Incredible Journey to India!

Sufice it to say, such a trip to India that Lexy and I are on is filled with challenges, changes in schedules, adventures, and wonderful, generous people. It has been non-stop since we got here, in 90-100 degree heat, with 100 % humidity, so incredibly styfling and incredibly powerful at the same time.

Mr. Parmod Sharma, chairman of Yuvsatta, the international youth peace organization putting on this conference, has had me and my co-hort, Mr. Bernie Meyer, the "American Gandhi’ moving at break-neck speed from one school to another, one event to another, all the while balancing out with Mr. Ajat Satru the needs of 250 young people, the workshops, personalities and desires of presenters, and of course, Indian food! A huge job, and one I admire both of these men and their team of volunteers for pulling off.

I have been received so warmly as the Second American Gandhi that it overwhelms me. Wondering what the Indian people would think of me showing up dressed as Mr. Gandhi, coming and talking with the children in schools, the youth in this Peace Festival, I’ve ended up feeling such gratitude for this experience so far. My apologies to those of you who were looking for more posts–just today we discovered computer access within the Commonwealth Youth Centre, where we are staying here in Chandigarh, but previously the only access was after the day’s festivities and events were completed, after 10pm, and such days as these I’ve had no energy to walk the 2.5 mile round trip to a internet cafe to write posts. Again, my apologies.

I will bring more news tomorrow, if all goes well. Lexy is bounding from groups of friends from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India, and beyond. She is a big hit, with her effervescent energy and ready smile, her silly faces in pictures, and her beauty. She will probably end up with many international suitors, all of whom will have to wait till she’s 30, at least! Fifteen more years is a long time.

I send you greetings from India, these wonderful people, who are just the same as you and me, in so many ways.

More to tell tomorrow, if I can manage it again!

In True Peace,

Don and Lexy

First Dispatch from India–Peace Festival ‘Views’paper!

Greetings from Chandigarh, India!

After 30 + years of wanting to come to India, here I am, with my youngest delightful daughter Lexy, sending this post from a small internet cafe who charges 20 rupees per half hour of use–that’s about 50 cents, and our local guide felt he was possibly ripping us off at that price!

We went shopping for towels last night, shaving creme, deoderant, all the necessities, and our friend Ajat negotiated with the towel man, aghast he was charging 75 rupees per towel. A whole new experience in how prices get set and value gets determined.

The International Youth Peace Festival begins tomorrow, with 500 students attending and arriving here today. I have the distinct honor of giving the initial presentation, portraying the Mahatma, focusing on becoming worthy of peace, advocating Love as the central core of any work for justice and peace, and befriending people across cutlural, religious and national boundaries.

We have already had adventures galore, just in less than 24 hours here, with children riding on elephants, a wild and wooly 5 hour ride in a taxi out of Delhi and up 250 miles to this modern, architecturally designed city, ‘The Beautiful City’ they call it.

I already have lots of ideas, such as a youth-centered festival from the countries who have nuclear bombs, focusing on working in grassroots ways to disarm the planet from our own self-destructive tendencies. Can we do it, could we imagine, dream out, then actually make a nuclear-free world happen? President Obama says he feels it’s one of his key roles as President to do just that–care to join me in supporting that effort?

I’d love to raise my grandchildren in a world free of the terror of nuclear war.

I’ll post more tomorrow, after our first day of the festival.

With the most love I can imagine, and just a bit more,

Don

Gandhi Guy attends the International Youth Peace Festival in India

Wow, is all I can say.

Tomorrow my daughter Lexy and I leave for Chandigarh, India to attend the International Youth Peace Festival. Lexy turns 15 tomorrow too–very cool birthday present!

My intention is to provide a daily post to GandhiGuy.com, reporting out to you what we’re doing, how the Gandhi portrayals go, the workshops, the people and excitement of 500 young people from around the world gathering in India for peace! Awesome adventure, I’d say.

I’ll see if Lexy can post her views as well, and we’ll welcome your input and feedback, thoughts and insights as you post here too. Feel free to sign up and post, we’d love to hear from you!

Below is the schedule we were sent for the Festival, though many events not filled in as yet.

Peace to you and your loved ones, always,

Don and Lexy

 

GandhiGuy Goes to India–Join the Peace Train!

As many of you know, I’ve been portraying Mahatma Gandhi in what I call ‘Soul Theater’, as my contribution to peace in the world.

I always open these portrayals up for questions from the audience, staying in character in my answers. This is always a time of great exploration of the questioners thoughts and feelings about peace in their life, as they ask "Mr. Gandhi" what his thoughts are on their often very personal question.

I’ve met hundreds of people at my portrayals, and so many have expressed their deep appreciation for the gift they’ve received during this participative theater experience.

