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The GoodLetter Thursday, November 7, 2002
GoodThings, Inc. :: Stories, actions, ideas, and greeting cards that connect us.
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Greeting Card of the Week
Favorite GoodThings: Now as Birthday Cards!
We're happy to announce that we've done something new with our Favorite GoodThings cards that have been so popular with so many of you. Eight of the cards (including the one at the right) are now available as birthday cards, featuring a special GoodThings birthday greeting on the inside. Please take a minute to visit our site to see which ones you can now send as birthday greetings!
Send a GoodThings "Happy Birthday" to someone you know. Every card you buy and send helps broaden awareness of progressive actions and ideas around the world. (We print all our cards on recycled paper using soy ink.)
Please visit our online store today by clicking here or on any card
PLANNING TO ORDER GOODTHINGS HOLIDAY CARDS TO SEND OR GIVE AS GIFTS? Be sure to place your orders by November 15 to guarantee delivery to you in time to use them for the holidays! If you think customized GoodThings Greeting Cards like the ones pictured above would be perfect for your non-profit organization or company -- or even your family -- to use for the holidays, send an e-mail to cards@goodthings.com and ask us about our card customization program and volume discounts.
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Click the card to see it enlarged or to order
Favorite GoodThings Birthday Variety Pack is also available!
Front (of above card):
Favorite Things: Dawn and dusk. Fresh spring flowers. A glass of fine wine. Inspiring books with latte. Sunset on a tropical island. My feet in the sand and my mind filled with gratitude. (Caryl, New Zealand)
Inside (of above card):
Hope your year is full of good things. Happy Birthday!
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This Week's Feature
A Lullaby of Peace
by Laurie Billington
Three weeks ago, bombs rocked the peaceful Indonesian island of Bali, killing and injuring hundreds of innocent people and adding what seemed to be yet another reason to be afraid in today's world. But from the tragic trenches of the relief effort, one global citizen makes a hopeful case for moving beyond fear.
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Editor's Note: The following piece was originally an open letter to the writer's friends and family. It appears here with permission.
Dear GoodLetter readers,
Over the past weeks, I have received many inquiries about our well-being and the situation here in Bali.
As you know, details on the Bali bombings came out like molasses, then as a torrent; now they're probably old news. The news stories have been very inconsistent, often inaccurate and biased. I watched a special on CNN International on the Monday night after the bombings ("Terror in Bali" -- ack! At least they refrained from calling it "Terror in Paradise"). I was appalled that there was not a single mention of the Indonesians involved -- the hundreds injured, dead or missing -- nor their volunteer efforts. ALL interviews and data and most visuals were focused on white foreigners as if they were the only ones there, either as victims or volunteers. The rest of the "special" was actually a sales pitch to convince the viewing audience that it was clearly another Al Qaeda plot. [My suggestion to people looking for news on the Bali situation is to seek ANY news source other than CNN. My preference is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.]
You already probably know the basics: three bombs exploded in Bali around midnight on Saturday, October 12. One was near the US consulate's office in Denpasar and resulted in minor damage. The other two were in Kuta across the street from one another, the smaller one near Paddy's nightclub and the larger near the Sari Club. These were the two that killed and injured so many. Both buildings are now gone, and many more are damaged. There are around 190 known dead, hundreds injured, and hundreds more reported missing. Forensic teams from Australia and possibly other countries are now involved, and identification is becoming more systematic. Still, compiling the missing list has been complicated and sketchy.
I actually heard the three explosions here in Ubud (30+ kilometers away) and thought it was distant thunder. I spent the next morning helping to organize rare blood type donors in Ubud. It was crazy at Sanglah (the government hospital), as they certainly were not prepared for a tragedy of this scale. I spent most of the time alongside many others trying to organize volunteers, compiling and checking lists of patients (missing and dead), comforting victims, and whatever else landed in my lap. I then spent a number of hours helping a group of young Australians trying to locate a brother and five other friends. The friends were found in the morgue, and, last I heard, the brother was still missing and assumed dead. That was one of the hardest things I've ever done.
