2010.12.30: December 30, 2010: Fred Schantz writes: Recently on Facebook I posted a short note about how I felt President Obama was clearly one of the world's greatest peacemakers, about his father being from Kenya where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and about in a very strange way how I felt connected to all of this

Peace Corps Online: Directory: Kenya: Peace Corps Kenya : Peace Corps Kenya: Newest Stories: 2010.12.30: December 30, 2010: Fred Schantz writes: Recently on Facebook I posted a short note about how I felt President Obama was clearly one of the world's greatest peacemakers, about his father being from Kenya where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and about in a very strange way how I felt connected to all of this

By Admin1 (admin) (98.188.147.225) on Wednesday, March 16, 2011 - 4:01 pm: Edit Post

Fred Schantz writes: Recently on Facebook I posted a short note about how I felt President Obama was clearly one of the world's greatest peacemakers, about his father being from Kenya where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and about in a very strange way how I felt connected to all of this

Fred Schantz writes: Recently on Facebook I posted a short note about how I felt President Obama was clearly one of the world's greatest peacemakers, about his father being from Kenya where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and about in a very strange way how I felt connected to all of this

While I did not expect much of a response to my post, I was amazed to read several positive responses to it, and one very negative discourse against what I had written. The negative person blasted away on how the president did this instead of that, why so many people voted to change the political make up of congress in order to run off the current subversive leaders, and how our great country was established not by liberal socialists but by independent statesmen determined to establish a new republic.

Fred Schantz writes: Recently on Facebook I posted a short note about how I felt President Obama was clearly one of the world's greatest peacemakers, about his father being from Kenya where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and about in a very strange way how I felt connected to all of this

Peacemakers Shall Inherit
Created: 12/30/2010 07:59:57 AM PST

Recently on Facebook I posted a short note about how I felt President Obama was clearly one of the world's greatest peacemakers, about his father being from Kenya where I served as a Peace Corps Volunteer, and about in a very strange way how I felt connected to all of this. My posting was an expression an opinion and feeling of accomplishment during this auspicious time of the year when for at least two weeks many people in the world really do try to treat their neighbor as they would like to be treated.

While in the pensive mood, I also remembered that at a young age I consciously decided to take an active, although however small, part in helping to bring peace to a very troubled world that was at the time engaged in a horrible war in Vietnam that took the life of my brother and so many friends, all of whom I still miss every day.

While I did not expect much of a response to my post, I was amazed to read several positive responses to it, and one very negative discourse against what I had written. The negative person blasted away on how the president did this instead of that, why so many people voted to change the political make up of congress in order to run off the current subversive leaders, and how our great country was established not by liberal socialists but by independent statesmen determined to establish a new republic.

The negative person presenting the strong and mostly inaccurate opinions was so controversial I tried to evaluate why his challenging comments
Advertisement
seemed so sad and I began to worry that anyone believing the opinions would probably, like him, continue to adversely affect the social order in our country and peace in the world in general.

After thinking about his opinions for some time, I experienced a Gestalt-like change in understanding about my own view of the world and the people in it. I, and many people like me, was unwittingly mentally, morally, culturally, and even physically made a peacemaker by my biology, society, and eventually drive to help achieve world peace.

I am convinced the main reason for a light coming on about the critical role and importance of peacemakers was due to the lessons Christians in my family taught me as a child. Christ as a peacemaker taught that the meek shall inherit the earth and that everyone should follow his example accordingly. He taught that the more people tried to live a pure life as He did, the more they would be like Him and therefore destined for heaven on earth after death.

Finally, it is logical to assume that the same meek peacemakers who are scheduled to inherit the earth one day can and are willing to for some time to come, continue the earth's existence while improving conditions of humanity through promoting understanding and brokering compromise of radically different views. With enough peacemakers actively participating in the effort, a reasonable condition void of major conflict can and will continue until the day often called Armageddon arrives when the people in uncompromising positions unwilling to listen to others, consider different points of view, or compromise in any way at some point sadly experience wars and rumors of wars and the actual end of the earth resulting a great deal from their bigoted behavior.

FRED SCHANTZ, Woodland




Links to Related Topics (Tags):

Headlines: December, 2010; Peace Corps Kenya; Directory of Kenya RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Kenya RPCVs; Presidents - Obama





When this story was posted in March 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers RSS Feed

 Site Index Search PCOL with Google Contact PCOL Recent Posts Bulletin Board Open Discussion RPCV Directory Register

Peace Corps: The Next Fifty Years Date: March 8 2011 No: 1513 Peace Corps: The Next Fifty Years
As we move into the Peace Corps' second fifty years, what single improvement would most benefit the mission of the Peace Corps? Read our op-ed about the creation of a private charitable non-profit corporation, independent of the US government, whose focus would be to provide support and funding for third goal activities. Returned Volunteers need President Obama to support the enabling legislation, already written and vetted, to create the Peace Corps Foundation. RPCVs will do the rest.

