World Language for Equal Dignity: Poetry - The Humanizing, Dignifying Way


•  Francisco Gomes de Matos, Director and Coordinator
An Applied Peace Linguist, Recife, Brazil, E-mail fcgm [at] hotlink.com.br, currently President of the Board, Associação Brasil América, a Binational Center. Please see an Interview with Francisco Gomes de Matos in the APIRS Newsletter (May 2005).
•  Ulrich Spalthoff, Media Designer
•  Beatrice Jacuch, Editor

•  Poems on Broad Topics by Francisco Gomes de Matos
•  Francisco Gomes de Matos' Reactions to Current Events
•  Francisco Gomes de Matos' Poems on www.nonkilling.org
•  Reviews

Language is a great force of socialization, probably the greatest that exists.
- Edward Sapir, 1933

HumanDHS is primarily grounded in academic work. We are independent of any religious or political agenda. However, we wish to bring academic work into "real life." Our research focuses on topics such as dignity (with humiliation as its violation), or, more precisely, on respect for equal dignity for all human beings in the world. This is not only our research topic, but also our core value, in line with Article 1 of the Human Rights Declaration that states that every human being is born with equal dignity (that ought not be humiliated). We agree with Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, who advocates the building of bridges from academia as follows, "I have always believed that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential for public policy. It is possible to affect public policy without being an advocate; to be passionate about peace without losing analytical rigor; to be moved by what is just while conceding that no one has a monopoly on justice." We would like to add that we believe that good scholarship can be relevant and consequential not only for public policy, but for raising awareness in general.

DIGNITY AS A HUMANIZING MIGHT, Poem dedicated to the HDHS family by Francisco Gomes de Matos, a peace linguist Member of the Dom Helder Camara Human Rights Commission, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, 26th March 2010

Can DIGNITY deeply humanize?
Yes, when the rights of all beings on Earth it underlies
Can DIGNITY deeply humanize?
Yes,when a LIFE-supporting- force it signifies
Can DIGNITY deeply humanize?
Yes, when all forms of human violence it decries
Can DIGNITY deeply humanize?
Yes, when with environmental justice Humankind complies



 

The ideal of equal dignity for all calls for attention to the details of the language we use. Our World Language for Equal Dignity (WLED) site aims at focusing on linguistic habits that can help (or undermine) dignity, even though we might not always be aware of it.

Francisco Gomes de Matos writes about Humiliation in Brazilian History as follows (10th January 2006): Humiliation deserves inclusion in a list of Universals of Human Behavior: it is a trait characterizing human beings from earliest recorded history, sometimes documented through historical literature on forms of humiliation imposed on persons / groups / communities / nations, for example, humiliations imposed on peoples whose countries / lands were invaded, on slaves (here included people subjected, even today, to diverse forms of bondage as working for food and housing with no or minimal economic compensation), prison inmates, prisoners of war, political prisoners, and a whole range of socially excluded, marginalized humans such as people living in absolute poverty. As I look out my apartment rear window, I see a family of four using the Setúbal Canal bank as their home, having the grass and the shade of palm trees as their living space. To the huge list of types of humiliated in Brazilian urban areas, we should also add the psychically handicapped who beg on street corners or outside public places (especially churches), the jobless, the landless, and street corner kids (who readily, sometimes unexpectedly, wipe car windows, in exchange for a coin). Informal businesses (selling food and beverages without the municipal government permission), as the label for economic survival practices go in our culture, reflects both a sad economic reality, and a widespread loss of dignity and self-respect experienced by human beings deprived of fundamental human rights.
Given the universality of humiliation, its study, from mono, multi and interdisciplinary perspectives is to be expected. Thus, professionals in many domains have started identifying and analyzing aspects of such dehumanizing practices. In Brazil , interest in Humilation has drawn the attention of university researchers. An example of this is the Internacional Colloquium on Humiliation - Feelings, Gestures, and Words - which took place May 3 - 7, 2004 at UNICAMP, State University of Campinas, São Paulo . Its central theme was the place of feelings in History and a two-stranded organization was adopted: (1) a conceptual investigation of humiliation of the basis of knowledge created by Sociology, Psychoanalysis, Literature, Philosophy, Politics, and History; (2) the treatment of Brazilian and European historical experiences in the 19 th and 20 th centuries which reflected practices influenced by Liberarism, Anarchism, and Getulismo (a kind of -ISM inspired by the ideology advocated by President Getúlio Vargas /1883-1954). One of UNICAMP researchers from the History Department, Izabel Andrade Mason told participants about her Ph.D. dissertation, on the Revolução Praieira (Revolution on the beach). That label describes a liberal movement which took place in the then provinces of Pernambuco and Paraíba from 1848 to 1849, against the imperial government then ruling Brazil . Revolutionists were promised amnesty to those who surrendered their weapons, but such promise turned out to be a trap: on surrendering, the movement leaders were sent to prison, sentenced to life imprisonment with hard labor. As Mason puts it in her press interview (www.unicamp.br/unicamp_hoje/ju/maio2004/ju251pag05.html), a humiliating punishment was imposed on the then called rebels, by recently graduated magistrates.19 th century prisons in Brazil thus used humiliation as a way for reeducating inmates. Another UNICAMP History scholar, Italo Tronca told Colloquium participants that humiliation is not a distinguishing feature of contemporary Brazilian History (from 1950) but also of almost all universal History. He added that the world's greatest religions, Christianity and Islamism, give primordial attention to humiliation.
These introductory remarks, to do justice to the Past dimension in studying Humiliation in a Brazilian context, pave the way for a look at the Present Dimension, in a sociolinguistic perspective, given my professional preparation in such field.

Francisco Gomes de Matos has developed a sociolinguistic checklist with the aim to identify how humiliation is communicated in daily life, so as to create a database that can be used by policy planners who attempt to diminish and end humiliating practices. Please see Communicative Humiliation: A Sociolinguistic Checklist (2005).

Please see also his Two Typologies of Linguistic Rights (2007/1984).

Evelin Lindner wrote to Francisco on 2nd June 2009, apologizing deeply for not having the time to post his wonderful poems on this page as they should be posted since quite a while.

Francisco reciprocated with this poem:

ONE LIFE IS ENOUGH
dedicated to Evelin Lindner

Don't say "Wish more lives I had"
so more GOOD to HUMANKIND I could do
instead of that, you should be glad

for when your life is filled
with Dignity and Love
your mission is being fulfilled

To honor one's LIFE all of us should learn
for God gave it to us as a blessing :
it is by helping  others that PEACE we earn



Poems on Broad Topics by Francisco Gomes de Matos

 

Poems received from 2010 onward may be found at Francisco's WordPress pages


What Can HUMILIATION Be?
Francisco Gomes de Matos

It can be pungent
It can be pitiless
It can be poignant
It can be peaceless

It can be venomous
It can be virulent
It can be villanous
It can be violent

It can be depressive
It can be debasing
It can be destructive
It can be dehumanizing

Alas, it can be intangible
And very often invisible
Or even be indiscernible
But always humanly vincible !




What Can HUMANENESS Be?
Francisco Gomes de Matos

We are human
Are we humane?
Do we ever walk
On Compassion Lane?

What's humanely being?
A set of values pure
Ways of humanizing
Making others secure?

How can we be merciful
When others we criticize
Can we show mercifulness
And make a humane surprise?

Human beings
All mortals are
Humane beings?
We're still so far!




The Dignity of Differences
A Plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

There is
difference
disagreement
discord
dissidence
dissimilarity
distinctiveness
divergence
diversity

Needed: DIGNITY

We are
different
disagreeable
discordant
dissident
dissimilar
distinctive
divergent
diverse

Needed: DIGNIFYING OUR DIFFERENCES

Lets be DIGNIFIERS IN OUR DAILY DOINGS

.




A WORLD NEED: Let’s BE(come) DIGNIFIERS
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Let’s become dignifiers
and treat one another with respect
Let’s become dignifiers
and always interact with affect

Let’s become dignifiers
and engage in peaceful communication
Let’s become dignifiers
always promoting global cooperation

Let’s become dignifiers
and foster gender sensitivity
Let’s become dignifiers
Enhancing cultural diversity

Let’s become dignifiers
and help in the formation of persons humane
Let’s become dignifiers
Seeing the worth of men and women as the same

Let’s become dignifiers
and support all forms of integrity
Let’s become dignifiers
Denouncing all types of dishonesty

Let’s become dignifiers
and develop universal humanization
Let’s become dignifiers
vetoing all kinds of humiliation

Let’s become dignifiers
And help acts of Justice increase
Let’s become dignifiers
Contributing to violence decrease

Let’s become dignifiers
and uphold individual magnanimity
Let’s become dignifiers
Reeducating agents of perversity

Let’s become dignifiers
and help economic injustice eliminate
Let’s become dignifiers
Ensuring Human Security to perpetuate

Let’s become dignifiers
and strive to solve conflicts constructively
Let’s become dignifiers
and avoid deciding disputes destructively

Let’s become dignifiers
and dignify others’ lives and our own
Let’s become dignifiers
and doing GOOD everywhere will be sown

Let’s become dignifiers
And responsibly our role in Nature play
Let’s become dignifiers
Helping Life on Earth sustainable to stay

Let’s become dignifiers
and help the position of FREEEDOM elevate
Let’s become dignifiers
and the RIGHT TO PEACE permanently cultivate

Let’s become dignifiers
Going beyond what we can signify
Let’s BE DIGNIFIERS
BECOMING WHO/WHAT we can DIGNIFY




On Alliterations
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Alliterations are attractive
Senses and sounds synergized
Images, intentions if inactive
emerge, enchantingly energized

Alliterations are astounding
Sentence structure they simplify
Rhetoric and rhythm resounding
Transformative texts they typify

Alliterations are adorable
tact & tranquillity they transmit
Hope & Humility are honorable
Analogies, Applications they admit

Alliterations are associations
Similarity in sound is supplied
always in artistic appreciations
information or insight is implied




PEACE: A TRANScending need
Francisco Gomes de Matos

PEACE
Much more than a longed-for universality
PEACE
Much more than a wished-for responsibility
PEACE
Much more than a deeply humanizing capability
PEACE
Dignity and Justice for Life-sustainability




Peace through Prose and Poetry
Francisco Gomes de Matos

What is PEACE through PROSE?
A literary tradition which is long
What is PEACE through POETRY?
A new type of deeply humanizing song

Both call for creative imagination
Each constitutes a sublime translation
While prose thrives on argumentation

Poetry excels in sound-image creationProse can aim at human (re)conciliation
Poetry can inspire us with illumination
In peace prose, unlimited decisions to make
In peace poetry, a myriad delights to create

Oh, Peace writers, through your wisely-crafted prose
in universal peaceful language help us communicate
Peace writers, in all kinds of cultures please show
That a truly peaceful world only Harmony can generate




Peace Day
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Establish a day as peaceday?
Peace is needed all the time
Every day should be peaceday
That’s my plea in this rhyme




Prerequisites for Planetary Peace
Francisco Gomes de Matos

The list below has been created on the basis of the concept of alliteration. In this case, the author’s Thril Technique has been applied: threefold repetition of a word-initial letter in a meaningful, memorable message. Readers are asked/challenged to contribute to the enumeration, by adding items and filling gaps.

