then you are a true Activist for Change. If you can not answer at least the first two questions, then I suggest maybe doing some soul searching and self-motivation to get yourself able to say "YES!" to the questions. 
2. Change Your Lifestyle: If you are a person who likes to eat out pretty often, then try choosing a day in your week to stay home and write a letter to your senator for a cause you are passionate about. Or maybe you can go out and spend that money you would have spent on food for yourself, and go buy some canned goods, and other sustainable pantry food, then give to a homeless shelter (i.e. Casa Juan Diego). You can also maybe pick a time slot everyday where for one hour you do something creative, to bring some beauty to our world (i.e. paint pictures with your kids, take stuffed animals to kids in hospitals, write a song for someone in need.) You could also use that time slot for some prayer or meditation. 
3. Educate Yourself and Your friends/family: Buy some books on social justice issues, on nonviolent conflict resolution, on creative resistance, or on the issue you are passionate about. Organize a study group, to gather regularly and study an issue that y'all share a passion for, and how to make a change in regards to that issue. I recommend a film called "THE NARROW PATH: Walking Toward Peace and Nonviolence with John Dear S.J." it is a great film to learn about the importance of Peace and Justice from the experiences of a prominent Peace Activist. Take courses in Peace and Justice or in that particular field of Justice that you have a passion for. Get involved with groups that advocate for Human Rights and Peace. 
4. Make a Safe Place: Establish your home or apartment as a safe haven for others. Have a zero tolerance policy in your home for hateful language, for violent actions, or for any behavior that does not build community. Maybe designate a place in your house as a "Zone for Peace", where anyone can go and not be bothered, harassed, or feel abused and as long as someone is in that zone, they are neutral and have full amnesty from any situation or person. 
5. Learn to Listen and to Love: It is important that we start to take time to listen to our concerns, the concerns of our family, and ultimately the concerns of others. Let us listen with compassionate ears. Train yourself to listen to what is being said and to the way the words are being said. Do not simply listen to someone with the intention of immediately offering advice or "you need to do this". Ultimately, most people do not want your advice, they just want someone to listen to them and to vent. Give the other person the gift of your attentiveness to their needs, and the courtesy to offer advice (if wanted) at the proper time (which is usually later). And train yourself to be more willing to just love someone. Get out of your comfort zones and give someone a hug or speak a word of encouragement. Do not be afraid to say "I love you", "You're looking extra pretty today", "I'm blessed to be in your life". The gift you can always give is love because love has no borders and love is boundless. 

I hope you enjoyed this blog and I hope it has blessed you. Please start using my 5 suggestions and let us together start making a little space to make a better place. Maybe soon we can bring a little bit of healing to this crazy world. 

Within the next few weeks, if you have any personal testimonies to what has happened to you as you try to implement these suggestions, please email me and let me know or leave a comment. Also, SPREAD THIS BLOG!! If more people read this post and this blog, more people will be able to start working for Peace! 

Email: jmpianoking100@gmail.com 

Twitter: @jmpianoking100 (follow for blog updates, Peace and Justice news, Nonviolence tips, etc.) 

Feel free to send me a DM on twitter, especially if you are following me. :) 

Love and Peace sent your way! 

STEP UP. STEP OUT. STEP TOGETHER FOR PEACE! 

-Jerry M. Maynard 

PS Click on link to Music Video fo "Heal the World" by Michael Jackson 

Michael Jackson-Heal the World

Sept. 21, 2014 Tierra Ortiz-Rodrigues (President, DignityHouston) and I (Campaign Nonviolence Organizer) got together with some friends and held a public demonstration in the Menil Park to celebrate and enact our universal Right To Peace. #WeAllHaveARight2Peace 

Building a Functional Production through Dysfunction.

I like to see things at times, from the view point of a Musical Production. Whether the production be a musical, play, dance, choral concert, band concert, etc etc etc. The imagery of a musical production is quite pleasing to me, primarily because I'm a Musician and Music Teacher. However, there are some other reasons why I like this imagery or "lens" at which to look at circumstances in life.
A passion of mine is teaching children about living a life of faith and being a person who seeks the greater good for the community they live in, and ultimately our global community. I teach this through my music lessons, my Sunday School classes, or in the public school I work at during the school year.

One of the things that has always fascinated me, as a teacher, is how kids (even adults) react differently to how, where, when, or why you say/do something in the classroom. One of the challenging parts of being a teacher, is having to help a child (teen, young adult, or adult) understand why their behavior is not acceptable for whatever reason. The reason why this is challenging is due to the fact that as teachers, we often have this mentality of "because I said so." or "I am in charge." This is not really the best way to go about reprimanding a student in our modern times. My reasoning for this statement is due to the fact that I have seen how the children of this generation, are more attentive to using your words against you and are keen to question you. They do not do it for the sake of being rude but because they have an honest desire to know "why?". So back to the Musical Production idea. In a production, lets say Musical; there are many components. A Musical requires actors, musicians, a director, stage manager, artistic director, scenery, lights, etc etc etc. Well in order to make a musical "function", we must take the actors and essentially, "build a functioning production, through their 'dysfunction'". Let me clarify what I mean by this phrase, which is the basis of this reflection. Every actor has their own interpretation of a script  and of their individual part; however, until each actor gets together and rehearses, each part is in complete "dysfunction". This is means it has no meaning or purpose, it's just words on a page. But as you come to know your part through rehearsing or interacting with the other parts of the musical, the production starts to "function". This means that their part is starting to make sense in the context of the musical which eventually will help to make the entire show come together, thus a great show happens! I think this is how students should be approached when they have done or said something unacceptable. Do not try to put a student into a conventional box. What I mean by that is, do not put them in the box that is labeled "everyone in the world behaves like this so you have to also". A student (especially a child or teen) will not appreciate that and that approach to reprimanding a student will back fire 9 times out of 10. So using this "lens" what a teacher or even a counselor at a rehabilitation center for alcoholics, drug addicts, etc etc. should do is be a "Director". Just like a Director of a Musical, we should understand the other person for who they are, worts and all, then use that "dysfunction" as the fuel to create a "conventional box" for them. So essentially, you are modeling them to think, speak, or behave in a certain way, by allowing them to understand why they reacted in their particular way then letting them (through your prompting, encouragement, and challenging) to create for themselves, their own means to the end that you desire them to be at. A good Director can point and instruct an actor, how to properly execute a particular part in a scene, but thats all they can do. The actor then must take their instruction and manifest it through their own filter and in the end form a box that they can label as "conventional" for them and you can also because it qualifies as a means to the end that you have been hoping for since the beginning.
Hope this reflection feeds your spirit and helps to model you into truly understanding how your dysfunction can play a huge part in making this world a functional production.
Peace and love sent your way! I'm praying for you always!
Jerry
P.S. See link below, for a beautiful article about Brother Bill Tomes. Bro. Bill really exemplifies this reflection in his ministry as a Charismatic Catholic who ministers to inner-city gangs in chicago. He ministers through means of nonviolent resolution to gang violence and being a witness to love through standing in the middle of gang fights.
http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/grant-picks-people/Content?oid=1213016