On the other hand, it was incredible watching volunteers rally and organize. People from all over the world, representing many countries and all religions working side by side to do what needed to be done. Restaurants, hotels, guides, translators, counselors, students, tourists, expatriates, visiting doctors -- you name it, they were there. People jumping in and doing a job no matter what it entailed -- from comforting the living to photographing and identifying the dead, a horrible job.
After many hours in chaos, the small group I arrived with finally hooked up again and shared experiences. One American woman (who didn't speak Indonesian) was holding the hand of a seriously burned and injured Indonesian woman in the ICU. She did not know what else to do so she spontaneously started singing, which she continued until the woman finally fell asleep. The patient was awakened when the nurse came in. Her first request was for that nice foreign woman to please come sing to her again (which she, of course, did). Another woman went from bed to bed with her cell phone making calls to concerned families all over the world. Yet another friend spent hours in the morgue helping count and identify bodies. These are just three stories from our small group; there must be thousands more by now.
It felt really good to do something, anything, but the emotional backlash is finally hitting me. I can't get the image of this young woman's determined face, as she stepped over bodies and inspected charred wrists for her brother's watch, out of my mind. I keep getting teary, then feeling guilty for being so self-indulgent when she was so incredibly strong. It's been horrific and depressing and sad.
This whole experience has shaken my little universe, although I long ago gave up the illusion that Bali was particularly safer than anywhere else in the world. It has given me a vivid and permanent picture of both the worst and the best sides of humanity, a picture I certainly did not ask for, am not sure I want, but will hopefully learn to embrace someday. It has also helped me to re-evaluate some priorities including the need to be more proactively working towards peace in the world.
I'm not sure what that looks like yet, but what I know to be true at this moment is that this kind of violence must stop. No one should ever die at the hands of other humans in this or any other way. We don't know who did this. Fingers are being pointed all over the place. The US government, of course, favors the Al Qaeda/radical Muslim theory. The Indonesia government appears to be jumping on that one, as well, even though there had been political, not religious, bombings all over Indonesia for years before September 11 and the international "war on terrorism." There are conspiracy speculations (CIA and the like), while others are convinced "elements" in Indonesia are using the "war on terrorism" as an excuse to destabilize the country and bring back an authoritarian government. These are just a few of the favorites and all have pretty interesting arguments, be they political, economic, or moral. I wonder if we'll ever know for sure.
What I AM certain of and increasingly concerned about is that there are those who will exploit this to further their own agendas and justify other acts of aggression in the world. This is simply unacceptable. Violence is escalating in the world and the answer is NOT further violence. That message needs to be spread far and wide.
This experience has only affirmed my conviction that (1) fear is an illusion, but a very useful tool as it immobilizes intellect and obscures intuition, that (2) love and compassion are much stronger forces than fear (as witnessed at the hospital and streets of Kuta this month), that (3) violence only begats more violence, that (4) the only possible solutions to current world problems MUST be peaceful ones, based on diplomacy, dialogue, and mutual understanding and respect, and that (5) this can only start with me.
I have gotten hundreds of messages from both friends and strangers alike, looking for information and asking what can be done to help. Large donations have been pouring in from everywhere. Aside from helping the victims and their families, it's unclear how these donations will be used. Hopefully, it will somehow filter down to the secondary victims, the rest of the Balinese population who rely almost completely on tourism for their survival, and whose economy is collapsing around them.
My hope is that people will not write off Bali and the rest of Southeast Asia as tourist destination spots. Isolating and putting labels on entire populations of people is not a solution and may make things worse. In spite of the Kuta bomb and US travel warnings, Bali still feels safer to me than most places in America, and the Balinese, rather than responding in anger or seeking retaliation, are taking spiritual blame themselves, and focusing on unity, solidarity, and peace. Many could learn from their example. In my opinion, telling people not to visit Bali is like telling people not to visit New York. We just can't live our lives holed up in our houses wondering if a bomb is going to fall on us.
