CESJ & The Just Third Way, an introduction (03:45 minutes You Tube) http://youtu.be/TfJWbt-nJEI "Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and possess the land . . . Deut. 16:20 Guy C. Stevenson 1-563-332-0333 gcsteven@xxxxxxx "To point out the meaning of Justice, Contained in the Word of Our God." ~ Fulton J. Sheen, A Saint in Action (Poem). -----Original Message----- From: Kurt Johnson <kurtjohnsonisd@xxxxxxxxx> To: gha <gha@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>; MBWillard <MBWillard@xxxxxxx> Cc: mnelson <mnelson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; stephen <stephen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; molly <molly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; peace-from-harmony <peace-from-harmony@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; cookcomm <cookcomm@xxxxxxxxx> Sent: Fri, May 17, 2013 12:57 pm Subject: [gha] Re: GHA Open Letter to the World's Communities of Interfaith Harmony about Di... To all: As an officer of GHA-USA I certainly don't support this response and it's tone and, to my knowledge, I was not consulted about it (although I might have been-- and just too many emails etc.). My schedule has been very hectic. Monica's schedule has really been compromised by a number of situations over the last couple months so there is plenty of reason she may not have had time to respond or gather her committee to respond. The entire UN community is in a lot of flux, not only with certain facilities not available because of renovations but the restructuring of a lot of infrastructure and loss of jobs in certain NGO support areas. So, again, it seems to me that GHA should have investigated the "why" of lack of communication (from either direction) and especially since some of us are in New York we probably could have "ironed it out" easily through personal contact. Similarly I pretty much ignored the correspondence about whether the process of the prize judging etc had been fair. All such activities are by nature insular and so there are always circumstances, reasons, and rationales about why decisions or procedures go the way they do. And, it's easy for any group, at a distance, to have misunderstandings. My own policy is always to "give the benefit of the doubt" and not be reactive about anything, especially when, across the international community, so many groups are just trying to get to know each other at this time. Further, I usually feel that little "outbreaks of reactivity" like this one, from either side, are also rather readily soothed if we all just gather our wits and especially our compassion. If we as interfaith leaders can't have a tone of collegiality and ease one wonders whether there is much hope for the world, etc. And I say that with a tinge of humor, since I have seen this kind of "back for forth" over the years (it's just the way humans are right now, even the best of them!). So, at least as a Vice President of GHA-USA, and admitting that I stepped into that position simply as a co-worker in global interfaith work and honestly don't personally know all the parties, I am just personally offering my own apologies on behalf of GHA's spirit, goals, and aspirations that some of these conversation appear to have gotten a bit reactive... which doesn't really serve anything constructively. My feeling is that we can all do better (and I am sure we will!). At least that's my hope. I just remembered that in my entire working relationship with Wayne Teasdale, we never had a "fight", and I don't ever remember a "fight" with Thomas Keating, or Raimon Panikkar, or other great leaders of emerging movement. So, we have a lot to aspire to and live up to. much love to all from here. kurt Rev. Dr. Kurt Johnson New York, New York co-author of The Coming Interspiritual Age (where again, we lay out the ideals we all aspire to!) From: Leo Semashko <leo.semashko@xxxxxxxxx> To: MBWillard@xxxxxxx Cc: gha@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; mnelson@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; stephen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; molly@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx; peace-from-harmony@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 2:20 AM Subject: [gha] Re: GHA Open Letter to the World's Communities of Interfaith Harmony about Di... Dear Monica, With regret, after years of communication with you since 2006, we have to state the following. Your mentor response, ignoring our constructive criticism in the interest of peace and harmony, non-cooperation with the dissidents (you ignored the GHA collective letter of March 14 on 2 pages with detailed proposals of cooperation), your closeness and intolerance to another view, forcing us to recognize that you established in Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN personal dictatorship. We have not seen a single collective decision of your Committee. You trample the basic norms of democracy and freedom of speech. Harmony is