A A A - Advocating amicable actions

A A A - Achieving goals with appreciative actions

B B B - Building bridges of benevolence

C C C - Creating coalitions of NGOs on conflict issues

C C C - Cultivating constructive communication

C C C - Dignifying the discourse of divergence

D D D - Doing away with destructive devices

D D D - Deepening the dialogue through Democracy

D D D - Develop dynamic democratic institutions

E E E - Engaging in Earth-saving efforts

F F F – Fostering fidelity to freedom

G G G - Governing with global guarantees

H H H – Halting harm and humiliation

H H H - Harvesting a heaven of humility

I I I - Implementing instruction for integrity

I I I - Implementing international interconnectedness

J J J - Joining forces for the joy of justice

L L L - Learning to lead with Liberty

M M M - Mediating through moderation and morality

M M M - Multiplying measures against Misery

N N N - Nourishing a NO! to nuclear weapons

O O O  - Opening organizations to crosscultural orientation
             Orienting organizations to open-mindedness

P P P - Planting Peace all over the Planet

P P P - Promoting prosperity for the Poor

P P P - Promoting participatory Pedagogy

Q Q Q - Questioning quixotic queries

R R R - Relating Rights and Responsibilities

R R R – Redistributing richness realistically

S S S – Sailing on seas of serenity

S S S - Supporting safety and security

T T T - Treating tensions tactfully

V V V - Vetoing villainy and violence

V V V - Visioning values and environmental validity

W W W - Working for a world without wars

Milton Schwebel kindly added:


E E E - Enlightening Every Earthling

F F F - Facilitatiung feelings of friendship

G G G - Guaranteeing Good Governance




On QUESTIONING - An Alphabetically Arranged List of Features
By Francisco Gomes de Matos, Brazil, assisted by Brian Ward, New Zealand

Introductory remarks

One of the most fascinating ways to CREactivate our cognition communicatively is by engaging in the process of QUESTIONING.
Below, an open-ended listing made up of NOUN + VERB in -ING. Also note that there is repetition of the initial letter in each compound phrase so as to enhance alliterative memorability.

What features would you question and why? What items would you add so as to probe a QUESTIONER’s repertoire of desirable features and describe the attributes of good questioning dialogue.

If an ADJECTIVE + VERB in ‘-ING’ construction were also being considered, what contributions could you make? Do challenge your word knowledge and competence as a user of concise English and try this in other languages as well.

Have fun and do contact me if you find this communicatively relevant!
A - AUTHOR-asking, autonomy-ascending, alternative-aspiring, advancement-anticipating..
B - Bravery-building, bridge-building, belligerence-barring, boldness-broaching..
C - Convention-challenging, criticism-constructing, change-making, counsel-creating, creativity-carving, counterbalance-composing, counterargument-creating collaboratively-creating..
D – Doubt-dipping, dignity-deepening, diversity-developing, divergence-disturbing, dogma-dreading..
E – Empathy-energizing, essence-examining, equality-enhancing, erudition-examining..
F – fact-fathoming, future-fantasizing, fantasy-filling, future facts finding..
G – goodness-guiding, grace-garnishing, gratitude go-getting..
H – Humankind-humanizing, honesty-harvesting, humiliation-halting, history-helping
I - In-depth-inquiring, insight-immersing, idea(s)-integrating, idea-inspiring
J - Justice-joining, justice-judging, joy-jousting..
K - Knowledge-kindling, kindness-keeping..
L - Liberty-leaping, life-liberating, language-leaping..
M - Mind-multiplying, maturity-marveling..
N - Nature-nurturing, negativity-nullifying or NOing..
O - Opinion-offering, option-optimizing, opposition-opening..
p - Perspective-probing, proposition-presenting..
Q - Quality-quenching, query-qualifying, quietude-questing, quantum-questing..
R - Reality-reaping, relevance-reassuring, research-readying, relevance-reasoning, reason-resonating..
S - Society-serving, strength-sowing, simplicity-sensing, sensitivity-searching..
T - Text toiling, truth-tilling, tradition-transforming, thought-testing..
U - University-understanding, unfriendliness-undoing, unintentionalities-unlocking, universally-unifying..
V - Value verifying, vulnerability-valuing, vision-valuing..
W - Wisdom-weaving, word-weighing, wellness-willing, wonderment-wandering..
X - Xenophobia-X-raying..
Y - YES-yielding, YES-yearning
Z - Zest-zooming




Redefin(d)ing Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Peace as "absence of war" is traditionally defined
A positively-phrased conception has long been needed
So now, Peace is being more comprehensively designed
But how universally is such perception being heeded?

There is Peace in every kind prayer for good-will
And in every communicative action toward harmony
But other forms of peacebuilding there are still
That can turn Life on Earth into a friendly symphony

On the foundations of positive attitudes Peace can thrive
In brave acts of mediation Peace can play its powerful role
In intra/intercultural negotiation, conciliation can survive
For Peace is presence of justice serene in heart and soul

Peace is a permanent call to a free, democratic cooperation
And a force for reducing/eliminating all forms of violence
Peace is also a power against Human Rights violation
And a commitment to a sustained environmental conscience




Creating a Paradigm for Peace
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Dear Evelin,
In my workshops on Communicative Peace, I challenge participants to create a PARADIGM FOR PEACE, that is, a list of verbs which can fill the first position in the phrase ACT FOR PEACE.

The challenge can be enhanced, if you say USE THE FIRST VERB THAT COMES TO MIND, THEN WRITE IT DOWN. ON COMPLETION OF THE ALPHABETICALLY ARRANGED PARADIGM, EXCHANGE YOUR LISTS WITH OTHER PERSONS AND DISCUSS HOW HUMANIZINGLY MEANINGFUL VERB CHOICES CAN BE AND WHY.

Here is a typical PARADIGM, from one of such cognitively-linguistically challenging practices:

FOR P E A C E

A - attract
B - build
C - create
D- dignify
E- empathize
F - feed
G - group
H - humanize
I - interact
J- joy
K - kindle
L - Lead
M - mobilize
N- nucleate
O- opt
P - reconcile
Q - quest
R - ally
S- speak
T - teach
U - unite
V - vitalize
W- work
Y - yield

Additionally, participants can be asked to creactivate one example of Paradigm for the letters x and z. The dual goal of this Peace-focused wordplay is to show that Peace is paradigmatic (exemplary) and that we can enhance Communicative Peace by probing its phraseology, through paradigms such as the one illustrated above.

Wonder if members of our group have ever thought of this communicative dimension?

Liven up for Peace!
Francisco Gomes de Matos, Recife, Brazil




Conjugating for Peace
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Introduction - Conjugating is the practice of presenting the inflected forms of a verb. In English, it has to do with tense formation. In materials for learners of English as a second language, the following are considered TENSES: Present simple, present progressive or continuous, present perfect, past simple, past perfect, past perfect progressive, future
tense, future perfect, conditional tense(hypothetical past). In the poetic-statements to follow, that terminology will be used. Tense forms will be CAPITALIZED. Brief contextualization will be provided, for communicative realism. Readers are invited to provide other examples of CONJUGATION FOR PEACE.

Present simple

AM I peaceful, when insulted?
ARE you peaceful, when intimidated?
IS s/he peaceful, when antagonized?
ARE we/you/they peaceful, when criticized?

Present progressive

When AM I BEING peaceful?
When ARE you BEING peaceful?
When IS s/he BEING peaceful?
When ARE we/you/they BEING peaceful?

Present perfect

HAVE I BEEN a peaceable person?
HAVE you BEEN a peaceloving person?
HAS s/he BEEN a peacebuilding person?
HAVE we/you/they BEEN peacepromoting persons?

Past simple

When WAS I peaceful?
When WERE you peaceful?
When WAS s/he peaceful?
When WERE we/you/they peaceful?

Past perfect

HAD I BEEN peaceful, what good would that do?
HAD YOU BEEN peaceful, what change would that make?
HAD S/HE BEEN peaceful, what good would that do?
HAD we/you/they BEEN peaceful, what change would that make?

Future

When WILL I BE a peaceful person everywhere?
When WILL you BE a peaceful person in difficult circumstances?
When WILL s/he BE a peaceful person at home, at work, at school?
When WILL we/you/they BE peaceful persons in trying experiences?

Hypothetical past (conditional)

If I communicated peacefully, the disagreement would have ended (or would end?)
If you communicated peacefully, the disrespect would have ended
If s/he communicated peacefully, the dispute would have ended
If we/you/they communicated peacefully, the distrust would have ended

Concluding remarks

If all of us practice and probe this type of Conjugation
And power it with humanizing feelings from our heart and soul
People will act as a cooperative, harmonizing congregation
And PEACE will become a permanent, sustained Life-supporting goal




A Peacelanguage for All: Universalese
A bilingual’s plea, by Francisco Gomes de Matos, an applied peace linguist from Recife, Brazil

In most of my life I have activated bilingual speech
and have benefited from a true marvel of cognition
privilegedly, in two languages I have been able to teach
I wish Bilingualism had been given global recognition

Portuguese and English I’ve also been visually representing
from one language to the other, my mind can so easily go
two languages integrated or kept apart, I’ve been presenting
I wish Bilingualism had been educationally implemented so

Bilingualism is a process or a phenomenon, some say
Others tend to view it as a unique, extraordinary ability
In fact, it has become a most desirable asset today
And also a much sought-after communicative quality

For me, the English language is “the other”
Since my native language is Portuguese
For all peoples to understand one another
A peacelanguage is needed: Universalese

Significantly, Multilingualism can be found in countries big and small
Peace for International Understanding is a desirable humanizing expertise
Farsightedly, couldn't Humankind wish there was a peace language for all?
In such spirit, communicative visionaries would create it: UNIVERSALESE




Dreaming of Peaceland
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Indignity had already gone away
Humiliation would never take place
Injustice was not allowed to play
Inequality had changed its face

Now, dignity here could always stay
Respect was given a permanent seat
Justice helped all live the right way
Equality was treated as a shared feat

Had all of this finally come true?
Had life on Earth really changed so?
Had Harmony created planethood anew?
Had Humans learned friendship to sow?

Alas, that was only my sleeping imagination
visioning a Peaceland to be found everywhere
After waking up from that deep humanization,
I said: By always doing good, we'll get there!!




Peace day? Every day
A poem by Francisco Gomes de Matos

There's an International Day of Peace
September 21 for it has been declared
Since conflicts never seem to cease
For peace every day have we truly cared?

It's great for Peace to have a special day
so the Calendar we live by can be humanized
Let's promote Peace in every possible way
And show that we are peacefully organized.




A Plea for Positive –Isms
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In human experience hundreds of -isms there are
many of which consisting of constructive facts
but alas there are also -isms undignifying by far
which often result in terrible, destructive acts

When well-established laws and institutions are rejected
And when violence and threats are used to intimidate
Human beings suffer for negative -isms are being projected
with an abominable, underlying intent to humans annihilate

How can utterly negative -isms be prevented?
Does Humankind have to be educated a-new?
More ways of unlimited love can be invented
For positive -isms to inspire us in what to do.




A Plea for Using Positivizers
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Let's learn to use words that create affect
and their role in doing good let's weigh
for kindness has a communicative effect
on how constructively we live every day

Let's use words that can help dignify
and make people seek reconciliation
let's use words that can truly magnify
our ways to express deep appreciation

Let's use warm words that forgive
and interact with other persons well
the communicative example we give
may become an edifying story to tell

Let's use words that humanize
And help Justice to restore
Let´s use words that positivize
And say to Harm: Never more!

Evelin Gerda Lindner wrote (25/11/2007):
Wonderful, as always, dearest Francisco!
We will need your linguistic support in our NY workshops, because we always have the discussion whether using warm words does not unduly obscure the truth!
Sunniest admiration!
Evelin

Francisco Gomes de Matos replied (25/11/2007):
Warm words shine, hence, illuminate rather than obscure the truth. Using warm
words are communicative acts of courage, Evelin. They challenge us to
do good communicatively, a dimension which is also so often neglected in
human interaction... warm words, unlike WARRing words, can bring people
together... Warm words are not like WARNing words, often intimidating...

Francisco Gomes de Matos wrote (25/11/2007):
Dear Evelin,
Note that I coined the term POSITIVIZER on the analogy of Emphasizer, etc., which are used in well-known grammars of English, such as the one by Randolph Quirk et al. I think the term POSITIVIZER is productive: as language users we can positivize our messages, and use positivizing words, etc
The word always reminds us that communicatively, we navigate in waters that may be disturbed by NEGATIVIZERS. Wonder if you knew that there are Dictionaries of Insults in many languages... The corresponding Dictionaries of Humanizing words/expressions do not exist in print, as far as I know. They do exist in human hearts...
What would you and participants in the NY Workshop include in a list of Positivizing Nouns? Adjectives? Verbs? Why? This may generate a lively discussion.
Sunniest thoughts
Positivizingly,
Francisco




On Tolerance: A Vertical Reading
Francisco Gomes de Matos

T enderness
O penness
L iberty
E quality
R espect
A cceptance
N on-violence
C ompassion
E mpath




A Call to the Creative Reading of READING
A list describing or characterizing the many dimensions and distinctive features of Reading
Francisco Gomes de Matos

READING is forming
informing
reforming
transforming

READING is ascending
descending
transcending

READING is lighting
delighting
enlightening

READING is covering
recovering
discovering

READING is conceiving
receiving
perceiving

READING is mind-using
mind-musing
mind-amusing
mind-infusing

To provide an extra challenge to TESOLERs, for instance, I would ask them to add to the -ING sets and to contextualize all of the above uses. This can be fun. Take a set like

READING is anticipating
participating
precipitating (in the sense of separating...)

