Page 2 RAIN May 1982 IMAGINE PEACE In our January issue (RAIN VIII:4) Joel Schatz described the new peace poster he and his wife Diane are working on. They are attempting to answer the question "If peace broke out, what would it look like?" and are inviting people from all over the country to submit their own visions for possible inclusion in the poster. Below are some ideas submitted by RAIN readers. (Frank L. Moreland, an architect from Fort Worth, TX, sent in a large folder of earth covered structure plans and designs with the message: "Enclosed is an idea for a peaceful community, in response to Joel and Diane's request in the January issue. Good luck in your search. I'm looking forward to the results.") I envision a peaceful society as one which encourages role playing from the earliest age . .. role playing helps people learn to understand other people's points of view. Another part of peaceful society would be that children are taught mutual aid rather than competition—all win, all together reach a goal or solve a problem. . .. moderate consumption and labor-intensive rather than machinery . .. put control of resources and money in the hands of grass-roots local governments. To have grass-roots local governments, means to develop strong communities. This means fostering neighborliness, community self-help and community projects, etc., and using legislative power as well. It means towns and neighborhoods where people care for each other, work for the good of all. In a peaceful society it will be each neighborhood which decides what a simplified, nonconsumptive lifestyle is for that community, including the use of renewable energy rather than fossil fuel hard technology. —Tom Robinsen Missoula, MT I've seen peace. We have friends in Northern Ireland who are putting their lives on the line working for peace. There it's called 'reconciliation.' A few months back there was real fear of a crisis— Rev. Ian Paisley was going to call a general strike, and open civil war was a possible outcome. Also, the prayer group that our friends lead was threatened: the chapel where they had met had been bombed, and the alternative of holding the meetings at their house was potentially quite dangerous. So they felt the need to hold an all-night vigil of prayer, asking for direction. It works out that through-the-night in Northern Ireland is late afternoon to early night here. Many of us kept them in our prayers in those hours, and that was when Peace showed herself. Our friends were together in prayer in the late night, in fear, in a dark city. I was taking a shower, playing with my babies, talking with my husband at dinner, and tucking children into their beds. I have all that they are working for—a chance to get on with my life, a chance to be ordinary, and to enjoy all of those plain things. Peace is not sitting around eating cloud ice cream. It is as full of difficult times as any. Difficulties are useful and good when they can be embraced. And, of course, there can be peace in a person even in the midst of war. But the Peace that I saw was just that chance to work on my own life, dance my own dance and embrace my own difficulties, to flourish in my special variety of ordinariness. I see it much more clearly now, and it's obverse, war, has become all the more horrible. What is truly petty are the issues that wars are fought over, when seen next to the bone- marrow importance of all these details of getting on with our lives. Peace be with you. Eliza Gouvemeur New Castle, DE Your project of visualizing peace is a beautiful idea. You might want to seriously consider using Christopher Alexander's A Pattern Language as a basis—especially much from the first 100 patterns. Read them—it's peace! —Elias Velonis Washington, MA Vol. VIII No. 7 RAIN May 1982 Journal of Appropriate Technology RAIN Magazine publishes information which can lead people to more simple and satisfying lifestyles, help communities and regions become economically self-reliant, and build a society that is durable, just, and ecologically sound. RAIN STAFF: John Ferrell, Mark Roseland, Carlotta Collette, Laura Stuchinsky, Steve Rudman, Nancy Cosper, Steve Johnson, Ann Borquist, Bruce Borquist. Linnea Gilson, Graphic Design. CONTRIBUTORS: Gail Katz, Tanya Kucak, Norman Solomon, Patrick Mazza. RAIN, Journal of Appropriate Technology, is published 10 times yearly by the Rain Umbrella, Inc., a non-profit corporation located at 2270 N.W. Irving, Portland, Oregon 97210, telephone 503/227-5110. Copyright © 1982 Rain Umbrella, Inc. No part may be reprinted without written permission. Typesetting: Irish Setter Printing: Times Litho Cover photograph: David Brown
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