Two Cups of Tea at Hope’s Café
“A few blogs ago, I shared a quote from John Paul Lederach:
“Building peace is more often about creating space, developing relationships, persevering in spite of overwhelming pessimism, and being flexible enough to respond to emerging opportunities, meager as they may be.”
Having never heard of him, I was intrigued. John Paul Lederach (born 1955) is an American Professor of International Peacebuilding at the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and concurrently Distinguished Scholar at Eastern Mennonite University. He has written widely on conflict resolution and mediation. In 1994 he founded and directed the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at Eastern Mennonite University where he was a professor. He has also worked with the foundation Humanity United. His preparation for these roles began with a B.A. in History and Peace Studies, later followed by a Ph.D. in sociology.
His academic studies were enhanced by his hands-on work, drawing on his experience in the field as a mediator, negotiator, peacebuilding practitioner, trainer and consultant. At the international level, this has involved input into peace processes in Somalia, Northern Ireland, Nicaragua, Colombia and Nepal. Within communities, his work has often been at the level of reconciliation within church and family. In 2014 he said:
“Change only comes through ensuring that people are represented. In Somalia where I did a lot of my early work, there was no government and it was a chaotic situation. My job was to engage in longer term bottom-up grassroots work. You do this by establishing organisations for elders, women’s associations and so on which build strength into a community by creating space for civil society.”
How refreshing to hear of someone who has devoted his life to peacebuilding. One last Lederach quote I will share: Reconciliation requires that we remember and change, but with honesty about our experience and curiosity about the humanness of the other whom we fear.”
The invitation is open to share two cups of tea anytime at Hope’s Café or anywhere you share companionship and conversation.
May we bearers of hope, the “wait staff” at Hope’s Café, for each other and all those we encounter. Shalom, Kate
Hope's Cafe 