"Gazing into the heart of possibility" was how the Rev. Ellen Grace O'Brian characterized the Carry the Vision project, a conference on nonviolence in persons, families, the community and the world. Rev. O'Brian, Spiritual Leader at the Center for Spiritual Enlightenment in San Jose, has been instrumental in developing the conference over the years.
Now, Carry the Vision has become an independent non-profit organization, and is hard at work shaping plans for the next conference, to be held in October 2012 at Santa Clara University. Last Monday evening, 60 or so individuals from across the Valley met at the Santa Clara County building to hear about plans for the coming year and to offer their skills and resources as participants in the conference. Emcee Girish Shah, a member of the Carry the Vision board as well as Treasurer of the Silicon Valley Interreligious Council and former President of the Jain Center of Northern California, introduced Rev. O'Brian, who spoke about the history of the conference, Bob Weeks, who shared his own journey from serving in the Navy during the Vietnam War to becoming an advocate of nonviolence, and Jodi Krause, who led the group in small circle discussions. Krause quoted Rufus Jones, a Quaker, who once wrote," I pin my hopes to quiet processes and small circles, in which vital and transforming events take place."
Carry the Vision began in 2003 as a community march down the Alameda, and at that first gathering, Dave Cortese, now the President of the Santa Clara County Supervisors, was so impressed with the needs being address that he offered his support and has remained committed to the conference ever since.
Cortese, one of the speakers at Monday's gatheirng, highlighted a quote from Cesar Chavez, "You have to have the patience to win." Chavez, along with Mahatma Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is honored as a pioneer of active nonviolent change. "Winning," Cortese remarked, "is peace and justice," enabled by the commitments to simple, but profound, actions made by participants over the years.
The audience represented a wide array of community agencies, local activists, and advocates of nonviolence, including governmental officials, religious leaders, and non-profit organizations.
If you or your organization would like to become involved, you can check at the Carry the Vision website or contact the Rev. Ann Hayes at CSE.
Comments