I also hope people can put this into a global context and do something to change the direction the world is heading. I believe we can change things by transforming the fear in the world into compassion, understanding, and peaceful action. This can be done in so many ways, from full-on political activism to seeking to understand those different from ourselves by traveling (even if it's only the next neighborhood). We can also do something simple, like going to the nearest hospital, finding a stranger in pain and alone, taking their hand, and singing them to sleep.
As I consider what's happened and what's to come, I'm reminded of Margaret Mead's powerful words:
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Laurie Billington
Ubud, Bali, Indonesia
Laurie has lived in Bali since 1990 with her husband, Made, and their two sons, Putu Kai David Santika and Kadek Kadin Suartana. She periodically holds the position of academic director for a college semester abroad program based in Bali. In addition, she facilitates workshops in her field and runs a variety of other educational and cross-cultural programs. In her "spare time," she founded and runs Pondok Pekak Library and Learning Center, runs a variety of children's programs, has recently started a special children's library called Pondok Anak-anak, and is learning to play gamelan.
(Thoughts on Laurie's GoodLetter? Inspired by what you've read? E-mail us -- don't forget to tell us your name, where you're from, and if we can use your words in a future GoodLetter or on our Web site.)
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TALK ABOUT IT
What is your vision for building a positive future in a world seemingly paralyzed by fear? What's your idea for the most constructive way that peace-loving people around the world can recover from tragedies like the one in Bali? Share your stories and ideas.
LEARN MORE ABOUT IT
:: Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Bali coverage
Pondok Pekak Library and Learning Center
Founded as a labor of love by Laurie and her husband in 1995, Pondok Pekak means "Grandfather's little house in the rice fields." The center's vision? "To provide a supportive environment where culture, religion, gender and ethnicity are sources of learning rather than sources of conflict; and where people from different backgrounds can explore, not only the diversity they represent, but also the similarities they share. To offer the opportunity to better understand, not only the values, beliefs and world views of others, but also their own. To affirm the need for balance on the planet earth and the fundamental unity and interconnectedness of all things. To encourage more empathy, compassion and respect for each other and the world we share."
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT
Consider traveling in Bali:
:: TravelPics.net
:: TravelForKids.com
:: Indo.com
:: CasaLunaBali.com
Get on an e-mail list for on-the-ground updates about the relief effort in Bali:
idep@dps.centrin.net.id OR casalunafund@yahoo.com
Want to support Laurie's continued work with the Pondok Pekak Library and Learning Center and the new children's library? The library always needs funds, educational materials, and volunteer time. Send an e-mail to us at editor@goodthings.com with "Pondok Pekak" in the subject line and brief description of your interest. We'll pass your letters on to Laurie.
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Reader Wisdom : Not quite a goodletter but close
If you're an avid reader of The GoodLetter, you know that we always ask you -- our readers -- about your thoughts on the features we publish, and we love reading your responses.
We also ask you to share anything that might have a place in The GoodLetter: ideas or situations that are inspiring you or challenging you to think, as well as organizations, programs, and people that contribute to your community and the world everyday. But sometimes the letters we receive from you defy categorization, and we struggle to make them fit in our e-magazine.
So, this week, in an effort to give those great letters a warm and comfortable place to live, we're introduce a new periodic feature in The GoodLetter called simply Reader Wisdom. Don't have a whole "goodletter" in you? Consider sharing some of your positive wisdom!
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Dear GoodThings,
An unfortunate medical condition years ago had created in me a non-driver, rapid transit regular, bundle-buggy pusher, a true pedestrian. And I love it! Having owned a car years ago, I still remember what it was like. I can empathize with hurried drivers. I walk along my slower paced, merry way, whether alone or with my faithful two-wheeler (buggy). I ensure eye contact with those going faster than me. I respect the power they have at their often impatient hands. I let them go first or wave and say a thank you with a smile as they let me go. Most times they give me the same courtesy as they do my little old lady counterparts. (I consider myself to be a young 50.) I avoid those that have rage imprinted on their foreheads. No need for any negative entanglement.
