Konnichiwa, watakushi no nakama! (Hello, my friends/colleagues.)

I do feel that you, the people working for peace and justice in Japan, are my friends, and I am grateful. I also am very honored to speak at this meeting of a new movement that says "no" to war and "yes" to humanity.

I bring greetings from the Berkeley-shi Heiwa to Seigi Iinkai (City of Berkeley Peace and Justice Commission). Our Commission last month passed a resolution congratulating the organizers and participants of today's meeting, to all citizens of Japan who are working for the elimination of war.

Berkeley is a community dedicated to justice and peace, even when the rest of the country doesn't agree. When our City Council called for quickly ending the bombing of Afghanistan just one month after the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, many Japanese activists came to thank them, and our elected officials were much encouraged. Our representative in Congress, Barbara Lee, was the only Congress member to vote against George Bush's war on Afghanistan.

In Berkeley, we are also inspired by your peace efforts in Japan. I hope this Non-Defended Localities Movement will help the world realize the uplifting vision of Article 9 of your constitution, to "forever renounce war ... and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes."

We in Berkeley share your commitment to local action for global peace. In 1986, Berkeley's voters passed a law, the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act, that declares the nuclear arms race to be "an intolerable threat to humanity" and calls for "the conversion of labor, resources and physical plants to peaceful and productive uses." The Nuclear Free Berkeley Act requires the city to avoid doing business with nuclear contractors when there is an alternative. This includes the University of California, which manages three federal nuclear laboratories. The Act provides specific, limited conditions for an exception to be allowed. Our Peace and Justice Commission advises the City Council on whether to grant such waivers. We are considering one such request this month.

Like you, we in America take action at the local and regional levels when our national leaders are unresponsive. For example, more than 160 local and state government bodies have opposed the USA PATRIOT Act, a law that gives too much power to the central government under the excuse of fighting terrorism - much like your Emergency Laws. Berkeley and several of its neighbors have passed such resolutions. These local efforts have had a national impact: Instead of widening the government's powers, it appears Congress will soon narrow them.

The Non-Defended Localities Movement is another example of "thinking globally and acting locally." It is not easy. There are many challenges.

Perhaps the biggest challenge is how to encourage people who have become disheartened and do not believe the words of India's Mahatma Gandhi: "It is possible to live in peace."

We can point to historical examples of resolving major conflicts without war, including Gandhi's freedom movement in India. Costa Rica disbanded its military and is at peace. South Africa ended apartheid not with military action, but with help from a global economic boycott that Berkeley helped to start.

So, history shows us it is possible. Logic also tells us so. War is a result of human decisions, not a force of nature like hurricanes or earthquakes. By definition, if there is a decision, other choices are possible. If we can decide to make war, we can decide not to make war. You cannot have a coin with just one side.

But while history and logic tell us war is not inevitable, we cannot simply argue our way to peace, because beliefs are not based only on knowledge and logic. So, how do we help people consider the possibility of "an international peace based on justice and order," in the words of Article 9?

I believe many people are pessimistic about human nature as a consequence of unresolved emotional struggles. We all have had experiences in adulthood that reminded us of how we felt as children when a parent punished us or other children teased us. When a new experience triggers those old feelings, we may interpret any criticism or conflict as a hostile act, even when the other person really has no hostile feelings. If we do this repeatedly, it's easy to become convinced that most people are hostile, and therefore, that the basic nature of humans must be to fight - and therefore, that human nature will always generate wars.

A well-known writer and poet who lives in Berkeley has deeply examined the personal histories of key officials in the Bush Administration. Several of the top White House officials behave like people hindered by emotional injuries, maybe from long ago. They react to perceived enemies, from Saddam Hussein to Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the way a young child feels threatened and throws a haradachimagire (temper tantrum). They do not appear to see clearly and they do not act intelligently - "intelligently" in a deep sense, with full understanding of the ramifications.

