Chapter
10: Visions of a Better World
None of this bothered me while we were under the moonlight together, sharing
our deepest secrets -- after all the excitement we’d been through together that
day. But it sure scared the heck out of me when I
stared up at the stars alone and tried to sleep late that night. I felt so guilty. I kept seeing my kids’ faces,
and their big, sad eyes reminding me that “Mommy is the only one for you,” and
“some day you’ll get back together.”
I was kind of relieved the next morning when Jesse acted as if nothing
had happened the night before, and I agreed that it was the best thing to do. Especially since it seemed the four of us would
be heading off to save the world together.
When the bus reached Quito, I got my laptop out of hock and hungrily read
the emails I’d accumulated from Melissa and Henry, and wrote them a quick note
about what had happened and what we would be doing, and how Daddy would see them
as soon as we were all set up in California.
A red-eye flight later we were there, at our new ‘Peace Center’ in San
Rafael, California. Wow, what an estate
Jesse had. Twenty acres of rolling fields,
with a huge mansion and no less than a dozen guest houses. After the ‘simple life’ I’d been leading, for
far too long, I could get used to this! For
a second I started to wonder what made Jesse tick. To have all this wealth and to just suddenly
decide to use it to change the world, while at the same time it almost seemed
like she was being forced against her will by the Kid to pursue this path.
And the Kid -- what was his story and why did I get the feeling that we
were simply puppets in a play he was improvising as he went along?
What an odd bunch
of enigmas we were. But I only let myself
wonder about it all for a second. I was
back trying to save the world; that’s all that mattered. Besides, I didn’t have any time to think about
it all. We got right to business, as soon
as I’d unpacked my bags into my really nice new bungalow, and had our first of
many, many meal-meetings. There
were only the four of us, but we had a waiter who took our orders and a chef who
created an amazing meal for each of us. While I devoured my food, the Kid explained
that he'd set up a nonprofit organization called One Day In Peace, and Maya was
the Chair of the Board, he was the Executive Director and Jess was the Treasurer.
"And
what do I get to be?" I muttered, feeling left out.
"Artie, don't
look so sad. You can be our Webmaster … I understand you used to be good at that
sort of thing," the Kid exclaimed, as if it were supposed to make me feel better.
It did. It really brought back some amazing memories for me and for a moment I was lost in remembering those happier times when I had someone who believed in me by my side and a wonderful, amazing goal to pursue that we believed would come true. "Were you part of the original One-Day-In-Peacers, Arthur?"
Jess was saying, bringing me back to reality. From her tone it sounded like she
was mocking me, but I shrugged it off. Nothing could destroy those good feelings.
But I never really
enjoyed the technical side of it all, and the Internet had grown by leaps and
bounds, technologically. Nothing that I
knew back then applied anymore. That first day, I sat down at my newly assigned
state-of-the-art computer terminal, and the Kid told me what he wanted our website
to be like. I just stared at him because
it was all gibberish.
For the moment, until we figured out ‘my niche’ in this peace brigade,
the Kid had me call all the contacts I’d had over the past decade or so, and enlist
them in our new One Day In Peace army.
I had a fun couple of weeks touching base with all of the people in my
past, and it really made me realize I’d been part of a lot of amazing things. Which also made me really homesick for my kids.
The Kid completely understood. “How’d
you like to be our United Nations representative and fly to New York to meet with
the Ambassador of Costa Rica to get a UN Resolution going for the world to celebrate
One Day In Peace. You can spend a few weeks
or a month there lobbying the UN Ambassadors to get them on board, and at night
you can take the bus over and spend some time with your kids in Jersey.”
I had been part of the effort to get the United Nations behind the January
1, 2000 campaign for a worldwide day of peace, and it did, in a small way. Technically, ‘One Day In Peace, January 1’ is
officially on the books, but so are thousands of other resolutions. This time we’d really get the UN engaged in
helping to promote humanity’s first day of peace on earth. And I’d get to see the kids!
For the next few weeks before my trip was to start, I was floating on a
cloud. Winter in northern California is often rainy
but lately every day the sun was out in full force, and everything seemed full
of hope and promise. It
really did feel like old times. All that was missing was Merle. No one had heard
from him for a couple years. "One of these days, he'll turn up and we'll all be
together again, fighting the good fight," I thought out loud, and I really believed
it.
