The Ending War Workshops
I have been attending the Ending War Workshops since 2010. They are interesting to me for many reasons. The first is that I get accurate information about what happens to people, to their family, to their friends, to their nation, and to the whole world when war breaks out. Then I meet people every year from all over the world with whom I develop a comradeship and who have the same vision as I do of ending war and its destructiveness. Then I hear people’s stories about what happens to their countries when war starts and see that their stories are identical to mine in my country: death; poverty; destruction everywhere; and lots of pain, mental and physical, inflicted on people.
I also see the link between capitalism and war. In the last workshop Julian Weissglass (the International Commonality Reference Person for Wide World Change and the leader of the workshop) was very communicative about the destruction of the environment and war.
These workshops get better and better. The last one was the best for me, and I think I know why. Julian has developed over the years very close relationships with people who help to make the workshops as easy and friendly and understood as possible.
Another reason this workshop was the best was that Julian approached us more personally and became more vulnerable. He was ready to admit if he made a mistake. People at the workshop seemed to feel closer. As Julian said, to end war we need to have close relationships between us.
Monemvasia, Peloponnese, Greece
Reprinted from the RC e-mail discussion list for leaders of wide world change
(Present Time 182, January 2016)