How would teachers contextualize each of the above?




The Hardest Fight: For Human Rights
Francisco Gomes de Matos

First, we fight for The Right to Life
Which is the Right-Before
A primordial member
of a family to care for

Then the Rights-After
Not simply derived
But vitally realizing
A vision/mission of Human Rights

For all kinds of Human Rights
Living is a permanent fight
And how to realize them
Is a challenge to our might

The force of Human Rights
Still fragile it remains
Appeals, Declarations
Let's create new campaigns

Human Civil Society
Calls for a deep social change
Activism, engagement
A vast political range

Dangers, threats and tragedies
Human Rights fighters, let's face
And forms of violations
Let's continue to erase

The road to humanization
Watch for all kinds of traps and mines
That should be promptly neutralized
By courageous actions and signs

As Human Rights fighters
Let's combat the violence that stays
By providing Peace with full Power
Solving conflicts in effective ways




HUMANIZing RIGHTS: A terminological plea
Francisco Gomes de Matos

How humanizing is Humanism
When we speak of Human Rights?
Let’s give the concept dynamism
and also call it HUMANIZing RIGHTS




The Personal Nature of Human Rights - A Linguistics Approach
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Given the need for work in HUMAN RIGHTS to become more dynamic, engaging, involving, interactive, I would like to suggest that -ING be added to HUMAN so that whenever we think of / apply a philosophy/policy of HUMAN RIGHTS we do so dynamically by also saying HUMANIZING RIGHTS. This would reflect an intention to use such rights HUMANIZINGLY and, in doing so, to become a HUMANIZER and to see other human beings as potential HUMANIZERS.

Note that I´m not suggesting that HUMANIZING replace HUMAN but rather than we also use an alternate adjective which can convey the DYNAMISM implied by the actions of HUMANIZING, especially in the area of RIGHTS (and corresponding RESPONSIBILITIES).

In the spirit of our HUMAN DIGNITY community, for instance, we would speak of the HUMANIZING RIGHT of DIGNIFYING OUR DAILY DIALOGUES. Thus, HUMANIZING COMMUNICATIVE RIGHTS would be conceived of and represented dynamically with the addition of the -ING suffix.

Hope this will prove thought-provoking and worth discussing across cultures.

Francisco
Francisco Gomes de Matos, an applied peace linguist from Recife, Brazil




The Vocabulary of Indignity: A Mnemonic Checklist
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Dear Evelin,
Our Research Group homepage is inspiringly titled Human Dignity and Humiliation. What happens if we change the word order and create this phrase: Humiliation of Human Dignity? As an applied peace linguist, I would reply: such combination of words could mean "humiliating treatment", usually conveyed/represented by nouns. Interestingly, such nouns typically begin with the prefix DIS, which has a negative, reversive communicative force. If colleagues ever decide to probe the language of Indignity, an easy way to start is to compile a list of such nouns in DIS. In my workshops on Communicative Peace (for teachers of English) I challenge participants to produce the mnemonically-activated "list of nouns to be avoided" and to discuss ways to change each item into its positive, dignified meaning. Thus, on suggesting that DIScord be added to the list, a positive opposite would be given: Accord.

Before providing a sample of such vocabulary of indignity, I'd like to share a bit of usage information: in American English slang, DIS is used with the meaning of "to show disrespect for "to belittle" (cf. Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 1997, p.372) Such Americanism made its written debut in 1980, and, as can be easily inferred, it is the initial syllable taken from such verbs as disrespect, disparage. Now, here is the checklist. What to do with it? One creative possibility is to provide the corresponding phraseology that can go with the noun. What would language users typically say when there isdiscourtesy, for instance? Research on the phraseology of both dignity and indignity would be most revealing, both intra and interculturally.

List of Nouns in DIS (would you agree with all inclusions? Why (not)?

Disagreement
Discomfort
Disapproval
Discord
Disconnection
Discouragement
Discourtesy
Disgrace
Dishonor
Disharmony
Disorder
Disintegration
Disorganization
Disparagement
Displeasure
Disregard
Distrust
Disunion /Disunity

Before closing, let me share two quotations. One by the Italian playwright Luigi Pirandelo, in his play "Six characters in search of an author, Act 1, 1921)

"Each of us, face to face with other persons, is clothed with some sort of dignity, but we know only too well all the unspeakable things that go in the heart" (cf. Words on Words. Quotations about language and languages, edited by David Crystal and Hilary Crystal, Penguin Books, 2000, p.)

How about applying such provocative thinking to our uses of languages for dignity?

Another quote is from the Greek playwright Aristophanes, who, by the way, wrote a play named PEACE. In his play The Frogs (translated by D. Barrett), two Greek playwrights - Euripedes and Aeschylus - engage in a lively interaction. The latter says: "Noble themes and noble sentiments must be couched in suitably dignified language." (My source: Words on Words. Quotations about Language and Languages, compiled by David Crystal and Hilary Crystal, Penguin Books, 2000, p. 147).

Cogently, peace educators have been reminding us that it is society's responsibility to help create conditions for human beings to be educated for dignity. In such spirit, applied peace linguists would add that "communicative dignity" is one of the requirements for "communicative peace" (to know more about that coinage, google the term) and that part of our challenge as researchers centered on dignity and humiliation studies is to documents, analyze both dignified and undignified uses of languages and the effects of such choices on people, groups, communities. It is largely through our vocabulary that we can humanize or dehumanize our communicative life, so may I ask you to apply this mnemonically-construed principle: Let's dignify our daily dialogue/discourse.

Francisco Gomes de Matos

Federal University of Pernambuco and Associação Brasil América, Recife, Brazil




A Call to Altruism
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Needed: unlimited unselfishness
In today’s self-centered world
Will more people value goodness
What lesson could they be told?

That unlimited giving can always exist
when expressed as good-will fractions
That, in doing good, humans can persist
And there will be more humane actions

Wise travelers on Selflessness Way
All of us can humanizingly become
As love-abiding citizens let’s say:
Honor thy neighbor, for we are oneone




A HumanizING LIFE
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Are we seeking a life of simplicity
in a world of increasing complexity?
Are we seeking a life of clarity
In a world suffering from obscurity?

Are we seeking a life of generosity
in a world of increasing stinginess
Are we seeking a life of compassion
in a world suffering from indifference?

Are se seeking a life of dignity
In a world of increasing indignity
Are we seeking a life of humility
In a world suffering from haughtiness?

Are we seeking a life of serenity
In a world of increasing disturbance
Are we seeking a life of sincerity
In a world suffering from insincerity?

Are we seeking a life of responsibility
In a world of increasing irresponsibility
Are we seeking a life of humanity
In a world suffering from inhumanity?

Are we seeking a life of integrity
In a world of increasing corruption
Are we seeking a life of unity
in a world suffering from disunity

Then, lets seek a humanizing life
And live by humanizing rights
That can humanize all humankind
And help us become humanizers




A Checklist for Givers
Francisco Gomes de Matos

1- Is your GIVING on, when there is GrieVING?

2- When does your GIVING become forGIVING?

3- Can your GIVING cure/heal/prevent misGIVING?

4- How can your GIVING become transGIVING?

5- Why is OTHER-GIVING (or ALTERgiving) also SELF-GIVING?

6- Why is GIVING the core of LOVING?

Note: TRANSgiving can be thought of as the in-depth, spiritual dimension of GIVING.




God, the Great (For)Giver
Francisco Gomes de Matos

GOD
GIVE
GIVER
GIVING
GOD GIVES
GOD IS A GIVER
GOD IS GIVING
GOD IS (FOR)GIVING
GOD IS FOR GIVING




Doing GOOD, an alliterative poem
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Doing GOOD derives from exemplary Dignity
Calling for courage, compassion, cooperation
It’s an OTHER-centered, altruistic activity
Showing harmony, humility, and humanization

Doing GOOD also derives from Divinity
Calling for commitment to consolation
It’s an indomitable, inspiring identity
Showing to limitless love a deep loyalty




Communicating Peacefully: A list of some of its distinctive features, in alphabetical order
Francisco Gomes de Matos

A cceptance, Affinity, Altruism, Amity
B enefaction, Benevolence, Benignness, Blessedness
C onciliation, Conflict-resolution, Cooperation, Cordiality
D edication, Dialogue, Dignity, Diversity
E mpathy, Equality, Equity, Ethics
F aith, Freedom , Friendship, Forgiveness
H armony,Humaneness,Human Rights-Awareness, Humility
I magination, Interaction, Integration, Interdependence
J oy, Judiciousness, Jurisprudence, Justice
M agnanimity, Mediation, Meditation, Morality
N on-aggression, Non-bellicosity, Non-belligerence, Non-violence
P atience, Politeness, Positiveness , Prudence
R apport, Respect, Responsibility, Reconsideration
S ecurity,Sharing, Solidarity, Spirituality
T act,Tenderness, Tolerance, Tranquility
U nderstanding, Union, Universality,Utopia

-------------
YOU are invited to add to the above list, either individually or in a spirit of sharing. What other features or traits could be added, so as to comprehensively
and deeply characterize COMMUNICATING PEACEFULLY? Challenge yourself/yourselves to adding other Letters of the Alphabet. Next time you communicate peacefully, reflect on its underlying features or qualities.


Contributions to the list, sent by Asher Shla'in:

A
cknowledgement
A cquaintance
C elebrating
C ommitment
C oncern
D irectness
E xcitement
E mbrace
E ncounter
E ncouragement
G race
H ealing
I nvolvement
I ntimacy
L iberty
L inking
O utspokenness
R ecognition
R eassuring
S ulha
S traightforwardness
S upport
T ogetherness
T rust
T herapy
W elcome


Contribution to the list, sent by Robert T. Craig:

G
entle persistence

Contribution by Tania Bosch Tamayo:
Dear Professor: I have been reading all the poems and I like them all.
I hope I can write such beautiful things some day.


P eople from Latin America
E ngage your hands and lift them up
A rise your voices in just one tone
C limb all together and in a song
E xpress those feelings of Peace and Love.

F ight for your rights
R eveal your hopes
E xpand the way to come across
E nhance your principles
D emand your thoughts
O rganize people in just one chorus
M ean it's America a Freedom Port.

Peace and Freedom

P
eople from Latin America
E ngage your hands and lift them up
A rise from your voices in just one tone
C limb all together and in a song
E xpress your feelings of Peace and Love.

F ight for your rights
R eveal your hopes
E xpand the way to come across
E nhance your principles
D esire your thoughts
O rganize people in just one chorus
M ean, it’s America a Freedom Port.

Peace Smell in a Rainy Day

It's a beautiful and rainy day
The air feels so fresh
The nice smell of wet land
Gives a flavour of Peace and Faith.

How exciting it would be!!!
If the whole earth could feel this
Children, women, men could taste
Then, could share it, no regrets!!

