204 Who Do You Think You Are?
What event or series of events led you to your discovery?
It happened around the age of 15 when my pastor insisted that I be part
of the Prince of Peace Speech Contest. I had never competed in any
kind of contest like that. I had to choose a speech from a collection of
speeches about peace, memorize it, and deliver it. In the process I learned
a lot about the atomic bomb, its cost, and the damage it could do to
people and property. It was eye-opening to realize what money used to
build the bomb could pay for in a peace-oriented society. I was shocked
and could not imagine that anyone would ever drop an atomic bomb.
After learning of Hiroshima, the place where the bomb was
dropped in 1945 and the nuclear classroom of the world, I, along with
several of my students, visited Hiroshima and was devastated. If the
American people could see what the atomic bomb did to Hiroshima, I
believe they would become socially active today, and not radioactive
tomorrow and they would not be in favor of war as enthusiastically as
they now are.
Also when I was 15, I discovered the Life Magazine coffee table
book on the great religions of the world. I asked my mother to buy it for
me for Christmas. It was at that age that I discovered different ways of
being religious and started believing that every religion had its own brand
of wisdom; that the wisdoms of all faiths, including Christianity, were
similar and held a common wealth. I thoroughly bought into the ideas of
Matthew Fox’s book One River, Many Wells. For quite a while, I had
been looking for a pattern that united people across all boundaries in
order to bring about global peace.
Now I am in academia using the liberal arts to inspire and educate
global citizens and ambassadors of peace. I have always been a reconciler
trying to negotiate understanding when there was conflict between
individuals and institutions. I was born on September 23rd, 1941 on Walnut
Street in Dawson, Georgia at 5:30 p.m. which classifies me on the zodiac
cusp, as a Libra, symbolized by the scales of justice. I’ve always tried to
bring balance.
If you could give advice to those who are still searching for their
life’s purpose, what would it be?
Keep reading, taking adventures in travel and eating not as a tourist but
as a pilgrim. Keep exploring and learning how to listen to your own
inner voice, because when you are “still” the Universe reveals its secrets