One morning as the big day for my trip got closer, I went to San Francisco
to get some things for the trip and ended up buying a guitar. (The Kid said I
could get whatever I needed -- what a trip to not have to worry about how much
things cost!) It felt so good to sit back
with a guitar, delve inside again into that pool of creative energy, and just
let a song flow out. Gosh, how I’d missed
that.
The morning I was to leave, I was sitting in the shade, under a towering
pine tree, letting a song about my wish for a more peaceful world just flow out. I was completely in the groove, lost in the
feeling, and it came out just perfectly. Then
I noticed there was a voice singing along. I hesitated only for a second, with my eyes
still closed, then continued on with the song, enjoying the harmony that followed
my voice.
It was an amazing
experience. The voice followed my every
note, gently harmonizing perfectly. It
was that kind of moment you never want to end. I didn’t dare open my eyes because I didn’t
want to lose the groove. I actually wasn’t
sure whether the voice was real or just in my head, and I didn’t want it to stop.
When the song was done, I waited a sweet moment of silence afterwards,
enjoying the echoes that continued on in my mind.
When I opened my eyes, there was no one there.
I rose quickly and my guitar plopped gently into the pine needles. I caught the blur of a woman disappearing around
one of the guest cottages. I had no idea
who it was. By this point, Maya and the Kid had hired a whole slew of interns,
and had flown in tons of friends and consultants, and it could have been anyone.
I really needed to know who it had been, because I’d never sang so well
with anyone before, especially just improvising like that.
Sharing that song gave me an idea of what it was I’d like to do for the
campaign, at least for the moment. I knew
that I’d be up to it if that voice would accompany mine.
Over lunch that
day I brought it up with the group. (We
always ate together every meal, no matter how big “the group” was that day, and
some of our best sharing and brainstorming happened over those meals.)
“When I get back from New York, I’d like to help set up a new ‘Peace Bus
tour.’ I’d like to perform some of my songs,
and we could travel to college campuses and get local performers involved.
We’d set up a schedule ahead of time and get all the local environmental,
peace and social activist groups involved to set up a Peace Fair on the campuses
we’d be visiting. Like we used to do way
back when. Remember, Maya?”
Maya smiled. Of course she remembered. She thought it was a perfect mission for me.
“While you are assembling a team, maybe we can come up with a simple manual
so that other teams can set out from the other Peace Centers in a similar fashion.”
I thought that was a great idea, but her implication was that she wouldn’t
be part of the Peace troupe this time. She confirmed my fear, and shared with
the group that she’d be leaving for a couple months to set up another Peace Center
in Peru. I was heartbroken. Somehow Maya didn’t see how sullen I’d become.
Or maybe she was trying to teach me something; that would be more like
her. But what?
The Kid saw my disappointment right away, though.
“Maybe you should work with Jesse on some songs when you get back. You
sounded wonderful together this morning.”
I gasped and
looked down the table at her. She was beet
red and fidgeted uncomfortably in her chair. Never in a million years would I have imagined
it had been her. Crap. Now what was I supposed to do? I had tried my best to avoid her the past few
weeks since we’d been there. That wasn’t
exactly an easy thing to do because, well, she never seemed to have anything to
do and was always wandering around with a lost look on her face.
“Was that really you?” I asked hesitantly as I chased after her after lunch.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I heard
you and it sounded pretty and I... I just closed my eyes and... well, that’s what
flowed out. Sorry I bothered you.”
“No, you sang beautifully. I...I really enjoyed it.”
Jesse looked down sadly. “Yeah,
I did, too. I didn’t know I could sing like that. It felt good.
Almost like, I... well, like I’d finally found my voice.”
I stared at her for a moment. Gosh,
she really was beautiful. Would I be able
to sing with her, without falling for her? I’d
never be able to go out on the bus tour alone.
“I really would like it if you’d be part of the troupe and sing with me,
Jess...”
She looked up and there were tears in her eyes.
“I think I’d like to. I think I’d really discover my own voice. But I... I don’t know anything about ‘peace.’