March 1, 2011: The First PCVs Date: February 27 2011 No: 1495 March 1, 2011: The First PCVs
Bob Klein writes: First PCVs Arrive in Ghana 22 Feb
Hugh Pickens says PC to Win Nobel Peace Prize 22 Feb
Patricia McKissick sees history unfolding in Cairo 12 Feb
Bruce Rosen Leads Lawsuit Against Iran 10 Feb
Claudia Jayne teaches Sewing in Fiji 9 Feb
Michael Snarskis Discovered Ancient Civilizations 4 Feb
John Freivalds writes: Egypt compared to Iran in 1970's 2 Feb
Ted Poe to investigate PCV Sexual Assault Victims 31 Jan
Peter DiCampo takes Flashlight Portraits of Ghana 25 Jan
Lyn Wright Fogle says Learning new Language Transforms Us 25 Jan
Shanti A. Parikh Examines Structures of Gender Inequality 21 Jan
Ann Sheehan writes: Hearing Sarge sent me to Africa 20 Jan
Laurence Leamer writes: I remember Sarge as he was 19 Jan
Jim Fedako writes: What stands in way of rebuilding Haiti? 17 Jan
Peace Corps Evacuates PCVs from Niger 17 Jan
Sean Smith quits Hollywood for Peace Corps 17 Jan
Peace Corps Malaysia Prgoram to be Re-instated 15 Jan
Brian Buckley co-owns Innisfree Poetry Bookstore 13 Jan
Rob Prince writes: Tunisia explodes 13 Jan
Pancho Lane writes about Colombia 1 12 Jan
Erik Thompson brings Micronesians to Minnesota 24 Nov
Alan Guskin helped lay foundation for Peace Corps 4 Nov

How Volunteers Remember Sarge Date: January 18 2011 No: 1487 How Volunteers Remember Sarge
As the Peace Corps' Founding Director Sargent Shriver laid the foundations for the most lasting accomplishment of the Kennedy presidency. Shriver spoke to returned volunteers at the Peace Vigil at Lincoln Memorial in September, 2001 for the Peace Corps 40th. "The challenge I believe is simple - simple to express but difficult to fulfill. That challenge is expressed in these words: PCV's - stay as you are. Be servants of peace. Work at home as you have worked abroad. Humbly, persistently, intelligently. Weep with those who are sorrowful, Care for those who are sick. Serve your wives, serve your husbands, serve your families, serve your neighbors, serve your cities, serve the poor, join others who also serve," said Shriver. "Serve, Serve, Serve. That's the answer, that's the objective, that's the challenge."

PCV Murder Investigated Date: January 18 2011 No: 1477 PCV Murder Investigated
ABC News has investigated the murder of Benin PCV Kate Puzey. Read our original coverage of the crime, comments on Peace Corps actions, the email Puzey sent her country director about sexual incidents with Puzey's students and with another PCV, the backstory on how RPCVs helped the Puzey family, and Peace Corps' official statement. PCOL Editorial: One major shortcoming that the Puzey murder highlights is that Peace Corps does not have a good procedure in place for death notifications.

Jan 9, 2011: Push for the Peace Corps Date: January 9 2011 No: 1464 Jan 9, 2011: Push for the Peace Corps
Rajeev Goyal Pushes for the Peace Corps 20 Dec
Denis Dutton founded Arts & Letters Daily 2 Jan
Jim Carter promotes organ exchange 29 Dec
Bob Hollinger embraced the Toyama-ryu style of karate 27 Dec
Anthony Siracusa is Riding a bike around world 27 Dec
Marianne Combs writes: Another Upheaval in Ivory Coast 25 Dec
Kathy Rousso documents weaving methods in Guatemala 24 Dec
Ramsey Nix writes: Christmas in Mongolia 23 Dec
Leanne Moore writes: Coming Back to America 23 Dec
Cancer Victim Linda Lahme dreams of Africa 23 Dec
The RPCV Who Changed American Parenting 22 Dec
Dick Holbrooke at the Peace Corps 22 Dec
Mahlon Barash publishes "Imágenes del Perú" 20 Dec
Susan Luz writes "The Nightingale of Mosul" 18 Dec
RPCV arrested in alleged Sandinista 'Land Grab' 17 Dec
Peter DiCampo captures village life in Ghana 16 Dec
John Coyne writes: Peace Corps Prose 16 Dec
Kathleen Stephens presses China to rein in North Korea 15 Dec
Greg Parsley writes: PC taught me to bypass bureaucrats 14 Dec
Pat Waak writes: Peace Corps Pays Off 8 Dec
David Matthews wins NATO medal for work in Afghanistan 7 Dec
Ralph Bolton wins award in Anthropology 9 Nov

Memo to Incoming Director Williams Date: August 24 2009 No: 1419 Memo to Incoming Director Williams
PCOL has asked five prominent RPCVs and Staff to write a memo on the most important issues facing the Peace Corps today. Issues raised include the independence of the Peace Corps, political appointments at the agency, revitalizing the five-year rule, lowering the ET rate, empowering volunteers, removing financial barriers to service, increasing the agency's budget, reducing costs, and making the Peace Corps bureaucracy more efficient and responsive. Latest: Greetings from Director Williams

Join Us Mr. President! Date: June 26 2009 No: 1380 Join Us Mr. President!
"We will double the size of the Peace Corps by its 50th anniversary in 2011. And we'll reach out to other nations to engage their young people in similar programs, so that we work side by side to take on the common challenges that confront all humanity," said Barack Obama during his campaign. Returned Volunteers rally and and march to the White House to support a bold new Peace Corps for a new age. Latest: Senator Dodd introduces Peace Corps Improvement and Expansion Act of 2009 .



Read the stories and leave your comments.








Some postings on Peace Corps Online are provided to the individual members of this group without permission of the copyright owner for the non-profit purposes of criticism, comment, education, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and they may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner. Peace Corps Online does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the postings, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Story Source: Daily Democrat

This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Kenya; Obama

PCOL46427
85


Add a Message


This is a public posting area. Enter your username and password if you have an account. Otherwise, enter your full name as your username and leave the password blank. Your e-mail address is optional.
Username:  
Password:
E-mail: