Ambassadors of Change

[Pushkara Sally Ashford]

Namaste, SingPeace! Songweavers! I include all of you who have joined the SingPeace! website and "movement" in its infancy. We're small, but we're mighty! I see the four corners of the country are (roughly) represented, today: Florida, NJ, Texas and the Pacific Northwest. Let's cradle and croon this infant through its various ages and stages of growth with goodwill, peace and harmony. I want you to know that I'm writing and publishing the SingPeace! gypsy wagon story as one of 100 Ambassadors of Change, a program sponsored by 10 Million Clicks for Peace, http://www.tenmillionclicksforpeace.org/index.php Our goal in 2010 is to send out 10 Million messages for peace. I've posted a video message from Robert Evans about the program on this website. When I applied, I was asked to answer a series of questions. I invite you to read the questions and answer them in your own way. We would love to hear from you! In thinking about the future of the world, which major world problem(s) do you hope to help resolve through your writings? Up to the present day, humankind has initiated armed conflict to settle the score and resolve differences. A pervasive war mentality and certainly a war economy dominates cultures, east and west, north and south. What would a "culture of peace" look like? What would be required of each of us to make this shift from a war mentality to a culture of peace? As this is an unprecedented time, replete with challenges and opportunities, I hope to remind readers of the essence of who they are and of the resources they bring to every day life that support getting along, finding peace within themselves and with each other. Do you know either the general or specific topic you'd like to write about? If so, what is it? I wish to chronicle "SingPeace! A Pilgrimage for Peace and Global Harmony," from the initial conception of a singing pilgrimage taken in a gypsy wagon built expressly for the journey through various phases and stages of its realization and vignettes of encounters with individuals and communities along the way, including consideration of its impact on people's everyday lives. In your own words, please express why this program is so important to you. What do you hope to accomplish by touching the world this way? Approaching my 7th decade, I had to ask myself: "Why am I still on the planet and what's left undone?" A song forthcoming over and over in a dream informed me: "You will live in other people's houses, and the work you do will be known long after your name is forgotten." 'What could it possibly mean?' I wondered. Contemplation of the dream brought to mind the notion of writing a book - as one's ideas in book form literally live in other people's houses. But out beyond ideas is a field where we meet, heart to heart and soul to soul. Music, particularly singing together in harmony, has provided the medium for peace-making in my family and community. I was moved by the film documentary, "The Singing Revolution," which demonstrated to me the power of a singing culture. Following WWII and without raising a fist, without pointing a weapon, the Estonians took back their national heritage from the exceedingly repressive occupation by German and Soviet armed forces. They reclaimed their voices and the culture of peace which they share through song. This has enormous significance for me as I lost my singing and speaking voice for over 2 decades to an intractable condition, spasmodic dysphonia. Now, 30 years later, I am reclaiming my voice, offering in words and in song my heart's deepest yearning for inner and outer peace. In thinking about the future, what is the one great legacy you want to leave behind on earth? My hope is for "peace in my lifetime," and the legacy of peace for my grandchildren's children. It's not a dream. Nonetheless, true peace requires a profound shift in the basic assumptions and tenets that humankind has lived by. I'm keen to experiment with music and participatory singing employing "a repertoire for a culture of peace" as the basis for change. Through which of the following places do you feel most strongly about creating positive change using the life-wisdom in your mini-books: Schools, youth centers, women's shelters, drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs, prisons? And, please suggest other places you'd like to do the most good. Actually, I'd like to address all populations. The starting place for SingPeace! A Pilgrimage for Peace & Global Harmony has been among established choirs, choruses, song circles and music camps and festivals. We've been invited to introduce "songs for a culture of peace" into an innovative school curriculum. We want to establish a web presence that will make the concept of a culture of peace and the songs (with audio, video and music notation) broadly available so that it could reach institutionalized populations, young and old. Creating "villages" through gatherings on streets, in parks, within neighborhoods and towns is a great way to reach people with a direct experience of the power of song to bring us together. Seeing the "gypsy wagon" and joining in the merriment of the singing and dancing brings smiles to people's faces and reminds them of how simple life can be if we let it. If we call upon you after reading your published book, and seeing your reader's responses, would you be open to making a career change to dedicate yourself to the betterment of humanity and the world at large? I'm on the path and making progress; it would help greatly to have a leg up in doing so. There are many aspects of moving the SingPeace! gypsy wagon pilgrimage forward that would, no doubt, be supported by the 10 Million Books and Ambassadors of Change projects. What is the movie, book, video, or story you have found most inspiring in your life? The most lasting impression has been of the "peace pilgrims" across the cultures and ages - in my own time: Mahatma Gandhi, Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Peace Pilgrim, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nelson Mandela, and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, to name only a few. Their numbers are growing. Most heartening for the future are the messengers of peace among the children. The 100 (65, actually) Ambassadors of Change have been given 30 days - and lots of coaching - to complete the writing of their 32-page minibook message. The deadline for me is December 31, 2009, after which my book goes to the editor. It will be published in early 2010. Publicity and distribution is also guided and supported by the program's sponsors. We're in capable hands. One of the features I like about this program is that provides an online environment that will extend the potential of reaching and interacting with a worldwide audience. My minibook message can be enhanced and enlivened, therefore, with video, audio clips, songs, poems, links to relevant websites, etc. I can do some of that from the SingPeace! website, but we're fortunate that 10 Million Clicks for Peace will extend the message exponentially to a wider audience. I'm engaged in the writing process, now. Each day of my commitment to the SingPeace! Pilgrimage and my minibook message has awakened me to the joy and magnitude of this undertaking, bringing with it greater clarity of vision and a deepening sense of purpose. I'm excited to be making this journey. Thank you for making this pilgrimage with me. "In la kesh," I am another yourself. Peace and blessings, Pushkara