Humanization

H uman kind needs to preserve
U nity, among countries
M agnanimity to disdain injustice
A lliance to disclaim poverty
N ationality to defend
I ntegration among nations
Z ipping cultures, sharing earth
A ltruism, between males
T enderness for females
I ndependence, not for sale
O ptimism plus deep faith
N etting World in Human Web

Saludos,
Lic. Tania Bosch Tamayo
Formación y Desarrollo




What is PEACE? What does PEACE look like?
Francisco Gomes de Matos

PEACE is such a humanizing flower
Whose fruit has a unique duality
Some of its seeds are inner power
Others are a transforming quality

When PEACE is seen as spiritual elevations
Its individual face is that of meditation
When PEACE is seen as improved relations
Its collective face is that of mediation

PEACE is a creation living in the heart
When it is shared, it becomes a symphony
PEACE is the most beautiful form of art
When it is played, it becomes all HARMONY

PEACE is compassion, cooperation, and hospitality
A deep respect for differences it always shows
How can we describe its captivating personality?
It is a positive presence we hope always grows

PEACE is deeply embedded in LOVE
Persons and peoples together it brings
Why is PEACE symbolized as a DOVE?
Dignity and Justice can fly on its wings

What does PEACE look like, we may ask
The answers are myriad, we should say
It can be everyone’s day-to-day task
PEACE is the road to GOOD under way




A Plea for Peace: A Creative Approach
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create a world free from war
Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create for dignity an open door

Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create a Society where Justice thrives
Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create solidarity throughout our lives

Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create friendly cooperation worldwide
Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create places for enemies side by side

Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create a world asking to be TRANSformed
Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create a new Democracy humanizingly formed

Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create for Peace a permanent place in the sun
Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create equality, justice and respect for everyone

Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create new ways of being in harmony
Let’s deeply apply our imagination
And create a life-supporting symphony

Lets deeply apply our imagination
And create conditions for fair distribution of wealth
Lets deeply apply our imagination
And create a world strong in ethical and moral health

Lets deeply apply our imagination
And create new  forms of communication that are always kind
Lets deeply apply our imagination
And create communities that dignify, honor, and serve Humankind




Linguists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Linguists in their goals
Are certainly unique
To WHAT IS LANGUAGE?
Creative answers they seek

Language? A multidimensionality
Multifaceted, mentally marvelous
Shared by speakers, writers, or signers
For thoughts dignified or dangerous

Linguists can look at languages
As unified, holistic systems
Or can take these apart
But do languages have a heart?

Linguists know that human beings
Can Sense, No Sense, or Nonsense make
But to help humanize users
Brave steps linguists will have to take

Linguists can theorize
But they can also apply
Principles,concepts, insights
Socioeducationally justify

Very long and open is the list
of things linguists can do
To help human Society
Communicatively start anew

Linguists all over the world
In such spirit, unite
To describe, explain, promote
each language as a communicative (de)LIGHT.




Applied Linguists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

During the mid-forties you were challenged to write textbooks
The first extensive applications of Linguistics then took place
Giving Language Teaching materials good linguistic looks
Was the major problem you creatively had to face

Language and Culture you soon learned to relate
Learners' errors you contrastively worked to systematize
Language and Mind you boldly seek to integrate
Language Policy and Planning you now emphasize

In your mission, you can inspire Humankind
On how communicative problems to solve
So commit yourselves as linguists of a new kind
By doing Applied Linguistics with a deep resolve

Among the emerging areas in your macrodomain
Deserving a place in your interdisciplinary sun
A Peace Linguistics help develop and sustain
And so bring Communicative Peace to everyone




Filmmakers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Audiences universally you have been helping entertain
with films that make people experience a myriad emotions
the ultimate in cinematography you work hard to attain
But how well has PEACE been served by your productions?

Films focused on destruction, violence and war abound
How about movies on values such as dignity and respect?
Only a few films on Peace for Humankind can be found
So, please can’t you excel both in effects and in affect?

For peacebuilding films there is a growing need
Calling for deeply humanizing moviemaking
Into new dimensions your creativity can lead
So that fiction or facts, films be life-sustaining




Peace through Language
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

What is Language? A mental marvel
Used for all kinds of meaning-making
But how to integrate languages
Into the blessed marvel of Peace-making?

By avoiding verbal abuse
And aggressive acts of Discourse
So that our intended meanings
Are free from a collision course

Being communicatively friendly
In speaking, reading, writing, or signing
By interacting with persons and groups
And linguistically dignifying

For all languages to shine
Deep inside the human soul
Let's promote peaceful language
A global, permanent goal

Assuring everyone the Right to Learn
Is a universal priority
Learning to communicate peacefully
Is also a vital necessity

Language use can be loaded
As a weapon, some might say
Instead, give it PeacePower
As the true humane way

As language users, we are all different
But there's one role where alike we can be
As committed peaceful language users
Let's have faith: A kinder world we will see

June 10, 2005, Evelin writes:
Thanks so very much, dearest Francisco!
Again, a masterpiece! Again, what you write reminds me of our discussion as to whether avoiding "tough" language is naiv or not! You know my stance, namely that we can promote deep change in this world by recognizing that we are not mere re-actors to others' abuse, but that we are actors who can introduce a new culture of peace. The fact that others use abusive language, for example, has no power over us. It does not compell us to respond with "tough" language. As I wrote to you earlier, I admire you for doing the toughest thing there is, namely introducing a new culture, that, indeed, refrains from "tough" language!

Francisco Gomes de Matos responds:
Thanks for your warm, supportive message, Evelin.
Yes, we should be FIRM in our FAITH/BELIEF/CONVICTION that a CULTURE OF (Communicative) PEACE can and should be co-constructed everywhere, especially so in contexts where Language is being used as a weapon for dehumanizing, destructing, debasing, humiliating our "linguistic neighbor".
In such spirit,TOUGH, AGGRESSIVE, OFFENSIVE, INSULTING TALK should be NOT ONLY COUNTERBALANCED with TENDER TALK, but replaced by a UNIVERSAL, PEACE LITERACY ...
That's why I feel that an Applied Peace Linguistics has so much to offer, through prose and poetry. So do many other areas of humanization, among which EDUCATION,PSYCHOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, LITERACY, COMMUNICATION, LITERATURE, ECOLOGY, to name but a few potential contributory areas.
Most gratifying to count on your affective support, Evelin.
Francisco




Language Learning for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Its at least a 25-century-old activity
Of Human History its a significant part
It has given language contact a quality
By activating each learners mind & heart

Language Learning is crossculturally useful
To enhance cognitive flexibility its a way
To apply Human Rights it can also be fruitful
Its relevance is great, language educators say

Language Learning has a deeper mission to achieve
Aimed at persons and peoples everywhere unifying
That of integrating Language, Learning and Peace
For communicative peace to be most dignifying

Language Learning is indispensable for planetary education
Its essential for making a constructive citizen of you
Language Learning can be a powerful force for humanization
Lets help all of our learners become peacepatriots, too




Children's Right to Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Why are children being killed
In today’s shameful, terrible wars?
Has Humankind become skilled
In keeping closed the Peace door ?

Why are children being victimized
In conflicts ripe for brutal escalation
Has Humankind been duly sensitized
In neutralizing such cruel aberration ?

Why are children being martyred
In bombings based on bitter belief
Has Humankind been duly mobilized
In giving suffering children due relief ?

Why are children’s rights being violated
In dehumanizing acts of every evil kind
Has Humankind been duly orchestrated
In showing our greatest duty is being kind?

Why can’t Humankind always do things that elevate?
Why do many people instead decide to say Yes to war?
Why opt for damaging, destructive actions that decimate?
Lets show children how adults can keep open the Peace Door!




EQUALism
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos for Robert W. Fuller, author of Rankism

That human societies are vertical
Is a sad universal generalization
That societies could be horizontal
Is a much-needed new interpretation

Why are people made socially unequal?
What roles/positions do they occupy?
How can persons be treated as equal?
What humanizing system could satisfy?

Lets seek a deeper  human quality
To replace the injustice of rankism
Lets transform todays reality
By planting the seeds of equalism




Rid the World of Rankism
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

When we put a person or people down
There's more than an act of humiliation
Because it's on Humanity we frown
And commit a human rights violation

When we put a person or people down
There's more than an act of minimization
Because it's on Human Dignity we frown
And disrespect the wisdom of cooperation

When we put a person or people down
There's more than an act of domination
Because it's on Human Equality we frown
And of Rankism we teach perpetuation

But if we treat a person or people well
So they will share their place in the Sun
The same humanizing story we will tell
Our World has become a Family of One




Textbook Writers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Your formative influence educators universally recognize
Creations of yours are made available almost everywhere
New approaches, techniques, and contents you organize
What humanizing, transformative role for all of you is there?

In your materials, relevant principles and values are introduced
To your great Tradition something deeper can now be added
For PEACE as a significantly present quality to be produced
Your creative talents and humanizing traits could be wedded

For PEACE educationally and crossculturally to be a Universal
Actions for personal and community harmony you could share
By taking Peacebuilding as a strong textbook-sculpting principle
And showing that for all of Humankind you have love and care




Women for Peace
Francisco Gomes de Matos

On March 8, worldwide your day is celebrated
For who/what you are, what you have done and do
But are your rights being recognized and protected?
Are you being treated with dignity and equality, too?

You are sung in multilingual prose and poetry
All forms of artistic creations you inspire
But between you and men: is there symmetry?
Against you many forms of discrimination still conspire

As mothers, daughters, sisters, or wives you serve Humankind
And caringly help build exemplary, sustainable family relations
As professionals you demand equal opportunities of every kind
Violence against you to diminish, disappear? Supreme elations!

Given the varied, crucial roles that in Society you play
To a deeply humanizing mission please be committed:
That of using you powers in body and soul to firmly say
May Peace in homes everywhere be permanently admitted!




Women
Francisco Gomes de Matos

W O M E N
your day
W O M E N
every day
W O M E N
Create the way
W O M E N
Harmonize,you say
W O M E N
Your love will stay




Literature for Peace
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Literature?
Feelings,forms,functions
Ideas, genres, and texts
Persons, personas, and plots
In esthetic, creative contexts

Meanings, metrics, metaphors
Prose, poetry, points of view
Writers, poets, critics
Imaginatively what can they do ?

Their attitudes, beliefs, and conflicts
Can be focused on facts, fiction, or force
Voiced through e-mails, epics, essays
In simple or mixed types of discourse

In verses, visions, and voices
New ways to be acquired
In songs, sonnets, and speeches
Irenic touches required

Let's claim a brave, universal right
Well beyond creative imagination:
That of sharing sublime Literature
Aimed at profound humanization!




A Plea for Peaceful Poerty
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Dear Poets,

Life and Liberty are themes you have explored
You often share reflections on forms of Passion
Among the values you wisely haven't ignored
Two inspiringly stand out: love and compassion

Poetry can give texts ecological validity
By making sounds, words and sentences perform
Varied roles with such humanizing quality
That the world you poets can help TRANSform

Please poets, use your creative power
To plant interactive harmony everywhere
For Poetry can become our Peace flower
Cared for and admired here and there

In one universal family united
Violence will always be told: NO!
Dignity and Justice, always invited
Will help Humankind peacefully grow




Peace through Prose and Poetry
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

What is PEACE through PROSE?
A TRADITION long
What is PEACE through POETRY?
A new type of song

Both call for imagination
Each a sublime translation
Prose thrives on argumentation
Poetry, on imagecreation

Prose aims at conciliation
Poetry, illumination
In Peace Prose, decisions to make
In Peace Poetry, delights to create

In Poetry, if an idea
Reflecting an ideal
Can become idealism
Live idealistically!

In Prose, if an act
Reflecting a fact
Can become a Pact,
Live tactfully!

Oh, Peacemakers,through your prose
A Peaceful World help us make
Peacemakers, through your poems
A World of PEACE generate.




Peace and Music: Always in Tune!
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In both, there's accord
And sweet harmony
In four movements
It's a symphony

Both have tempo
Which slowly flows
Or which, presto
Rapidly grows

What's Peace for Two?
A joyful duet
And Peace for Four?
A fine quartet

Both of them are languages
For ideas, emotions
Peacemakers and musicians
share creative devotions

In Music, harmonization
In Peace,there's humanization
Musicians, will you humanize?
Peacemakers, please do harmonize!




Philosophers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In your Love of Wisdom you have probed Truth
Many areas of knowledge you have investigated
Crossing Seas of Life and Oceans of Reason
You have led us to worlds hitherto unnavigated

From Plato, Aristotle, Descartes, Wittgenstein we have learned
To understand and appreciate our mysterious Reality
Philosophy has been guiding and illuminating us
As we ask: What is Goodness? Where is Dignity?

Something deep and sublime you can also teach
Showing a Universal of Living which will never cease
Shared by persons and peoples all over the world:
A system for sustaining a Philosophy of Peace.




Historians for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

History is uniquely three-TIMENsional:
It can take us back to Antiquity
And it also keeps us company now
Inspiring Humankind into Futurity

History is a record of Ideas of Yesterday and Today
But is can also be used as forewisdom for Tomorrow
Especially as a record of Friendship, Harmony, and Dignity
Rather than only of Separation, Suffering, and Sorrow

Historians, play your formative role creatively
And help people learn on History of Ideas to wisely invest
Seeking lessons in Peace Patriotism East and West
For the love of History to be a universally shared quest.