incompatible with dictatorship, anti-democracy and the suppression of freedom of speech. Therefore, we stop contact with you and exclude you from the GHA mailing list. But we keep hope for your self-critical understanding with help of God. With love, best wishes to your inner harmony, without which peace can not prevail on Earth, Leo Dr Leo Semashko: State Councillor of St. Petersburg, Philosopher, Sociologist and Peacemaker from Harmony; Director: Tetrasociology Public Institute, Russia; Founding President, Global Harmony Association (GHA); Director, GHA Website "Peace from Harmony": www.peacefromharmony.org World Interfaith Harmony Project on the ABC of Harmony Base: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=541; GHA Program Book, The ABC of Harmony: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=478; P/Web page: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=253; Address: 7/4-42 Ho-Shi-Min Street, St. Petersburg 194356, Russia Phone: 7 (812) 597-65-71; Skype: leo.semahko Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leo.semashko?ref=tn_tnmn PS. Your letter and our response to it are published together with the GHA Open Letter: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=576. It is our freedom of speech, openness and transparency. Everyone can see our arguments, our facts and our conclusions from them. ----- Original Message ----- From: MBWillard@xxxxxxx, MBWillard@xxxxxxx To: leo.semashko@xxxxxxxxx Sent: 16 мая 2013 г., 17:53:56 Subject: GHA Open Letter to the World's Communities of Interfaith Harmony about Di... Dear Leo, I am not pleased with this correspondence and want no association with it. I strongly object to even being listed as a recipient of this bitter correspondence. I am surprised and disappointed that you raced to confrontation as you are working to create harmony and cooperation. Please do not ever use my name, title or email on correspondence like this to email lists, newspapers and to especially to Missions and Governments. You are accusing "Discrimination, lack of transparency and closeness of the Competition for prizes of the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week. " From my perspective, you submitted an unsolicited project idea that you expected the King of Jordan to support. The process for developing and presenting any proposal needs to meet the objectives of both or all parties. From my experience, it is rare that any group to just accepts a proposal from another group that they do not know. First, Although you mention some problems with ongoing projects and international organizations not having access to listing projects. This can be addressed in other ways. An attacking headline does not build cooperation or even open a door to invite conversation. Did it ever cross your mind to have the various GHA projects lists activities from all the countries you say are promoting WIHW? This could have given GHA even more publicity on the website and possibly caught the interest of the organizers to get to know the organization. Building harmony begins with looking at ourselves and seeing how we can be better partners and listeners. It doesn't start with imposing ideas, projects and expectations on others. From my perspective, you need to build a working relationship before you ask for the other to take your idea and pay for a conference! I think no response was a kind way of dealing with your proposal. May Peace Prevail on Earth, Monica __________ Monica Willard 631-697-7972 United Religions Initiative United Nations NGO Representative Committee of Religious NGOs at the United Nations, President International Day of Peace (Sept 21) NGO Committee ,Co-Chair In a message dated 5/15/2013 7:38:37 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, leo.semashko@xxxxxxxxx writes: Dear interfaith harmony friends, Please, find in attachment the GHA Open Letter to the World's Communities of Interfaith Harmony about Discrimination, lack of transparency and closeness of the Competition for prizes of the UN World Interfaith Harmony Week. Please, feel yourself free to send this letter to any newspaper, TV and social networks as it is in the GHA interests protesting against GHA and others NGO discrimination. Thank you. With love, best harmony wishes, Dr Leo Semashko: State Councillor of St. Petersburg, Philosopher, Sociologist and Peacemaker from Harmony; Director: Tetrasociology Public Institute, Russia; Founding President, Global Harmony Association (GHA); Director, GHA Website "Peace from Harmony": www.peacefromharmony.org World Interfaith Harmony Project on the ABC of Harmony Base: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=541; GHA Program Book, The ABC of Harmony: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=478; P/Web page: www.peacefromharmony.org/?cat=en_c&key=253; Address: 7/4-42 Ho-Shi-Min Street, St. Petersburg 194356, Russia Phone: 7 (812) 597-65-71; Skype: leo.semahko Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/leo.semashko?ref=tn_tnmn