Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

24th 24-hour "Peace Generator" World Healing Peace Circle

8. June 2004 • dilleym
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6:00 pm Friday June 11 to 6:00 pm Saturday June 12
Friends Meeting House, 1420 Hill St.

Please come for an hour, or whatever works for you, sometime during this 24-hour period to join in silent meditation/prayer for global peace and healing.

For info. contact Craig Harvey
734-971-8576
email: worldhealing@yahoogroups.com



  1. This is just great. Our “vibes” will go out and end war in one 24 hour period. Lemme guess, after the peace circle there will be a drum circle and tasty vegan food. I wish people could come up with something more constructive to do to end war.

    Sorry for the trolling.
    -Kat
       —Kat    Jun. 8 '04 - 08:14PM    #
  2. Has anything else worked?

    I’m sorry, but I don’t see anything wrong with meditating and praying, and I don’t think they’re making any special claim that their activity is going to “end war in one 24 hour period.” Maybe we need a little more meditation and prayer in this world.
       —Frank    Jun. 9 '04 - 01:46AM    #
  3. It’s more therapy than solution. Which makes it still useful, in my book. It’s depressing being an activist sometimes.
       —Eric Goldberg    Jun. 9 '04 - 01:17PM    #
  4. Kat, I was thinking of making a similar comment, admittedly, but refrained. I need to stop myself from knee-jerkingly rolling my eyes sometimes and respect the fact that not everyone is as cynical and non-religious/spiritual as I am. The drum circle comment was pretty good, though. There seem to be two major threads of activism in this town—one is of the obnoxious, smartass, uber-partisan, lets-put-tons-of-stupid-anti-Bush-bumper-stickers-on-our-cars type, and the other is of the more hippie strain parodied above (insert Tibetan flag sticker, as the Tibetans’ oppression is certainly worse than that of all other occupied peoples’). I find myself turned-off by both, and wonder where regular, common-sense people like myself fit into all of this. This is just something I’ve been thinking about, and I figured this is as good a place as any to post it. I’m so turned-off by many “progressives” that I don’t even use that term for myself anymore, despite the fact that I’ve voted for Kucinich and Nader in recent elections. I consider my political worldview to be just plain one of common-sense and fairness, and don’t tend to pepper my speech with high words of “social justice” and the like, even if that is what I essentially believe in. I’m sure I’m opening a can of worms from the left and right by posting this, but I’m wondering if anyone else out there feels similarly.
       —Brandon    Jun. 9 '04 - 01:36PM    #
  5. Brandon—I’m sure many do. We should propose a ‘detached leftist’ get-together at Cafe Ambrosia (which, in my mind’s eye, represents a middle way between the hippie & drum-circley OZ and the lockstep plodding of Rendezvous) and look for that middle way ourselves!
       —Brian    Jun. 9 '04 - 02:36PM    #
  6. I would agree with Brandon. Excellent summary. Brian’s reference to Ambrosia as the “middle way” was right on target as well.
       —Frank    Jun. 9 '04 - 07:43PM    #
  7. I think there is a place for “feel good” activism, as long as you aren’t under the illusion that it’s doing much good. There’s nothing wrong with getting together with like-minded folks (“Meetups”) or even having fun or getting exercise to protest (“Run Against Bush”). However, I agree that jingoism is bad on both sides, and self-inflation doesn’t get anything done.

    On that note, I’m not sure I agree too much with the Rendezvous/OZ thing, though. OZ is a night club; hardly a hippy hangout. And when it was a hookah lounge, it was more of a mixed crowd. And Rendezvous is political? I thought it was just the “other non-chain” place to go. For mediocre coffee, at that. I know what you meant in spirit, though, Brian. ;)
       —Eric Goldberg    Jun. 9 '04 - 08:15PM    #
  8. Sorry for being so “cynical” ( as an aside I really don’t think I am cynical, I prefer to think of it as being pragmatic ). I just got back from upstate New York and I really see where the term “stupid liberal” comes from. I came in contact with too many people who for the most part could only offer, at best, vapid explanations for their views on everything from GMO’s to free trade. Many of them made made Rush Limbaugh’s ditto heads look positively brilliant. I prefer people to take up causes where they have a least a semi-rational reasoning for their views. People are more than welcome to engage in a meditation session about world peace; I was simply giving my two cents on the matter.
    —-

    As for coffee, I like Rendezvous. The food is good and cheap, they have free wifi, and you can smoke upstairs. Why doesn’t someone have a meditation session for the displaced smokers of Ann Arbor? Speaking of doing things that are stupid as therapy why don’t all the people at the prayer circle take up smoking? It therapeutic and would have about the same effect.
    —-

    6:00 pm Friday June 11 to 6:00 pm Saturday June 12
    Cynics Meeting House ( Rendezvous Coffee House )
    Please come for an hour, or whatever, sometime during this 24-hour period to join in smoking and drinking for global peace and healing.
    For info. Contact Katherine Scott
    734-358-0175
    email: kscottz@umich.edu
       —Kat    Jun. 9 '04 - 08:15PM    #
  9. You’re right about the “stupid liberal” category, Kat. They do exist. Sometimes I fall into that category myself.

    Sorry if I came off as snappish.

    I like your Cynics Meeting House idea.
       —Frank    Jun. 9 '04 - 09:09PM    #
  10. Cynics Meeting House at upcoming.org.
       —Brian    Jun. 9 '04 - 10:08PM    #
  11. I am really cynical about this cynics meeting … I don’t think anyone is going to show up … I don’t think I really want to go. And besides I bet all the people who will be a bunch of lame blog readers like myself …
    sigh
       —Kat    Jun. 10 '04 - 01:45AM    #
  12. I have nothing better to do, and places that allow indoor smoking are fuuuuun. I might show up.
       —Eric Goldberg    Jun. 10 '04 - 09:44AM    #
  13. So, someone is going to be manning the cynics table for 24 hours? How dedicated and idealistic.
       —Brandon    Jun. 10 '04 - 01:17PM    #
  14. I think it’s a drop-in event. I don’t know that it matters of someone is there the whole time. We’re being cynical about it, after all. ;)
       —Eric Goldberg    Jun. 10 '04 - 04:59PM    #
  15. Well, I’ll keep an eye out for other cynics when I drop-in there at some point in those 24 hours to promote world peace and lung cancer.
       —Brandon    Jun. 10 '04 - 09:18PM    #
  16. If you click my name’s hyperlink, you’ll go to a weblog I run. Pictured on the left is me. If you see a dark-haired guy with a soul patch and a beer gut, I’m there. I’ll now issue a preemptive “Nice to meet you,” just in case one of us shows.
       —Eric Goldberg    Jun. 11 '04 - 02:30AM    #