Futurists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

To some extent, many things to come you can anticipate
Current trends in many domains you are asked to examine
As consultants, in creative, varied scenarios you participate
As visionaries, potential developments you help determine

In creating strategies for Humankind’s future
You have to keep up with accelerated changes
The expectations you form are not just a rupture
But the outcome of broad, imaginative exchanges

Persons and organizations worldwide turn to you
Hoping that for them you chart a better future
That with your vision you’ll know what to do:
Provide them with a friendly, far-sighted Culture

As professionals with a futurist’s perspective
New transformative forces you will uncover
One of them could become a permanent objective
That of making all Humankind PEACE discover




Future-rhyming
byFrancisco Gomes de Matos

If our future(s) we design
Only on what happens today
Then as foresighters we resign
From transformative roles to play

Although futures are challenging to see
Envision-imagine them positively we can
If humanizing futurists we want to be
Let's treat Life as a wise, creative plan




A Maior Riqueza (addressed to the world!)
The Greates Wealth
Poema-apelo de (a poem-plea by) Francisco Gomes de Matos, membro da Comissão de Direitos Humanos Dom Helder Camara, CAC/UFPE/Recife

Ó Mundo, tão poucos possuem tanta riqueza
Ostentam seus crescentes recursos materiais
Ó mundo, tão poucos possuem tanta riqueza
E afirmamos: milhões vivendo tão desiguais!

Ó Mundo, tao poucos possuem tanta riqueza
Falam de avanços, desenvolvimento, inovações
Ó Mundo, tão poucos acumulam tanta riqueza
E lamentamos: quantos milhões têm provações!

Ó Mundo, tão poucos possuem tanta riqueza
Falam de globalização e bem-estar social
Ó Mundo, tão poucos esbanjam tanta riqueza
E choramos:milhões morrem em absoluta pobreza!

Ó Mundo, que partilhemos a mesma Riqueza :
A que promova Amor, Igualdade, Justiça e Paz
Ó Mundo, que todos nós humanizemos a Riqueza
E engajemo-nos cristamente: nossa Fé é capaz!

English version:

Alas, WORLD, so very much belongs to so very few
We hear boasting of immense profitability
Alas, WORLD, so very much belongs to so very few
And we say: millions suffering from inequality!

Alas, WORLD, so very much belongs to so very few
We hear boasting of immense financial innovation
Alas, WORLD, so very much belongs to so very few
And we regret: millions subjected to deprivation

Alas, WORLD, so very much belongs to so very few
We hear of globalization and rich market quality
Alas, WORLD, so very much belongs to so very few
And we deplore: millions are in absolute poverty

Oh, WORLD, let's share a wealth of the same kind
One that promotes Justice, Peace, and Social health
Oh, WORLD, let's share a world that honors Humankind
Oh, WORLD, let's all create a deeper kind of wealth




Economists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Economics is part of everyday living
As a core profession, it is well recognized
Scientifically, it is ever ramified
As emerging Economic Rights are realized

Working in business, in government or in academia
Different approaches you can apply
To help maximize national development
Individual and social needs to satisfy

You deal with vital goods and services
And make decisions from micro to macro ways
When you help solve problems of hunger and poverty
You bring human beings hope for better days

Economists, please share your expertise
To help improve life for all humankind
Think of yourselves as Patriots for Peace
And your strengths will grow in heart and mind




Educators for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Educators, help promote literacies
both well-established, emerging and new
So that more and more people everywhere
develop what, why, where, when, and how to do

May your educational wisdom
Always help foster autonomy
Please commit your learners
to sustaining democracy

In Freirean ways inspiring
You can teach reality reforming
As part of Citizen forming
And help with World transforming

May your profession contribute
To School frontiers transcending
So that learners East and West
To shared values keep ascending

Please Promote Human Rights
And corresponding Responsibilities
So your classrooms become lights
For equal and just opportunities

Of Peace you can be agents
In communities of creation:
Classrooms and Libraries
Integrated for humanization

In the History of Education
Relevant Pedagogies abound
Make Peace through Teaching
A powerful, permanent School sound!

The EARTH is to be loved
cared for and respected
Teach Environmental Education
Help the EARTH feel protected!




TEACHING is/involves/has to do with ..... An -ING LIST
by Francisco Gomes de Matos

TEACHING is adducing
deducing
inducing
seducing

TEACHING is elucidating
illuminating
stimulating

TEACHING is challenging
encouraging
engagingTEACHING is invoking
revoking
provoking

TEACHING is activating
captivating
innovating

TEACHING is forming
informing
transforming




Environmentalists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Among the universal challenges Humankind has had to face
Environmental problems are being given increasing priority
You're seriously concerned about what Pollution can erase
And tenatiously aim at improving Life on Earth's quality

You fight against the relentless decline of natural resources
But working to preserve the environment has another dimension
It calls for more than educating with eco-awareness sources
For promoting sustainable harmony means a deeper intention

Commendably, you advocate a world that is fecund, fertile, and free
To the right to a clean and healthy environment you contribute
You hope the impact of human beings on the Earth minimal can be
So let’s another relevant environmental mission to you attribute

The expertise and wisdom you have developed in Environmentalism
Are being put to a test wisely through Theory and Application
As environmental educators and scientists sharing values of Humanism
Help further dignify your work, by giving PEACE a permanent habitation




Writers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

By your prose and poetry readers everywhere may have been inspired
In your writings in thousands of languages, lessons you must have taught
Your textual creativity is researched, reviewed, probed and oft-admired
But how many hearts by your cognitive power will have been caught?

Your tradition of print is enriched with texts on line
New ways of writing are being ingeniously devised
Your motivations for writing are expected to be fine
But have universal practices of writing been humanized?

In genres that are rhetorically old or stylistically emerging
Values and Virtues, Vices and Vanities textually you propagate
In a myriad of forms and formats, socioculturally diverging
Reality and Fantasy you are cognitively challenged to integrateRejoice!

Communities of friendly writers are constantly being formed
Reflecting the blessing that communicatively humans may be kind
As writers, you can help world citizens be positively transformed
By showing that Peaceful Writing is truly dignifying for Humankind.




Literacy Educators for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In human development Literacy plays a crucial role
It enables persons to create their multiavenues
Where to engage in practices heart-and-soul
To cultivate and share deep humanizing values

More and more kinds of Literacy are created
Reflecting wishes, needs, and realities
A new universal type could be celebrated
One which combines distinctive qualities

Literacy educators, you a vitally inspiring source
In a Freirean spirit, you sustain freedom from oppression
Do help make Peace an ever-empowering force
And provide Citizenship with a wise progression

You can also teach Literacy for Peace
Communication and Peace help integrate
Humanizing Literacies will never cease
So Communicative Peace you propagate




Constructive Communication Through Contrasts
Contrastive, constructive communication: Infinitival pairs for educating toward Communicative Peace. by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In some of my writings I have been advocating the fundamental communicative right, namely, the right every human being should have TO LEARN TO COMMUNICATE PEACEFULLY FOR THE GOOD OF HUMANKIND. One of the techniques I have been sharing with participants in my Constructive Communication workshops in Brazil is C C C: contrastive, constructive communication. By this is meant the pairing of two infinitive verb forms, the first one being the positively marked element, while the second one is the negatively focused element. Such pairing is aimed at challenging language users to reflect on, discuss and imagine contexts in which a constructive communicative act could be realized, and at the same, another act would be avoided. Also, each participant could answer these questions about each instance:

What would that mean to me?
How could I do that, as a language user?

In using the list below, readers are asked to justify the constructive communication highlighted in each pair and to create mini-dialogues in which the communicative contrast can be seen/heard in plausible conversational exchanges.

Note the partial rhyming at the end of the two infinitives. This is intended to enhance processing ease and memorability. Here are two examples: Construct rather than obstruct; Motivate rather than dominate.

An open-ended listing:

1. Appreciate rather than depreciate
2. Attract rather than retract
3. Include rather than exclude
4. Respect rather than suspect
5. Cooperate rather than manipulate
6. Regard rather than discard
7. Integrate rather than separate
8. Conduct rather than induct
9. Concede rather than impede
10. Intend rather than contend
11. Inspire rather than conspire
12. Invite rather than incite
13. Appeal rather than repeal
14. Illuminate rather than indoctrinate
15. Enthuse rather than confuse
16. Commend rather than offend
17. Propose rather than impose
18. Dignify rather than mortify
19. Conceive rather than deceive
20. Humanize rather than minimize
21. Produce rather than reduce
22. Inspire rather than require
23. Sustain rather than retain
24. Concentrate rather than deviate
25. Assist rather than resist
26. Clarify rather than mystify
27. Ameliorate rather than deteriorate
28. Encourage rather than discourage
29. Upgrade rather than degrade
30. Congregate rather than alienate
31. Partake rather than overtake




Living and Literacy
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Living and Literacy together they need to go
In a world of being and seeing so many ways
Literates creating to develop and to know
And wishing for Humankind much better day

Living and Literacy together they need to go
For positive transformations to take place
That effectively can social inclusion sow
So people can harmonize on-line or face-to-face

Living and Literacy together they will surely grow
For dignity and human rights everywhere to come true
To all forms of illiteracy let’s committedly say NO!
So all of us help build a world humanizingly new




LETRAMENTO: poemAÇÃO, por Francisco Gomes de Matos, educador-linguista aposentado (UFPE), atualmente Presidente do Conselho, Associação Brasil, América, Recife

LETRAMENTO....
é muito mais que um procedimento
faz multiplicar a cognição,
da cidadania é desenvolvimento
e promove multi-comunicação

É muito mais que um procedimento
faz toda pessoa sentir-se capaz:
Ler-Escrever integra um movimento
que meios de cultura leva e traz
É muito mais que um procedimento
criATIVA compreensão-produção
valoriza da vida cada momento,
diversifica a diária interação

É muito mais que um procedimento
porque pode ajudar a sobreviver,
a entender e vencer o sofrimento
e continuar dignamente a crescer
É muito mais que um procedimento
Dá pleno suporte à Educação
Saibamos honrar o Letramento
É direito-dever de toda nação!




Journalists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Public opinion you help form
Billions everywhere you inform
So much you can help reform
And citizens' lives you transform!

Good and bad news you announce
Bias, discrimination you renounce
Human rights violations you denounce
Freedom of speech do you always pronounce?

When some actions transpire
That against UN efforts conspire
How can you humanizingly inspire
And help us to Dignity aspire?

World events you cover
Challenges, problems you discover
Illegal, unethical acts you uncover
Please help Humankind recover!

By ear, by sight or by touch
You hold the communicative floor
As life-supporting voices
To Peace for all, open the door




Peace as Global Media Might. A Poem-Plea for Ada Aharoni
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Let’s perceive PEACE as a Universal for harmonious Humanization
And answer "How can its omnipresence be felt, heard or seen?"
By integrating PEACE in an urgently-needed Multiculturalization
Through Global Satellite TV! What could such bold initiative mean?

Communicatively, all regions, countries and communities it would cover
By activating existing marvelous forms of spoken/visual symbolic sign
And also by imagining other creative ways peacebuilders can discover
On how to share PEACE as the core of Identity: yours, theirs, ours, and mine

Let’s support Ada’s PEACE-promoting plea
For it can both universalize and unite
Wherever we are: on air, on land and at sea
Lets help so PEACE can become a Media Might.




Googlers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Dear Google Scholar-Support Team,
As an applied peace linguist from Brazil (fcgm@hotlink.com.br),
I thought I'd send you a brief poem-plea,
GOOGLERS FOR PEACE
and make a suggestion: that you invite
scholars everywhere to create GOOGLE-centered/inspired poems.

Here is my contribution (to be included in a book I'm preparing, Professions for Peace: Poems-Pleas and Related Texts):

Why is there much more to Googling
Than searching for information?
Because a dimension exists
Enhancing Education

It's a challenging Decision
That Googlers everywhere can make
By probing for Justice and Peace
Humanizing steps we can take

Let's all google for humaneness
Googlers' Road can be wide and wise
By creating peaceful knowledge
Global friendship we maximize

As Googlers we exchange knowledge
But that opens only one door
Let's medi(t)ate for Harmony
GOOGLE becomes PEACELAND ever more!