How could I go out there and sing about it?”
I sighed and
smiled. “I’m leaving for New York this
evening...” How I wished we’d discovered this sooner. “But while I’m gone, I’ll leave some things
you can read,” I offered. “Some visions
of the kinds of things that would help make a better world. But you know, Jess, while we were singing together,
you felt exactly what ‘peace’ feels like. Peace already exists inside each of us...”
“It sure doesn’t exist in the world, though!” she sighed.
“No,” I agreed. “But if we can only
help people to see what it might be like if we all got along, and if we really
believed that if we all worked together we could make this world so much better
... maybe people would try.”
“Art, I think I’d like to believe that.
But I can’t envision it. There’s
too much wrong in the world. It’s so overwhelming.”
“But if you just try to imagine what it would be like, and if you could
really picture it, you’d want to try everything you could to make it all just
a little bit closer to that vision. At
least, that’s what it’s like for me.”
Jesse sighed and hesitantly sat down and leaned against the tree. “Okay, relax,” I whispered, sitting near her.
“Breathe in and out, slowly and deeply.” I
watched her breathing and breathed deeply myself.
“Now... Imagine a world where all people have food, shelter and access
to medical care, and children are born into and raised by healthy families and
communities...”
Jess breathed in and out, and I watched as a tear rolled down her cheek,
and I knew that she would have given all the riches in the world to have had a
loving family.
“Breathe, Jess... Imagine a world where beauty, the arts and media inspire
the best in people...
“Where tolerance and appreciation of diverse beliefs is the rule, spirituality
is encouraged, and reverence for life is promoted...”
A gentle breeze and our breaths were the only sound in the world.
“Imagine a world where governments respect the human rights of ALL their
citizens and settle disputes by the rule of law for the common good...
“Imagine a world where literacy and education for all are accomplished
facts...
“Where the benefits of science and technology better the lives of all people,
everywhere...
“Imagine a world where the Earth in all her natural beauty is treasured
and her resources are utilized sustainably, for this and future generations...”
I was silent for a moment. “Jess,
this is a world at peace.” I closed my
eyes tightly, wishing with all my heart that she could see that world that could
be, if only... “May peace prevail on earth...” I whispered.
We sat there for a few more minutes, just breathing in the wonderful day
together. When I opened my eyes she was smiling at me.
“That’s a very beautiful vision, Art. I
hope that someday I can believe in it as much as you do.”
“I think you will, Jess,” I smiled. She
started to get up, and I looked up at her with the sun behind her golden hair,
shimmering like a halo. “I know you will...”
I whispered with a sigh.
“I guess you’d better get packing,” she sighed herself, and reached out
to help me up. “I’d like to read those
things you were talking about to get a better understanding of your utopian dream...”
“I’ve got this great book,” I garbled, then coughed to continue, “Visions
of a Better World -- thousands of people, young and old, in over 100 different
countries shared their ideas about what a better world would be like, in pictures
and words, and the Brahma Kumaris, who coordinated this United Nations Peace Messenger
Initiative, broke it down into 12 themes. It’s a beautiful book and the Global Vision
Statement they compiled from the responses is really inspiring ...” Once I got started, I began talking a mile a
minute. “And the Earth Charter, that’s a great document that took ten years with
input from hundreds of thousands of people! And the Hague Appeal for Peace Agenda --
wow, that document came out of this great conference in the Netherlands
in 1999 with 10,000 peacemakers from all around the world ... and We Want Peace
On Earth: A Guide for the Peace On Earth Movement, by The People For Peace Project…”
“Okay, Art,” she laughed. “That
sounds like a great start. I promise that
I will read it all, and maybe when you get back it’ll have inspired a song or
two of my own, and maybe we can sing them together.”
“I’d like that, Jess,” I smiled as she walked me back to pack my things.
“Peace on earth isn’t an impossible dream,” I whispered to myself. “It could be if we only made it our priority
to make it so.” My heart leaped as I realized
Jesse and I would help people decide to choose to make it our global priority...
together. I never believed more in my wish for peace on earth than in that moment as I smiled and thanked my lucky stars that the Kid had heard us singing. Previous Chapter | Next Chapter Table of Contents | Preface | Ch 1
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