Now, you can be in on a tremendously exciting journey I’m about to take: I’ve been invited to portray Mahatma Gandhi at the International Youth Peace Conference in Chandigarh, India, September 25th through October 1st!

I don’t know if you can imagine what a thrilling, and in some ways terrifying opportunity this is for me! I’m scheduled to begin the Festival with my portrayal, re-enacting an evening prayer meeting at Gandhi’s ashram on the subject of peace. Then, over the next three days of the Festival, I’ll be leading workshops each day on "Becoming Worthy of Peace".

Finally, on the last day of the Festival, I’ve been asked to lead the 500+ young students from all over the world on a march in Chandigarh for nuclear disarmement in India!

I’d like you to be there with me! My wonderful daughter, Lexy, is coming with me on this incredible journey, and we’d like to invite you to come along as well!

Here’s our plan: Each day we’ll be posting to this website from India, keeping you up to date on our journey, introducing you to the young peace activists from all over the world that we’ll be meeting, and letting you in on each step of our walk for peace over the entire length of our trip.

Here’s all you have to do: Come back to GandhiGuy.com and post your thoughts in response to our blogging. You can become a member now, and as we journey for peace in September and October, you’ll be right there with us, each step of the way!

Between now and the Festival, I’ll be keeping you up to speed on our preparations for this powerful, life-changing trip, and sharing with you my thoughts, feelings, trepidations and excitements!

Come join us as ‘Gandhi’ returns to India, and be part of a historic journey for peace in our lifetime!

In Deepest Appreciation and Peace,

Don and Lexy

Be the Change You Wish to See in the World!

Mahatma Gandhi said, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world."

Let’s talk about that for a moment, shall we?

What the heck did he mean by that? Here’s what I think he meant:

I think Gandhi meant that it’s not enough to want injustice to end, we must strive for justice in our own hearts and lives. For instance, any time we judge others, we are placing our own set of values and life circumstances on top of their’s and saying our’s are the correct version of life. That’s unjust of us.

If we want racism to end, living a life free of racism ourselves is the change we wish to see in the world. Can we have the courage to root out our own prejudices, unconscious biases, fears of those who seem different from us, and be open to learning just who that person is instead? That would be living this change we wish to see.

If we believe war and violence are only one, very poor option to any situation, and we want war to stop, then can we look at our own patterns and see where violence and hatred, fear and retaliation come into our personal practices? Can we have the courage to stay open to awaremess of possibilities, rather than locked into dogmatic reactions to others, to other religious groups, to those who look or seem different than us? Can we live a life of non-violence, and from that stand begin to see others as the same as me?

That’s the change we wish to see in the world. Or rather, that’s the change I  wish to see in the world. It takes us BECOMING peace for peace to exist. It takes us BECOMING love for love to exist. The embodiment of these qualities, these movements and themes is what Gandhi was talking about. It takes us Loving Our Enemies in order for love to prevail over hatred and fear. If we don’t become this kind of change, then we are just substituting another villain for those who we say need to change their ways. We’re just becoming what we say we want changed by doing so.

It’s not enough to want change, especially not enough for us to ask others to change, paint them as inherently evil, to make others our version of the villain. That’s just the same pattern repeating itself.

We must love like all of life depends on us doing so. Because it does.

That’s the change I wish to see in the world. That’s who I want to show up as: Love. Absolute Love. That’s what I wish to evoke toward my opponents in life, toward those officials I don’t agree with, toward those who would stand in the way of peace. I wish to show up as Love, and as loving as I can possibly be.

That’s the change I wish to see in the world, and what and who I wish to be.

Be the change you wish to see, starting right now. It’s easy–but not simple. It takes work and practice to be that kind of change.

But we can all do it, and all do it together. If you get stuck, email me at donmcavinchey@comcast.net, and I’ll give you a hand.

Out of love.

Namaste’.

The End of Nuclear Arms Begins Today!

Dateline: August 1st, 2009

Posted from Los Alamos, New Mexico, birthplace of the atom bomb, and source of thousands of deaths from bombings and from radioactive poisonings.

Headline: Nuclear Disarmament Began Today in Los Alamos

With courage comes more courage. With visioning comes even greater visions. With great love comes even bigger love, even Big Giant Love!

Today, with a group of committed citizens from around America, and led by three visionary leaders of peace, the end of nuclear arms began.

"Nuclear bombs are immoral, their maintenance is immoral when millions are hungry, their development and testing is immoral when our brightest minds are being put to use to kill other human beings by the thousands", said Nobel Peace Prize Winner Maread McGuire.