Language Teachers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

(1) Language teachers, you are a privileged community indeed
A Federation – FIPLV – is aimed at your rights and needs
It encourages creative solutions to pedagogical problems
That everywhere call for friendly, cooperative deeds

(2) As a knowledgeable educator you can help
Your students make the most of their cognition
Develop their intra/interculcultural competence
And creaCtivate their language acquisition

(3) There is new, universal role
In which you can wisely excel
That of preparing your students
For the good to communicate well

(4) In 1987, LINGUAPAX was created
Having laudable, humanizing aims:
Promoting understanding among nations
Through languages used in peaceful ways

(5) A new constant in your lives is needed
That of peaceful language applying
For human relations to improve
And become mutually satisfying

(6) You can help educate humane learners
Through a Peace Vocabulary selected
So that using friendly language
Of all students can be expected

(7) Very long would be a list
Of peaceful things your students can do
In learning to use languages
Caringly taught by you

(8) When dealing with your learners' errors
Tolerance and sensitivity please display
View your students' creations humanizingly
For more important is what they say

(9) The first language and the second interact
And researchers say mutual is their effect
So view the two languages as integrated
So peaceful language can be direct

(10) In your profession, many parts you play
When meaning-making marvels you teach
Now, please take on the role of Humanizer
And PEACE will always be within reach




Lexicographers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Dictionaries are certainly outstanding
Among the great monuments minds generate
They record, reveal, revivify cultures
Through what language users communicate

In print, CD, or on-line they are equally relevant
In many languages their benefits can multiply
Literacies varied and vital they are helping promote
With increasing standards of excellence to satisfy

How can all dictionaries deeply serve humankind?
Going beyond definition, exemplification
By improving communicative health everywhere
Making users aware of language humanization

The effective uses of language(s) also depend
On our Education to constructively interact
Lexicographers, please help humanize the World of Words
By treating Communicative Peace as a fact




TESOLers against Prejudice
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

[TESOL: Teacher of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc.]

In a world sadly filled with indignity and humiliation
Against all forms of prejudice TESOLers should fight
So that in Humankind there can be a transformation
And all of us can play our humanizing role with might

Co-agents of equality, justice, and peace we are
To prejudice and related harms let’s always say No
To show that an equal, just, peaceful world is not far
Sustainable universal understanding let’s boldly sow




Translators for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

The History of Translation is said
To mirror that of the World
But so many translated marvels
Have yet to be told

You go from one language to another
And cross cultures along the way
You're guided by a wise question:
What did the author want to say?

Between author and reader you mediate
By adding your own view and voice
You aim at pleasing both minds
So in your translation they can rejoice

In your goal of transcommunicating
You have your style to refine
So in using the written language
You probe it as a precious mine

You face a very complex challenge:
To translate the meaning-and-form of a text
And see each use of the source language
Placed in a natural-occurring context

When you paraphrase source texts
You're aiming at equivalence
When you crossculturally create
There can be transcendence

Among your many great achievements
There is one in which you really excel
That´s in more and more languages
God´s Word translating well

Translation is a field of studies
That has served human intelligence
It can have another vital mission
To be lived with social conscience

In your important profession there are
Rights and responsibilities to live by
Please think of Peace as a new Universal
In your humanizing work. Will you try?

How? By connecting authors and readers
And universalizing the force of harmony
By committing translators as peace agents
So everywhere to help build serenity




Teachers As Readers/Writers: Rights and/0r Responsibilities
by Francisco Gomes de Matos who served as one of the word list reviewers for the first edition of The Literacy Dictionary(1995)

Knowledgeable about Reading and Writing
All teachers should have the right to be
the connection between Reading and Writing
All teachers should have the right to see

The key-vocabulary of Reading and Writing they should know
Of the nature of those processes they should be made aware
They should help all their students as readers-writers grow
and their repertories of creative abilities learn to share

ALL teachers should read exemplarily
And show how Reading/Writing to perfect
All Teachers should write inspiringly
And develop their literacies with affect

Teachers, teach Reading/Writing that empowers
And can universally shine as humanizing lights
help students see Reading/Writing as flowers
that either as prose or poetry create delights




Peacemakers for Earth
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Peacemaking is making Peace
Building, promoting peace of mind
Wishing for harmony never to cease
Working for the good of humankind

In the sea of virtues there shines your face
When you serve for sister-and-brotherhood
In the sun of values please find a place
For wholeheartedly caring for planethood

Prime attention to humanity you give
And to Earth you can also do the same
Show that it is ecologically that we live
And Eco-Peace will be your new name




Peacemakers and Dancers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

All peacemakers and dancers
Perform in a unique space
For creating happiness
Through movements with strength and grace

Peace words, like dancers movements
Can gently go round and round
And clearly show people
How to share the same ground

Peacewords can jump up
Or come down, it's true
They move from left to right
And vice-versa, too

Peacemakers are like waltzers
Who dance in moderate time
Or like ballet dancers
Whose gestures are sublime

Oh, dancers of the World
True peacemakers you are
Togetherness you play
Always near, never far!

Peacemakers, please open your arms
In movements soft, sure and sweet
Fondly embrace Dignity
And dance on Harmony Street

Dancers? Please perform your Art
Peacemakers? Peaceform your Art
Dancers, Peacemakers: share Arts
Deeply humanize your hearts




Sociologists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

A dynamic field by thousands joined
Sociology started in 1839
When that key concept was coined
By French philosopher Auguste Comte

All human activities depend on society
Is one of the inspiring beliefs you share
Your permanent query "Where is society going?"
Shows about our well-being you care

Knowledge you take as a central concern
And study its production and transmission
What its social sources and consequences are
You research through ever-renewed discussion

To deal with relevant sociological issues
You can opt for a challenging specialty
And study Sociology of aging or childhood
Or commit yourself to health, law, or poverty

Given your praiseworthy focus
On the functioning of human society
Couldn't your research agenda include
Of humankind another propriety?

By that is meant the system of peaceful relations
Realized through constructive communication
Which can help fight all forms of exclusion
Especially abominable -isms as discrimination

As sociologists you can help the world TRANSform
In these times known for increasing violence
By expanding interdisciplinary horizons
Through a speciality enhancing shared conscience

For a subject promoting universal dignity
May this be considered a Plea
So please give The Sociology of Peace
A place in your sun and your sea




Anthropologists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Humankind has been your permanent mission
Cultures remote, lesser-known you dignify
Beliefs and customs you describe and explain
In space and time where humans diversify

In your commitment to ancient and modern peoples
Your approaches, methods, techniques are many-sided
You probe archeology, biology, culture
So that insights on who we are can be provided

You integrate science and humanism
So, please echo a strong, universal call
That of always securing and assuring
A life with equality and peace for all

Please apply your anthropological expertise
To solve problems facing the world these days
So create a place in your humanizing sun
And show we're peaceful beings in many ways




A Many-Cultured World
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

We share an ever-changing, fascinating, many-cultured world
where a myriad customs, traditions, and values daily unfold
where interactions near and far can become creatively bold
Lets unite: some day, only PeaceWorld stories will be told




Psychologists as Peace Probers-Promoters
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

So much on the human mind
You're helping illuminate
Through domains broad and deep
Which farsightedly you create

To conditions, processes and states
In personal and community dimensions
Your research methods and techniques
Bring new and novel directions

Mental manifestations
Are variously realized
With perceptive organization
In the literature they're described

Harm, hatred, humiliation
Happiness, hope, humanization
Deprivation, deviance, discrimination
Support, sympathy, self-regulation

Denial, deviance, depression
Acceptance, assertion, affection
Villany, violence, victimization
Construction, compassion, cooperation

In today's turbulent world
So many conflicts to solve!
Of you, psychologists
Is expected a new resolve

Commendably you mind the Mind
And Peace of Mind you've inspired
Now to further serve Humankind
Peace probing-promoting is required




Psychologists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Our knowledge of the human mind
you have been helping illuminate
through science both deep and kind
which farsightedly you can create

From conditions, processes and states
to personal, group, community dimensions
your research methods and procedures
enhance the value of humanizing intentions

A myriad mental manifestation
that is often intricately realized
with keen, perceptive organization
universally is being described

Harm, hatred, humiliation
Happiness, hope, humanization
deprivation, deviance, discrimination
support, sympathy, self-realization

Damage, denial, depression
acceptance, assertion, affection
villany, violence, victimization
care, compassion, cooperation

In today’s psychologically turbulent world
you have challenging problems to solve
of you, as committed Peace psychologists
is expected a new, courageous resolve

Commendably, in studying the Mind
much peace of mind you have inspired
How can you further serve Humankind?
Peace probing and promoting is required




From PEACE OF MIND to MIND FOR PEACE
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Is PEACE dozing? Needed: Activation
Is PEACE dying? Needed: REactivation
Is PEACE deciding? Needed: CREactivation
Is PEACE dividing? Needed: TRANSactivation

When PEACE is dozing, lets get it ACTIVATED
When PEACE is dying, lets get it REACTIVATED
When PEACE is deciding, lets get it CREATIVATED
When PEACE is dividing, lets get it TRANSACTIVATED

By ACTIVATING PEACE, its presence becomes a humanizing quality
By REACTIVATING PEACE, its power becomes harmoniously alive
By CREACTIVATING PEACE, its presence becomes a fertile diversity
By TRANSACTIVATING PEACE, its power becomes a planetary mine

Lets think of PEACE OF MIND as MIND FOR PEACE
And the powers of PEACE will be deeply applied
Lets take PEACE OF MIND as MIND FOR PEACE
And the powers of PEACE will be wisely multiplied




Physicians for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

For my daughter Patrícia, a pediatrician

As old as pre-History
Is your medical profession
Wise traditions and bold trends
Give patients' health more protection

Of you so much is demanded
Of you so much is expected
As omniscient you are thought of
When life-and-death matters are decided

You play a relevant, vital role
In the well-being of humanity
By diagnosing and preventing disease
And persons/animals treating with dignity

You're committed to life preserving
As well as to human/animal life saving
You use technology and science
For life supporting and sustaining

In your Medicine there is poetry
When treatment and cure are facts
Which for your patients you translate
Through deeply humanizing acts

Please update your Hippocratic oath
In working for universal health care
By contributing to peace-promoting health
And to health-promoting peace

The world will always need you
For socially responsible you are
So please add Peace to Health
And make your blessings go far!




Scientists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Oh, scientists, the universe you probe
General principles you formulate
Original experiments you conduct
Precision and relevance you advocate

Nature you perceptibly analyze
For scientific knowledge to move on
Through theories renewed and novel
For researchers to be inspired on

In using the tools of technology
Science you're helping improve and refine
By engaging in international cooperation
An ocean of ideas you can fertilize

Whether you are on Earth or in space
You gather data, systematize, and discover
Seek solutions to complex problems
And hope mysteries to uncover

Please, also be peaceresearchers
And help explain harmony and disharmony
So that the findings of science
Can foster serenity and solidarity




Politicians for Peace - and - Probity
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Aristotle has aptly mused
We are all political animals
This is also true: so privileged few
Are in Politics professionals!

Of those in government involved
Many qualities may be required
Participation, passion, persuasion
Have traditionally been admired

Opinions are always divided
What you, politicians are or do
But is there a Nation on Earth
That can do without you?

