During this season of thanksgiving and gratitude in all its forms and occasions, it may seem difficult for some to lift themselves out of the over-reaching realities of our troubled world. Just a cruise around the world on the Internet taking in the news provides a pretty bleak and discouraging picture. Just a quick browse around the world and you see the "leader of the free world" with 60% questioning his integrity, scores killed in fresh violence in the war (military deaths now 2305 and civilian deaths and wounded over 100,000, UN study that declares women are most commonly abused by their partner, toxic spills contaminating water in China, greenhouse gases at an historic high ... and on and on.
Recently, I interviewed John Sloboda, Executive Director, Oxford Research Group in London and co-founder of the Iraq Body Count Project. At the end our interview, he left a message of hope amidst a lot of grim realities. He talked about how history recorded other times of great despair and that there was always a tipping point, where the people rise up and change begins. I keep imagining that we must be near that point. Listen to the Every Body Counts.
The emerging possibilities of the Government of Canada, gathering the knowledge and know-how of UN-HABITAT and IBM bring new hope. Hope that in tens of thousands of people coming together for 72 hours --- knowing, believing and wanting a better existence for all people --- might make a difference. Imagine individuals virtually holding hands, uniting in Oneness online at the Habitat Jam.
Oh, I’ve heard the doubters and skeptics, but how do you begin to change things???? If you want to get something different. You have to do something different.
So on December 1-3, 2005, people around the world will come together to help pioneer the way across a new threshold of communication and human involvement. Someone asked me, “Hmmmm, wonder if it will work and whether it will do any good?” Someone else said, “Interesting idea. I’m tied up those days, but let me know what happens."
At the same time, we’ve also received many hopeful letters from people all over the world so grateful to have the opportunity to be included ---- without question ---- to BE THERE! One letter came today from
A man named Peter Scott, wrote a book some years ago on Formula One racing, something I know little about (Racing). However, one line in the book caught my eye and answers all the skeptics. “People ask me how many times I won. You see, it’s not winning that matters. It’s BEING THERE.” So it is with the HABITAT JAM. It doesn’t have to be perfect (but it just might be!). It doesn’t have to reach or fill every need. Just the fact that people across the world are collectively saying “YES!” to the promise and potential of the gathering of our human family makes it historic. People of many differences are SHOWING UP! What happens at and after the Habitat Jam is largely up to all of us.
WILL YOU BE THERE? Are you a PIONEER of a new and different future?
Admission and registration are FREE.
LEARN MORE and REGISTER NOW --- http://www.habitatjam.com Debbe Kennedy
Founder, Global Dialogue Center
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