"We are standing at the brink of possibility. There is a window that is now open for nuclear disarmament to actually happen. Take a stand. Stand up for peace, for what is right, for the end of this insanity that we’ve all lived with now for 65 years. We can end this, it’s up to us." With these words, Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize Winner from 1997, catapulted the nuclear disarmament movement forward in the birthplace of the death cult of the nuclear age.

Can we really end this craziness now? Is there actually an opening in the global consciousness for the end of nuclear bombs, missiles, testing, mining for uranium, the poisoning of the earth and skies, the blood of children and mothers and fathers endlessly suffering due to the holocaust of our nuclear policies?

Yes. Now is the time to truly build security, by saying to ourselves across the world, "We will stop this insanity that has ruled our politics and planning, our hearts and minds, for too long. We will end this death cycle, and end it in peace. No more. Enough is enough."

Be inspired. Let your Self be inspired.

Be empowered. Let your empowerment spread to your family, your friends, your colleagues, everyone you know and touch and love and care about.

Let your spirit ring out for freedom from this insanity of nuclear bombs. Let your vision begin to see a world beyond nukes, beyond intimidation, beyond ultra-crazed macho-ism. "Mutually Assured Destruction" (M.A.D.)(Yes, it IS MAD!), the policy of containment because we’d destroy each other if we let loose with our arsenals of evil, now gives way for the new paradigm:

"Spiritually Assured Communities Evolve", or S.P.A.C.E.

You are important. You count. Your voice matters. Remember what happened with the Obama election? Remember, just a few short months ago, how we progressives, those of us who’ve worked toward our own personal evolution, got into the streets, on the phones, into our cars and our neighborhoods and created a groundswell of support that put the first black man into the White House, a man of compassion, of fatherhood, of peace and justice? Remember?

That effort is what it will take to rid the world of these evil machines of mass destruction.

And we can do it.

Be inspired. Pass it on. And then be inspired again, and again.

We can do it. We truly can.

And now’s the time.

Namaste’.

I Take a Breath Today

I’ve found myself being too attached to the outcome of a project I’m working on. I’m feeling anxious, unnerved, fearful, angry.

I stopped today and realized that I wasn’t in my desired state of mind and body, and I felt constricted, alone, bored and confused for a couple of days.

Thank Goodness for Wayne Dyer, who in his chapters on Willingess and Passion in his new book, "Excuses Begone!", helped set me straight. Or, in another sense, I was able to both attract the right teachings from reading his book, as well as be able to have enough awareness of my Self to apply his teachings to my current situation almost immediately.

So, first I’m breathing on purpose, deeply, into my belly. Feeling the breath come in and go out, and feeling the relaxation that comes from this practice.

Secondly, I’m allowing my body to relax, which relaxes my mind and so my emotions. I feel more content, and able to see this project for what it is: a part of the path, something I can see and feel but isn’t a life or death aspect of my life, and I can relax and Let It Go. It will be what it will be, in it’s own time.

So thirdly, I take a breath, I relax, I see this project and it’s unfolding timeline as perfect in every way. I can feel the sense of Perfection flowing over me as I type these words, relaxing even more as this sense becomes more real for me.

As I relax, I enjoy the project already more. It’s harder for me to enjoy such a project when I feel so tensed up about it. Maybe you have that struggle too?

And I smile. I’m content with what I’ve done, my contribution, my place in the project and in the Universe–not to be too dramatic–but as others have said that "The personal is political", so I say, "The personal is Universal". What we experience in every moment is how we hold ourselves in the Universe.

I choose to hold myself in peace, satisfaction, contentment and ease in the Universe.

I take a breath today.

Speaking to Your Heart

I’m speaking to your heart right now.

Let your intellect rest for just a moment.

Your heart is calling you to listen deeper. I’m asking you to listen to It.

Your heart is where the richest, thickest qualities of your life will be felt. I want you to feel It.

Your heart is asking of you to live your life at the front of the wave of your life. I ask you to learn to surf that wave.

Your intentions are not enough. We know which road is paved with good intentions.

Your desires are not enough. Desires need fine tuning.

Your intellect is not enough. It’s a good tool, but falls short of satisfaction and intimacy.

Your heart is calling you, and I’m listening. I can hear it asking you the one big question that you’ve longed to answer, and for some reason, keeps escaping your attention:

Where is my heart leading me today?

There is no religion, or savior, or guru, or master who can answer that question for you. No one else’s opinion matters but your own.

Where is my heart leading me today?

Take a moment, and sit with that question. Let your Self feel your heart beating, calling, asking for you.

This isn’t a game, or a silly personal growth exercise. This is the Essence of You asking you to listen.

I ask you the question I ask my Self: Who am I to not listen to my Heart?