In Today's politicizing
Deeper values are in need
Let's add Peace-and-Probity
As indispensable indeed

Politicians be patriotically
Committed to Peaceful Probity
And give your career
A dignifying identity

Use humanizing language
And interact in harmony
So People Politics and Power
Can sing the same melody

Politicians, your values are vital
And your responsibilities manifold
Please, create a "Political UNIVERSAL"
With Peace-and-Probity as a new gold




Law Enforcement Professionals for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Unique is your vital, dangerous profession
Policing is a universally recognized fact
You fight violent acts and prevent aggression
With citizens and communities you interact

You’re committed to maintaining law and order
Courteous and courageous you’re expected to be
In small towns and large cities you stop disorder
Your power through policing everyone can see

In reality, you’re a community-protecting organization
For the good of citizens your own life you can give
In fantasy you entertain readers and viewers imagination
A safe and happy life, fiction writers make you live

In doing your duty you never seem to be tired
In managing conflicts as a negotiator you play the part
For your strategic community services to be admired
Give *peacemaking*a permanent place in your heart




Legal Professionals for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Law renders a unique, indispensable service to Humankind
It contributes as a judicial system,a science and a profession
It is in courtrooms, law schools or law offices
That human justice finds a strong and clear direction

Legal professionals, you help sustain social order
And as judicial officers you can be so wise
When citizens and communities you represent
And on all kinds of legal matters you advise

Since many of you are justices of the peace
Let's capitalize on that important fact
And make a plea for all of you
As Universal Peace Patriots to act




On Prisoners’ Rights
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

The Human Rights Tradition we so proudly celebrate
Emerging categories of Rights constantly appear
But one of them from our attention can easily escape:
Prisoners’ Rights, that a misinformed Society may fear

Let’s show that ourselves we can humanize
By treating prisoners with dignity and respect
In communicating with them, we can harmonize
And teach Society that prisoners also need affect




Diplomats for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

What is Diplomacy? An art, a practice, a science
In universal history it plays a significant part
In traditional ways and now virtually developed
Always required is a diplomat´s heart

Diplomats, you're creative crosscultural agents
Who can foster cooperation,friendship,and peace
Who can help improve international relations
Sharing your expertise for conflicts to cease

In dealing with people
You show both tact and skill
In representing your nation
You use the power of will

To excel in interaction
You resort to negotiation
To serve your nation's interest
You show dignity and moderation

Please act preventively
And stop force from diffusing
Use languages peacefully
And disputes you'll be defusing

For PEACE you can effectively work
If humanizingly you communicate
Building on words of trust and respect
Deeper understanding you celebrate




NGO Workers for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

The world now boasts many thousands of organizations
But in many respects your NGOs stand out most exemplarily
You serve Humankind as agencies, groups, institutions, associations
Your socioeconomic and political power grows internationally

You help feed and educate the poor and provide them with housing
The work of implementing charitable projects with others you share
To specific community issues you are often dedicated to resolving
And show that for the good of all Humanity you deeply care

In your struggle to serve citizens at contexts national
You apply values and virtues for social transformation
You also contribute to understanding problems universal
And help pave the way for a stronger humanization

Your Mission as NGO workers can be profoundly dignified
To your Social Responsibilities, add the role of Agent of Peace
Your ONG initiatives will be spiritually magnified
And the development of a Universal Family will never cease




Creativity Experts for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

You help so many people and organizations
Their creativity to improve and to refine
By challenging them ever- ingeniously
To explore their marvelous, mental mine

A search for productive options you provoke
Banks of fertile ideas you generate
Everyone's right to innovations you invoke
A commitment to creative service you activate

Problem-solving you imaginatively probe
By using education, sciences and the arts
Interdisciplinarily you broadly research
For visioning the whole or its parts

Practices, programs, and projects you design
Relevant plans and policies you implement
New paths to solutions you discover
And human creative knowledge you augment

To Creative Education you can contribute
By showing multiple,meaningful ways
Their positive benefits, do distribute
For humanity to live better days

Please apply your imagination
Inspired by the Osborn Tradition
And include with strong conviction
A needed, creative addition

May your human creativity
Be translated as humane,too
For in deeply humanizing others
You create a humanized you

When engaging in brainstorming
Other strategies creactivating
Remember that your creative mission
Is transformative and liberating

The greatest social responsibility you have
In today's chaotic, violent world to fulfil
Is that of sharing your creative expertise
Peace-making-and-sustaining to instill

Please be permanent, creative humanizers
And help promote Justice and Human Rights
Compose songs of dignity and harmony
And everywhere plant peaceful sights




CreACTIVATORS
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

As chiefs, many may be known
As leaders, many may be named
as bosses, many may be grown
As HUMANIZERS, few may be famed

Needed today: creACTIVATORS
who can both create and direct
by interacting as motivators
who build confidence and affect

Alan Black kindly wrote to Francisco (30 Nov 2007):

I have been teaching workshops and college courses on leading and leadership for over 20 years.
Among the many leadership books I have in my library I chose 100 of them about 5 years ago and reviewed them for the traits that the various authors felt leaders should possess.
The results included over 400.
What I teach my students, mostly high ranking police, public safety, fire officers, is that we need to be continuously training our leaders: present and future.
We also need to study our organizations, workplaces and teams for what traits of leading or leadership are truly needed at the time.
One of the books that I recommend people read is
FROM BARBARIAN TO BUREAUCRAT
By Lawrence M. Miller

As with the Life Cycle of a product businesses also experience life cycles and I believe families to countries also experience life cycles or continually changing situations.
As situations change leaders/organization/families/classrooms need different types of leading and leadership.
Also I believe that most people do not need leaders most of the time.

Here are some traits I share with my students/participants after I have them review about 150 from 5 books on leadership.

12 Cornerstones of Productive Leading - these come from surveys I did with hundreds of my Community Leadership Group Retreats over about 12 years:
1. Communication
2. Consistent
3. Centered
4. Compromise
5. Confidence
6. Caring
7. Creditability
8. Control
9. Commitment
10. Creative
11. Challenges
12. Competence

52 creative thinking traits:
Abstract, can easily move from reality to
Adaptable
Breakthrough from Current Limits, can
Change of Context (cross-interpretation)
Combination of Ideas/Facts (Synthesis)
Curious
Divergent thinker
Elaborative - in drawing, speaking
Energetic
Fantasy life when young
Fantasize, able to
Feelings & Emotions, expresses
Feelings & Emotions, senses
Flexible in problem situations
Flexible thinker - creates different types of ideas
Fluent - produces many ideas
Future oriented
Humor, unique sense of
Humor, varied sense of
Humorous Perspective
Idealistic
Imaginative
Independent
Ingenious
Learning, always
Movement & Sound (Sense change)
Multiple Idea Combinations
Non-conforming
Not motivated by money
Observant, highly
Open-ended
Openness-resisting early closure or completion
Original - uniqueness
Passionate about their work
Perceives world differently
Perspective, Internal ­ easily sees in to problems & things
Perspective, Macro Scale [seeing from larger view]
Provocative Viewpoint, takes
Question asker
Richness & Colorful Detail in thinking and communicating
See possibilities
Self- knowledgeable
Self-actualizing
Self-disciplined
Sense of destiny
Sensitive
Severely critical of self, their work, potential of area of focus and the potential of other people
Specific interests
Synthesize correctly often intuitively
Tolerant of ambiguity
Unusual Viewpoint, sees from, easily
Visualize ­ sensory or imaginary/intuitive

Alan Black

A miniODE to gratitUDE
for Alan Black
by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Gratitude
is more than attitude
when its magnitude
becomes GREAtitude




Sports and Athletic Professionals for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

You engage in so many physical, athletic activities
For which skills, strength, and prowess are required
Your actions and attitudes should reflect qualities
For which locally or globally you can be admired

Sports have to do with fair play
Living up to ethical obligations
Making victories and defeats say
Let’s build more associations

Of athletes, coaches, trainers much is expected
The profession’s values you should cultivate
Show that your team spirit can be directed
And character and integrity you will elevate

In a world often challenged by violent change
All of you as role models we’d like to see
So respect, trust, and understanding exchange
And a professional for peace you will also be




Tourists for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

As today's tourists you're dynamic travelers
Who experience and provoke cultural change
In your own local, national communities
Or as agents of trans-national exchange

When for pleasure you travel
It's part of your Tourism Education
But when you also travel for Harmony
It's for Humankind a Celebration

"Traveling is almost like talking
with those of other centuries,"
René Descartes wisely stated
Let's say Tourism is like wishing
That a Peaceable World be created

So, understand that universal activity
As humanizingly diversified
Beyond eco, sociocultural dimensions
Host-guest relations dignified

High on your Tourist's Agenda
Besides visits to Wonder places
Help the World of Tourism
Be shared by peaceful faces.




Religious Professionals for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Each Religion has its own distinctive features
But a supreme responsibility they share
Helping individuals and communities
For their spiritual well-being learn to care

Religious professionals, many missions you have been given
Based on beliefs, principles, practices, rites and traditions
As ayatollahs, lamas, pastors, priests, rabbis, sisters, theologians
All of you contribute to improving human spiritual conditions

For meeting religious needs in East and West
Faith is a universal necessity
For achieving what has not yet come true
Peace is an indispensable quality

Religion and Peace should walk and work together
Spiritual and human values they embrace
Religion without Peace becomes meaningless
Religion with Peace blesses our human space




Entrepreneurs for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Embedded in a vision and in a mission
Your business has expectations, interests, and needs
When challenged to make it grow and develop well
You know how to select, plant, and nurture your seeds

Commitment, courage, and creativity are traits
For which you have been universally so admired
So much profit your business may have generated
But what profound values has your entreprise inspired?

If being entrepreneurial means
Interacting as a wise risk-taker
By exemplifying kind attitudes
You may become another peacemaker

Promoting peace can be profitable
For your enterprise's spiritual wealth
So help improve our life-support systems
By doing your share for Humankind's health




Librarians for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

The institution you so fondly care for is inspiringly productive
Filled with meanings, memories, and marvels of every conceivable kind
Among many distinctive qualities
it can enhance in its users
Three three stand out: order, tranquility, and wisdom for all humankind

Libraries are the remarkable reservoirs
In which the delights of Literacy are created
For sailing the waters of imagina(c)tion
Fiction and nonfiction to be navigated

Of ideas in Prose and Poety you are key promoters
In serving Society yours is a profession
most sublime
How about adding PEACE to your great
educational mission?
You will be loved and humanizingly remembered for all time.




Motion Picture Professionals for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Your art-science-industry was invented
To innovate as a visual fascination
The customs and products it produced
Started what is now Globalization

At first your pictures were silent
Thanks to Technology, you spoke
Movie screens that were so small
Were widened into Cinemascope

Fiction and non-fiction have been your inspiration
The History of Humankind you have tried to show
In many languages you're seen/heard in translation
There are so many ways you can help us grow

Good principles many of your creations convey
But co-existing with that significant Tradition
Violence and war themes you tend to overplay
How about considering a really deep mission?

Recognition of your great achievements is here to stay
But challenge yourselves to play a most humanizing part
By making more and more of your creations portray:
PEACE has a permanent home in each filmmakers heart




Engineering Professionals for Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In times of conflict and war you are always asked
To repair bridges, homes, hospitals, roads, and schools
Communities of all sizes you have rebuilt
By using your talents, technology, and tools

How about adding a deep dimension
To the many wondrous things you can do
By serving Humankind as peacebuilders
And committing to life-supporting, too

Create harmony and SOLIDarity
Wherever you are and wherever you go
If you build with humanizing quality
By engineering PEACE all of us will grow




Children as Peace Trees
A poem-plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos
For my 5-month-old granddaughter Marina.

When world children are born in safety
The world rejoices: a blessed light
But when they're deprived, and suffer
The world regrets: a serious plight.

Is children's right to live in peace
Everywhere respected?
Or, how sadly, isnt it true
That right is often neglected ?

"Children are the makers of (wo)men",
Is Montessori's explanation,
For children can plant the fertile seeds
That turn all fruits into salvation

Think of children as creative peace trees
Ready to sing a harmonious song
Wishing health, happiness to all people
Growing in soils where justice is strong

It is said that in children there is innocence
In little human beings we find purity
But for millions of children there is absence
For millions, life has always meant poverty

What is being done for children born in misery
How can we help them and their families survive
What am I, what are you, what are we doing now
So that children´s right to a long adulthood can thrive

All of the children need adults
But the opposite can be true
Children reminds us that our age
Is the road of good things to do




Who Do We Wish Well?
A poem by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Traditionally for our families and friends we pray
But lets ask ourselves: Who else do we wish well?
For people whom we do not know, what could we say?
Where could we be and decide to wish them all well?

When down the street we are walking
Sometimes so many people pass us by
Do we include them in our well-wishing
Or in oblivion do our minds just fly?

