Comment

Comment by Syed Mohammad Hassan on July 24, 2010 at 9:55am

Hello Sunny!
I am totally agreed with you as I see them in many activities happens here in Pakistan. I have also found the presentation; a listing mini cinema arena with no discussion at all. It is just they are there to fulfill the room in just making money. No vaccine to prevent war and conflict. The presentation is nonprofit David Letterman talk show.

Comment by Sunny A. George on July 23, 2010 at 3:39pm

Thanks for the presentation, it was good, however, I have few comments to make
1. events were discussed instead of processes(eg the breaking down of the Berlin's Wall) what were the issues that led to the wall trembling down? The presentation was made like it was automatic; "let there be and it was."

2. inventing medicine as curity treatment for diseases( how is it related to war and peace?) Training people to study peace and war is an event. Until we are able to research, analyze and address the root causes of conflict and war, I am affraid the training of these people may more theoretical then applicable. (training could be just one of the strategies/events)

3. some (political/power struggle) wars are fought because institutions and policies failed to uphold the basic principles for which they were established. This in my belief does not happen because the institutions and policies are(assumed weak; in my opinion, these institutions and policies may not actully be weak as it is made to believe. It is the people who are responsible to run these intitutions that intentionally or unintentionally make these intitutions, systems and policies unworkable because of their greed and selfish desire. so it becomes attitudetional or behavioral. If I am right, how do we improve these attitudes and behaviors becomes the roadmap to transformation. do we uphold these institutions, systems and policies while we build a new democracy after violent civil crisis or do we create new ones? So training doctors could probably be advantageous in providing cure for an illment. Vaccine could be invented to prevent a particular illness(like you said in your presentation, Small Pox is erradicated from the face of the earth). Unlike conflict and war, there is no vacine to prevent it; the situation deticts to a large extern.

4. I think the audience or participants were just witnessing the presentation, they had only listening role, they did not participate in the discussions. It was monlogue.

Once again, I am grateful for the opportunity

Comment by Jerry Jose on July 22, 2010 at 7:19am

Hello, your presentation makes good sense. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I am involved in some work in the Philippines on communities that deal with the most challenging realities, governance in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, dealing with malnutrition in elementary schools in cities, delivery of health services in provinces, among others.

I agree that innovation can, should be the one to bring about the change if ever we want to see it happening in this lifetime. However, the greatest question that I have, and possibly the one I share with the people and communities I work with is -- How?

How do we bring it about?
How do we make it happen?

Jerry Jose

Comment by Megi Tavdumadze on July 21, 2010 at 9:21pm

Great presentation! Thank you for sharing. I believe peacbuilding and non-violent conflict resolution has to be a mandatory discipline taught in schools, and not just for raising awareness, but with set of skills like teaching formulas for solving different math problems.

Comment by Ayodhya Krishani Amarajeewa on July 21, 2010 at 8:27pm

Hello!! I have aquestion on this.... You have stated, conflict can drive innovation. Then, what is peace for? What can it drive? And, distingushing conflict and violence is very important.
On the other hand, you said, Peace is a reality. But, everything you described identified conflict as a reality too. Specially when it can create innovation (but, i know it is very true). So, is it not that we have a more complex situation here? Peace is a reality, which we have to achieve through spiritual means, and it takes committment. And, conflict on the other hand, is what we are born for/or with and that is why it can drive innovation.
Just my entangled thoughts.
I'm still learning to become a peacemaker in a different way, which again would put me with the mass.
Great presentation. Made me think a lot and I learnt a lot. Thank you for uploading.

Comment by Kai Brand-Jacobsen on July 21, 2010 at 3:43pm

Thank you. We're very happy to send you the link and message through e-mail as well and you will hopefully have received it, together with a link to a second video on Civil Peace Services taken during a series of presentations at the Catalan Parliament. Please let us know if we can be of any further help, best wishes, Kai Brand-Jacobsen, Department of Peace Operations - PATRIR

Comment by Odwe Dennis on July 21, 2010 at 3:02pm

wow this is a good opportunity for us .
could you please share with me the info on my e-mail
bossdenn24@yahoo.co.uk
thks