Ask for patience if it’s hard to listen to your Heart. Ask for guidance if you’re not sure where It’s leading you. Ask for wisdom if the inklings are unclear. Ask for courage if your Heart is calling you in a direction you find challenging.

But above all, listen to your Heart. Today.

Top 10 Ideas for Creating a Peaceful Heart

1. Laughing at yourself.

2. Laughing at the absurdity of it all.

3. Smiling practice.

4. Being enthusiastic.

5. Refusing boredom.

6. Taking time.

7. Watching & Listening.

8. Contemplating action.

9. Refusing to hate.

10. Only kindness, always.

The Peace You Seek

Here’s a twist:

You’ll never find peace of mind outside of you.

And you’ll never find peace of mind focusing only on you.

Weird but true.

Peace of mind comes from four directions, in my experience:

    1. Health

    2. Wealth, as you define it ( I have a new definition, which I’ll share with you later!)

    3. Love–the greatest of these.

    4. Perfect Self Expression

These four directions fulfill a matrix for peace of mind. That peace that we all seek won’t be found in someone else, laying your expectations on another person fulfilling you by loving you or being your object of love, or by being the One that makes you whole.

It doesn’t work like that. The peace you seek, that we all seek, comes from within. You have to BE that peace, that love, that sense of your potential that you’ve felt for so long and have wondered why you haven’t reached it as yet. It’s not enough to seek it, to desire it, to long for it, to project it, to expect it.

You have to BE PEACE, itself. Or, rather, BE PEACE IT SELF.

That means that when someone does something and you feel upset, you have to be peace it self.

When someone cuts you off in traffic, you have to be peace it self.

When your love of your life does something that irritates you, you have to be peace it self.

That ‘SELF’ that you have to be in order to have peace of mind includes those four directions: Health, Wealth, Love and Perfect Self Expression.

So, here’s how it could go for you, in say, an example where the one you love does something that you find irritiating:

    1. A healthy way to look at her or his behavior is to disengage from your own reactions. Those feelings are yours, and most likely stem from some expectation that you have about how the ‘correct’ way to act is for someone you’re in relationship with. Those expectations are mostly what get in the way of relationship happiness and fulfillment. I’d suggest you drop them, continuously.

    2. Coming from a place of wealth, a person you love doing something you find irritating could be seen from a thousand different angles. So, that’s a wealth-y way of looking at it, first off, in that you have an infinite number of ways to look at any situation. Secondly, if you are full as a person, and thus wealthy, whole and complete as you are, then someone’s behavior doesn’t detract from your wholeness one iota. Thus, coming from a place of wealth, you stay whole and complete, not threatened by their behavior, and thus, not irritatted.

    3. Love is of course the greatest path. If you come from Love, absolute Love, then you can see the other person as a reflection of your own inner patterns manifesting, and thus a carrier of the message you need in order to evolve to the next level of your life. You could cultivate Love for your beloved, and find the good in their irritating behavior. You could send Love to them, rather than get snagged by your own controlling patterns. The path is Love, the result is peace of mind along this path. You get to choose, so choose Love.

    4. A part of this path of peace of mind is Perfect Self Expression. PSE is a way of saying what is going on with you that totally takes responsibility for your own thoughts, emotions, reactions, communication and results. There is no mis-communication within a path of Perfect Self Expression. There’s only the constant searching for how to speak so the other person ‘gets’ you, and you ‘get’ them as well. You can always say, "You know, I’m having a bit of a reaction to what you’re doing there, and it’s my reaction I know. I’d like to slow down, and not react, so I’m going to take a moment and get myself together so I don’t go off the hook here." Your reactions are yours, and yours alone. They exist within your own experience, not someone else’s. Dumping them on someone else, especially someone you supposedly love, is silly and counter productive to being close with that person. That is what you want, right, to be close with them? Then choose Perfect Self Expression, take responsibility for everything that you feel and think, and make your life your own.

So peace of mind as a path takes you to places that may seem unfamiliar. Places of self-responsibility, of self-examination, of self-love and loving others deeply. These are good places to be, they’ll lead you to where you want to go if you let them. But you have to let them, and not be so set on being self-determined, not so goal-oriented, not so controlling.

You have to let go a bit in order to find peace of mind. You can’t find it by trying to control all the people and episodes of your life. Doing that will actually create more trouble for you, rather than finding your path to peace.

I know. I’ve tried the other way. It doesn’t lead anywhere worthwhile. Actually, it doesn’t lead anywhere at all.

Find your path to peace throught the four directions we’ve talked about. Make it be yours. Email me if you’d like some help getting your Self onto that path. I’ll show you how.

Namaste’.

 

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