ROC Blog
Roots Of Change

Jul

4

The Pledge

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Written by Charles Gaby

Forgive us for putting you in this position.  We wish we could say we didn’t know better, but the truth is that we often feel hopeless and apathetic about finding alternatives to violence. Violent responses are what we inherited, and we have not tried hard enough to leave a different world to our children.  Forgive us for buying into a belief that violence is a solution when it is clear from history that it is at best a temporary one.  Forgive us for allowing the industrial military complex to convince us that technology and weapons will make us safer even though history teaches that advances in defense technology only lead to arms races. Forgive us for not working more diligently at learning how to change our violent tendencies, practice conflict resolution, build relationships, and mature in our ways of understanding our own emotions.  Forgive us for putting you in harm’s way to protect us from violence born of ignorance and lack of communication.

Your sacrifices are necessary because of our failures at building relationships. We pledge to you our love and beg your forgiveness.  We pledge to never again hide our guilt in sentimentality or wrap your sacrifices in a flag or religion to hide our own shame.  We cannot ask forgiveness unless we change.  So we pledge to you, to do all we can to make a stand.  We will join others to learn how to transform our own lives and build bridges of understanding between the people of our communities and world.  We pledge to wage peace so that one day we won’t have to depend on you to wage war.

Comments

7 Responses to “The Pledge”

  1. Jen Lawson on July 6th, 2008 8:47 pm

    …

  2. Kevin Mack on July 6th, 2008 8:51 pm

    I hereby pledge my peace

    thanks,
    Kevin

  3. Susan Steele on July 6th, 2008 10:55 pm

    I pledge my voice for peace.

  4. Dorothy Steele on July 6th, 2008 10:58 pm

    I pledge myself to work toward peace so we can have better connections with the entire world.

  5. Beverly Fletcher on July 6th, 2008 11:02 pm

    Peace starts in my heart. I pledge to grow it there. I honor the warriors, and their families’ sacrifices. Bless us, everyone, in our growing pains toward peace.

  6. Barbara Mulley on July 7th, 2008 9:15 am

    I love Beverly’s statement, “Peace starts in my heart.” I also pledge to grow peace in my heart. I will also pray for peace, and work to live the changes we are hoping for in our world. Thank you for starting this series. It lifts me up and gives me hope.

  7. Larry Grubb on July 8th, 2008 8:53 am

    I will daily grow peace in me and be a catalyst for peace in my church, my community, and my world.

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