At my daughter's Montessori school, they have a silk rose called the peace rose. Whenever two children get in a disagreement, another child can go get the peace rose and give it to them. They each take a turn holding the rose and telling their side of the story; they can't be interrupted or challenged. Then they arrive at a compromise and the rose goes back into its vase. It's pretty cool to ask your child what she did at school that day and hear her answer, "I was a peacemaker between Jenny and Tedd ."

hi everybody. not sure what to do in this place. pressed the "Help" button but got a popup saying "Netscape is unable to locate the server: www.spring.com guess i'll have to help myself ;-) so what's for dinner? hope i'm not too late. actually i'm moving and should be packing boxes rather than engaging in this avoidance behavior so i guess i'll be going for now. lest someone suggests this post is not on-topic...i surely agree. just can't help myself. can't get help. hopeless situation. hopeless. love and freedom , bill

Evening, Bill! What kind of help were you looking for?

Just moved myself. Welcome!

"Evening, Bill! What kind of help were you looking for?" don't remember. actually i'm the kind of guy that wanders on the lot, kicks the tires, takes it for a spin around the block, and then complains about the tinny radio. among the many other things i be and do...one of which is _not_, thus far, breathing life into this <conference?> how about it folks? any questions?

I've got a question - what does 'batwood' refer to ? . . .The wandering or the spin?

> I've got a question - what does 'batwood' refer to ? . . .The wandering or the spin? i could give you an answer...but it would be wrong

aw, go ahead...

It's not the wrong or right that counts, Batman, but how you put it. So, go on, we're all eyes . . .

The following is written by Sri Eknath Easwaran. You can read the rest of the article on peacemaking at http://www.innerself.com/Relationships/Peacemaking.htm Trusting Is Peaceful Simply to understand this is a great step in the right direction, where we do not sit back and bemoan our irrational "animal" behavior, but accept that our nuclear-threatened world is an expression of our way of thinking and feeling. The terrible dilemma which we face is the ultimate result of our mode of life, our motivation, the kind of relationships we have cultivated with other countries, our whole philosophy of life. Here again is Martin Luther King, Jr.: "I refuse to accept the idea that the "illness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the "oughtness" that forever confronts him...I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of nuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality." In this presumably sophisticated world, it is considered naive to be trusting. In that case I am proud to say that I must be one of the most naive people on earth. If someone has let me down a dozen times, I will still trust that person for the thirteenth time. Trust is a measure of your depth of faith in the nobility of human nature, of your depth of love for all. If you expect the worst from someone, the worst is what you will usually get. Expect the best and people will respond: sometimes swiftly, sometimes not so swiftly, but there is no other way.