Unfortunately, these emotionally injured adults are unlike young children in one crucial way: They can give orders that cause tremendous destruction.

Sometimes such people can heal. We all know stories of "retirement conversions," where war-like leaders become wise critics of militarism after they've retired. The good news is that leaders can have such an awakening before retirement, and then start making decisions leading away from warfare.

Last week I spoke with a counselor in Berkeley who has worked with some very wealthy people. The counselor told me that many of these people find their wealth and power to be a curse. They are terribly lonely, never knowing whether anyone really cares about them or everyone is just chasing the money and power. Sometimes, after the counselor does a lot of listening and the wealthy client begins to heal, the client decides that wealth is too costly, and gives away the money.

Who would believe that rich and powerful people ever voluntarily give away their wealth and privilege? I know it happens, because I have a friend who has given away his own fortune, millions of dollars. (And no, he did not give it to me.) He told me once, "The worst thing that ever happened to me is that I became rich."

I know it can be difficult to think about the human needs of people like George Bush. But history shows us that successful nonviolent movements don't divide the world into "friends" and "enemies." They work to heal, not just to win - more like a medical team than a sports team. I think it is no coincidence that several leaders of this Non-Defended Localities movement are nurses and doctors.

Like a good medical team, to accurately diagnose and treat the problem we must listen, not just talk. After all, if we won't listen to others, why will they want to listen to us?

Not far from Berkeley, peace activists sit at a public "listening table" every two weeks. They simply invite people to say what they want to say, and they avoid arguing back. I have done this myself, listening to people who support war; it is amazing how people can change their opinions when someone genuinely cares to listen without arguing. When we don't argue, they don't feel the need to defend their position. At the same time, since they know we are peace activists, they have maximum freedom to think flexibly - more than when they talk to their friends who also support war, because then they feel pressure not to change their views. Practitioners of judo understand this dynamic.

Listening without arguing can also help us in other ways. The more we learn about the thoughts and feelings of people who disagree with us, the more effectively we can communicate with them. Marketers conduct focus groups; politicians conduct opinion polls. Peace activists establish listening tables.

Some U.S. Listening Projects:
one  |  two  |  three

Japanese Listening Training

My final point today is about leadership, and how it will be different in the 21st century.

Many of the great liberation movements of the 20th century were led by inspiring, charismatic individuals. When we think of these movements, we think of their leaders, like Nelson Mandela, Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, or Ichiro Moritaki. So who are our leaders today?

I believe this is a time when leadership will take a different form. It will reside in groups of people, not so much in individuals. This is beneficial in many ways.

Movements with diverse leadership can draw from the various strengths of many people without being overly hampered by the human flaws of one central figure. Such movements are not dependent on a single person who could die or otherwise become unavailable.

Most fundamentally, the way a movement is structured influences the results it can achieve. If true justice requires recognizing the value of all people, our movements must be structured to reflect that, or we may not reach the proper destination.

So, without a famous leader, who will be our heroes? Please let me tell you about some of mine.

• In the Berkeley area, there is a local contingent of the international Nonviolent Peaceforce. The Peaceforce is training a non-violent "peace army" of 11,000 people that can intervene in conflicts without violence. These courageous people are my heroes.
   
• I am currently taking a class in Berkeley on counseling and social change. The particular method of counseling emphasizes the connections between individual human distress and social problems. Its practitioners are developing methods for healing the patterns of oppression within individuals and societies. Thousands of people are involved worldwide, including in Japan. These are heroes to me.
   
• Finally, right now I am looking at a room full of heroes. Today you have come together to declare that your communities choose peace, not war. To succeed, you will need to reach a lot of people, helping them embrace the possibility that we can get rid of war, even when they have previously been unwilling to believe that. That is a heroic endeavor, and it will take heroic efforts. You will need to be activists, you will need to be educators - and you will need to be healers. For this, I thank you. I commend you. And I say, yes: You are my heroes.

Domo arigato gozaimasu. (Thank you very much.)

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