I've discovered I seem to have more time now that I walk! Those without four wheels can also see my smile and hear the hello as they pass. I have enjoyed more delightful conversations with gurgling children in baby carriages. I have heard tantalizing verbal exchanges on the bus. I have exchanged common courtesies with those I would not expect. I have met new neighbours. They were really always there. I just now have the time to get to know them. I can smell the roses or other flowers depending on the time of year. Some good ideas have come my way from proud gardeners. I hope that in my travels I have perked up some older person's day by walking alongside them, perhaps exchanging information of various models of the buggies we push. (Next time I am going to get the ones with four wheels instead of two.) I have even had people feel sorry for me as they see me with what appear to be two heavy bags. They want to help. I thank them but let them know that since the weight is evenly distributed on each side, I am really OK. And not to feel sorry for me, please.
Sadly, we are part of a dying breed, the one-vehicle family. My husband requires a car for work. We have chosen to live near good public transit. On bad weather days or just days when I've had enough of walking, the local cab company knows who Mrs. Evans is when she calls to be chauffeured. Who needs to go to the gym and use the treadmill that takes you nowhere?
Today, I am off to my friendly neighbourhood Pearson's Hardware (they know me there, too) to get a new buggy liner I heard about, the kind that will help keep the precipitation out now that the rainy season has begun. Then I'm off to the local grocer with my shorter grocery list. It's amazing what you can learn to not buy when you don't have the "inconvenience" of a vehicle!
Svetlana Evans
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Learn more from WalkingInfo.org and AmericaWalks.org
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We love to hear from you about anything: ideas or situations that are inspiring you or challenging you to think, as well as organizations, programs, and people that contribute to your community and the world everyday. Please drop us a line.
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Good Gravy
In this week's Good Gravy "Wet Weather" Reading List, we share Part One of a list of some of the books we've been reading in recent weeks, as the clouds have begun to close in around us here in Seattle:
1. (books) Chinaberry
"If you're a long-time reader of "The GoodLetter," you know that Chinaberry has long been one of very favorite goodthings. Many of the best books we've recommended have come from Chinaberry's lovingly compiled catalog of positive and uplifting titles for children and adults. Spend some time lingering through their great reviews -- and do your holiday shopping with them!"
2. (book) Power Lines: Two Years on South Africa's Borders, by Jason Carter (2002)
"Jason Carter has social justice in his blood. His grandfather is this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner and former US President Jimmy Carter, and his great-grandmother entered the Peace Corps when she was 70 years old. This is Jason's account of his own remarkable experience in the Peace Corps in South Africa. It focuses beautifully on the powerful human relationships he developed."
3. (book) In the Shadow of a Saint, by Ken Wiwa (2001)
"This is another book about coming to terms with constructive family legacies. The author's father is the late Nigerian writer and environmental activist, Ken Saro-Wiwa, who, in 1995, paid for his impassioned efforts to protect the Niger River delta from petroleum development with his life in a political execution. In this book, his son delves deeper into who his father was and seeks to make posthumous peace with him."
4. (book) Beyond the Last Village: A Journey of Discovery in Asian's Forbidden Wilderness, by Alan Rabinowitz (2001)
"The jungles of Myanmar, also known as Burma, are some of the most uncharted, unexplored in the world. But renowned conservation biologist has seen them in all their mystery and splendor and has ventured into their environmental and cultural complexity, and he writes about them with stunning skill. The fact that Rabinowitz also explores his own tortured soul in the book makes it all the more compelling."
5. (now in paperback) Lake Wobegon Summer 1956, by Garrison Keillor (2001)
"Keillor is one of America's most gifted raconteurs, writers, and radio personalities. Allow yourself once again to let him paint you a vivid picture of his Minnesota home. Keillor's vignettes are so rich that it almost seems as though he hasn't written a book but has crafted thousands of single, interwoven lines, each intended for a specific reader, to move them to laughter, tears, or both."
The Good Gravy "Wet Weather" Reading List continues next week!
Talk to us: What's your Good Gravy? What do you think of our new Good Gravy format? Let's start sharing good entertainment finds with each other! Send us your list of what you're reading, watching, or listening to and let us know why you think it's good. Your Good Gravy could be featured here next week.
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