Source Credit: The Star Ledger
NEWARK — Roughly 1,200 people filled the main auditorium of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center this morning to hear the first panel of the Newark Peace Education Summit.
On a stage festooned with large floral bouquets and a mural prepared by Newark schoolchildren, a panel of some of the world's most decorated peace scholars sounded off on the themes and intricacies of seeking peace in an increasingly violent culture.
"Peace starts with us, then it goes into our families and from our families into our communities," said Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, citing a theme that would be repeated throughout the morning.
At the end of Ebadi's remarks she was asked how peace will emerge in her native country.
"The first step to the creation of peace in Iran is the establishment of democracy," Ebadi said.
But Nobel laureate Jody Williams, an American, questioned the efficacy of democracy in bringing peace, citing U.S. spending on defense and tax cuts for the wealthy while cutting education. While a Nobel peace prize winner, she admitted she was far from inner peace.
"It isn't that I'm just an angry human being, it's anger at injustice," Williams said. "I'm still struggling with inner peace and I'm not sure I'll ever work it out, your holiness."
She pilloried the Supreme Court for protecting the "personhood" of corporations in the U.S. as well as what she cast as the country's militaristic tendencies.
The Dalai Lama's message to Newark: you must have patienceHis Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama is in Newark for its three-day peace summit. Speaking in front of a large gathering of media on Thursday, the Dalai Llama offered his message to Newark stating, "[with] this bigger issue you need patience and clear vision, clear aim, goal. Then reach there step by step." (Video by Michael Monday/The Star-Ledger)Watch video"I want to know when the constitution of this great nation said, 'We the corporations of the United States of America,'" she said, criticizing the reason Citizens United removed regulations for political spending. The influence of those corporations, she said, was leading the country to increasing violence.
Video: Tibetan Buddhist monks create a sand mandala at the Newark MuseumFour monks spent five days painstakingly creating a painting out of crushed marble to present to the Dalai Lama on Friday. After about 100 man hours, the work will be ceremoniously swept away and dispersed into the Passaic River as a blessing to Newark residents. The mandala is meant to teach detachment to material things and the impermanence of being. (Video by Nic Corbett/The Star-Ledger)Watch video"I would like all of us in this world to stop militarism, to cut the budgets of violence and give it back to education."
The Dalai Lama, who sat at the center of the panel, countered that American democracy had much to offer the world, and while imperfect was an example of freedom.
"The world belongs to 6 billion people, not religious leaders or kings, the world belongs to people. Just like America belongs to I think 300 million people," he said. "I really feel America, of course a lot of drawbacks there, but really champions of democracy, freedom, rule of law."
As the first panel broke up streams of summit-goers filled the lobby, headed to smaller workshops. Newarkers in attendance praised the messages of the morning's panel but expressed concerns about their impact on the city.
"I think it's going very well I just think the city needs to be more involved in what's going on inside," said Deborah Terrell, interim superintendent of Newark's public schools. "We have reports this morning of people being killed and here we have a peace summit. How does this translate out in the street?"
Laseanda McLellan, a native Newarker who works as a retail buyer said it was up to those here to carry the lessons forth to the community
"I thought it was awesome. There was a balance between a realistic and a metaphysical approach," she said of the first panel, but added, "It's kind of expensive to be here. I'm hoping that people like me can bring it back to the community for those who can't really afford to be here."
A full listing of summit events and prices is available at www.newarkpeace.org.
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