Its thanksgiving weekend, and one wonders what to write about that is relevant to our activities at Silent River Kung Fu. Hm. Turkey is a bird; Cranes are birds too; we fold Peace Cranes; thats to do with our desire for World Peace; which is related to our many other projects; that includes the Benevolent Foundation; oh yes - the Silent River Kung Fu Pandamonium!

Another of our projects that directly impacts our hopes for world peace is the Malawi Girls on the the Move project where we sponsor the education of several girls who otherwise would surely live without hope of rising out of the cycle of poverty. What has the education of a few young girls in Malawi got to do with our hopes for the future of our children? What are the challenges that we face for our future anyway?

The experts the world over are telling us that our challenges are climate change, depletion of resources such as petroleum based energy, forests, arable land for food, the waste produced by unprecedented levels of consumption in our society and sustaining of viable ecosystems. For at least the last 50 years, the great thinkers of our times, from people like Martin Luther King, Francis Moore Lappe and John Kenneth Galbraith in the 1960's, to John Ralston Saul, Jared Diamond, David Suzuki and the Dalai Lama today, have all echoed the same message. Averting the collapse of our world will take unprecedented levels of international co-operation. That cooperation entails active protests against war, the virtual elimination of industrial and post-consumer waste, changes in industrial and economic practices to manage climate change, environmental thinking to protect the world's ecosystems and species, adoption of lifestyles that embrace simplicity, and a shift in our geopolitical outlook. These challenges are the kinds of things that make the average person want to stick their head in the sand. What can the average person do? With the corrupt politicians and political systems of our time, and the growing resentment of the countries who are the have-nots of this world, the challenges seem far too overwhelming. We have no faith in the second part of the message that the great thinkers unanomously convey to us. The change can only come from the ordinary people, the grass roots. As Ghandi said, we must be the change.

The Malawi girls on the move sponsors the education of young girls in an underdeveloped country. One of the great leaders of our time will be a lady named Wangari Maathai, from Kenya or Sudan, (I can't remember which one). Not only is she an inspirational leader, but she also echoes the message of international cooperation and environmental thinking. Perhaps one or more of our Malawi girls will rise above their poverty with the help and empathy of people like us. Perhaps these girls will be tommorrows leaders who one day will lead as Wangari Maathai is doing now. Perhaps, by actively helping, and understanding the challenges of the Malawi girls and others around the world, our young students will grow into the kind of leaders and citizens that will lead and cooperate and empathize with similar minded people on the other side of the world as they deal with the challenges of averting war, waste, pollution and collapse. Therein lies our hope for peace, preservation of the planet, the future.

Suggested reading: Read how Wangarri Maathai was able to recieve her education and become the influential leader she is today. Incidentally, Wangarri Maathai received her university education due to President Kennedy's African Airlift program, and another of the students who benefitted from this program was Barak Obama snr. Both Barak Obama jr. and Wangaari Maathai have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. www.greenbeltmovement.org/a.php?id=432