It is by wishing all human beings well
That our deep humanity we can revitalize
By open-heartedly wishing all citizens well
We will actually be acting: lets harmonize




Nucleating Peace
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

In the late 80s the right to live in peace, free from the threat of nuclear war was
proclaimed
And the dangerous practice of testing nuclear weapons seemed to have
subsided
Although in the next decades global harmony and peace were dreamed of as being
sustained
Now North Korea’s threat to our sharing the Earth peacefully is being
maximized

Nuclear’s original, positive meaning let’s revive and maintain
So that nuclear power never peoples and nations can separate
Let’s not simply argue, protest, question, and politically complain
Instead, let’s universally work and a friendly, everlasting Peace nucleate




TRANSdignifying Humanity: A Plea for Banning All Nuclear Weapons
A poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

For Betty Reardon
 
The adjective NUCLEAR has both a positive and a negative meaning
In 1945, NUCLEAR FAMILY and NUCLEAR WEAPON were first used
The first phrase is strongly UNION, COHESION, and ZEAL-conveying
Whereas the second refers to an instrument ever-inhumanly abused

As peacebuilders, lets keep of NUCLEAR only its constructive element
And its destructive dimension lets from human history forever eliminate
By fusing our efforts, as agents and organizations, into a universal movement
The legal, absolute abolition of nuclear weapons we will be able to consummate




Violence in Movie Titles: A Plea for Universal Research
Francisco Gomes de Matos

In old and new movie titles, violence is so often reflected
Through nouns, verbs, adjectives, phrases meaning destruction
Film titles which the virus of violence has seriously infected
Are at the service of malevolent and dehumanizing instruction

Attack, kill, murder, revenge as weapons are used
Battle, fight, gun, war are given visibility
Evil, hell, horror, panic, terror are also abused
Cruel, deadly, desperate, dangerous gain popularity

Universally, movie titles could be investigated
For the damage, the harm they can seriously do
When negative values are being propagated
Who are victimized? Families, persons, me, and you!




On Human Communicative Fallibility
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Our communicative life is a rise-and-fall and a fall-and-rise
Errors, gaffes, inaccuracies, lapses, slips can blur our linguistic days
Can self-monitoring and imperfection-preventing make us a little wise ?
A much deeper quality is needed: Sustaining peaceful, linguistic ways

Communicating is intention-translating
Enhancing freedom or exerting oppression
Communicating is the art of effect-creating
Making a positive or a negative impression

To be communicatively effective
Is part of our Language Education
To be communicatively affective
Calls for Dignity and Humanization

Expressing oneself is a challenging act
When communicating, we may slip and fall
Error-making calls for error-forgiving
Communicatively fallible: aren't we all?




A Plea for Diversity
By Francisco Gomes de Matos

Oh, WORLD, DIVERSITY is a trait found everywhere
In who we are, where we are from, what we say and do
Diversity may be past, present, future: in time anywhere
It is meaningful to Life, Nature, Humankind, and to you

Oh, WORLD, marvelously diverse you exist
Environmentally you have to bravely persist
Linguoculturally, extinction you wisely resist
But which forgotten minorities do you assist?

Oh, WORLD this is a universal call
Expressed in peaceful communication
Let’s all climb the Harmony Wall
Imbued with dignifying cooperation

Please, WORLD, recognize minorities
remember minorities
respect minorities
revivify minorities
reassure the rights of minorities
rejoice over the responsibilities of your diversity




RESPECT
A mini poem plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Why is there so little universal affect?
The literature on Love has been growing...

Why, so sadly, there’s a dearth of respect?
Because more DIGNITY we should be sowing!




Nature talks to me, an ecolinguistic poem
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Its good to live by the sea
Because Nature talks to me
There are deeper things to see
Nature smiles and says to me

Sense the sand as simplicity
Sail the sea as sincerity
Seek the sky as serenity
See the sun as security

It’s good to live by the sea
Because the Water reminds me
So many things I’d like to be
Caring calls for a special key

To others convey clouds of cooperation
And touch them with tides of tenderness
Harmoniously harvest health-humanization
And guide them to the goal of goodness

Its good to live by the sea
I now see Others, not just me
Oh, GOD it is thanks to THEE
That Nature now talks to me

The sand, the sea and the sky I see
They are all part of planetary me
Doing good sustainably I want to be
What a blessing, to live by the sea.




Conflict: A Constructive Comprehension
A poem-plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

From Conflict to Peace
World history is told
From Peace to Conflict
All problems unfold

Between nations, hostility
Between groups, antagonism
Between persons, animosity
Let's beware of destructivism!

Conflicts are human actions
due to misunderstanding
misjudgments, misperceptions
and above all mistrusting

Disagreement almost everywhere
So little conciliation
Disharmony almost everywhere
So little negotiation

Why not cherish approaches
Which foster comprehension
Through constructive resolutions
And stop all apprehension

For conflict resolution
To have a permanent day
Create comprehension
In a humanizing way




Walk the Compassion Road
Francisco Gomes de Matos

If you decide to others mercifully treat
And promise to be courageously forgiving
You may accomplish an extraordinary feat
For love will mean more than just giving

For love there is not to be any limit
Altruistically you should always act
Some day you may reach a summit
With Humankind you will sign a pact

Do you want a world with no limits to loving
Where doing good is challenged every day?
Although you may see Time as ever- running
Patiently walk the Compassion Road today




Doing Good: Multidisciplinary Dimensions - A World Forum
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Doing good:
scientifically
educationally
culturally/interculturally
spiritually
artistically
communicatively
environmentally
politically
socially
diplomatically
economically
journalistically (or through the media)
creatively
psychologically
physically




Love: The Light to Peace, dedicated to Harold W. Becker
Francisco Gomes de Matos

What is the illumination that keeps us alive?
What is the unconditional force never to cease?
What is the universal power forever to thrive?
It's LOVE, the light leading Humankind to PEACE




Doing Good, Better, Our Best
Dedicated to the Institute of Unlimited Love
Francisco Gomes de Matos

When to other human beings you committedly do good
By acting in a friendly, deeply compassionate way
What do we wish will happen to you, in all likelihood?
Your health will improve and sustained it will stay

When to others’ life you bring quality
And to their well-being you contribute
Your own life will be renewed with dignity
For a new kind of love you now distribute

By doing good, better, and your very best
You will be enhancing an unlimited love
So lets put universal harmony to a test
And fly together with the same peace dove




Long-Life Love (inspired by the book Why Good Things Happen to Good People)
Francisco Gomes de Matos

LIFE
LOVE
LIVE TO LOVE
LOVE TO LIVE
LIFE-LONG LOVE
LOVE-LONG LIFE
LONGER LIFE? L O V E!

Amor de Longa-Vida (inspirado no livro Why good things happen to good people,
por Stephen Post e Jill Neimark, New York, Broadway Books,2007)
Francisco Gomes de Matos

VIVER
AMAR
VIVAMOS PARA AMAR
AMEMOS PARA VIVER
VIVAMOS COM LONGO AMOR
AMEMOS COM LONGA VIDA
TENHAMOS VIDA MAIS LONGA ? AMEMOS !




Why GOD is ALL, a poemette in pairs (inspired by the book Why Good Things Happen to Good People)
Francisco Gomes de Matos

God is all-being
God is all-seeing

God is all-ascending
God is all-transcending

God is all-blessing
God is all-blissing

God is all-giving
God is all-forgiving

God is all-harmonizing
God is all-humanizing

God is all-inviting
God is all-uniting

God is all-sowing
God is all-knowing

God is all-purifying
God is all-sanctifying

God is all-compassioning
God is all-comprehending

God is all-peace-feeling
God is all-peace-filling

God is all-live-giving
God is all-love-giving

God is all-soul-supporting
God is all-spirit-sustaining!




How the authors of Why Good Things Happen To Good People rely on
alliterative statements to give their messages greater memorability. A list compiled by
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Note: By alliteration is meant the process of repeating an initial sound or letter in words in close proximity in a sentence. It is suggested that such high-frequency use of alliterations might reflect a tendency for human minds to use repetition as a strategy for creative communication. Accordingly, a case would be made for a Law of Alliterative Attraction or Law of Alliterative Approximation.

Readers of that book are asked to find occurrences of alliteration. There may be a twofold or threefold repetition of the initial letter.
Seldom is there repetition of more than 3 letters. By the way, have you thought about how alliteration permeates your writing? We’re all cognitive creatures, so, how about doing some rigorous research (R + R…) on that? What would our findings help show/reveal?

A A - appreciate absurdity (142)
B B - build bridges through joy (139)
C C - insights about loyal love (202)
C C C - Compassion calms and connects up (180)
C C C - The 3 Cs: commitment, control, and challenge (113)
C C C C C - Cultivating compassion can actually change our neuroCircuitry (187)
E E - true etiquette is a form of ethics (163)
F F - fight-or-flight hormones (180)
F F F - humor is the fastest, fleetest form of giving (22)
I I - Trust yourself to invent and innovate (277)
S S + E E - A strong sense of purpose is energizing and enriching (111)
G G - A life purpose guides us and gives us courage (111)
J J - Keep a joy jar at home (144)
L L - Laugh at life (145)
L L L - Laughter lifts us to the ceiling of our lives (131)
M M - …keep marital magic intact (142)
P P - Hope is passion for the possible (143)
N N - …., nurtured and neglected (13)
T T - Cultivate tolerance by traveling (160)
W W - Love others wisely and well(104)
R R - A sincere apology helps restore a relationship (94)




Alliterations for Unlimited Love
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Note: an alliteration can be either sound-based or letter-based. The technique used below is called Thril Technique. It consists of the threefold repetition of an initial sound/letter. I have been using it for 15 years now. Have presented it in events in Brazil and in the U.S. (once: at the Winter Fest of the Creative Education Foundation, San Diego, February 2004). What alliterations would you add, so as to describe the Institute of Research on Unlimited Love’s vision + mission?

A A A = Activate amicable actions
B B B = Build bridges of benevolence
C C C = Commit to compassion and cooperation
D D D = Do your deeds with dignity
E E E = Engage in exemplary empathy
F F F = Fill your friendships with fairness
G G G = Generate generosity and goodness
H H H = Harvest happiness through humility
I I I = Instill inclusion in your initiatives
J J J = Journey for justice joyfully
K K K = Know the key to kindness
L L L = Live for limitless love
M M M = Multiply your magnanimous missions
N N N = Nourish and nurture the needy
O O O = Opt for openheartedness and optimism
P P P = Promote the presence of Peace
Q Q Q = Quest for quality in quietude
R R R = Radiate reciprocity and responsibility
S S S = Serve Society spiritually
T T T = Treat tension with tenderness
U U U = Unite for unlimited unselfishness
V V V = Value virtuous views
W W W = Weave webs of well-being
X X X = X xenophobia with a Xmas spirit
Y Y Y = Yearn for yes years
Z Z Z = Zero in on the zenith with zest




Love Unlimited
A poem-plea (through paired rhymes) by Francisco Gomes de Matos

We may learn to classify
But have we learned to dignify?

We may learn to dare
But have we learned to care?

We may learn to insist
But have we learned to assist?

We may learn to obstruct
But have we learned to construct?

We may learn to cope
But have we learned to hope?

We may learn to self-actualize
But have we learned to the OTHER-realize?

We may learn to reject
But have we learned to protect?

We may learn to humiliate
But have we learned to commiserate?

We may learn to repudiate
But have we learned to appreciate?

We may learn to computerize
But have we learned to humanize?

We may learn to philosophize
But have we learned to philanthropize?

We may learn to distrust
But have we learned to co-trust?

We may learn to exclude
But have we learned to include?

We may learn to abstain
But have we learned to life-sustain?

We may learn to ignite
But have we learned to unite?

We may learn to conspire
But have we learned to inspire?

We may learn to say
But have we learned to pray?

We may learn to withstand
But have we learned to understand?

We may learn to live
But have we learned to give?

We may learn to live
But have we learned to love?

We may learn to fight
But have we learned to write?

We may learn to offend
But have we learned to commend?

We may learn to suspect
But have we learned to respect?

We may be wealthy
But have we learned to be healthy?

We may learn to do well
But have we learned TO DO GOOD?

We may learn love to limit
But have we learned LOVE to UNlimit?




The Handbook of Conflict Resolution: An Alliterative Reading
Francisco Gomes de Matos, contributor to this Handbook

Alliterations are amazing
words and wisdom are wedded
meaningful messages making
English in emotions embedded

A A A = Approach (others) with assertive actions
Avoid aggression and antagonism
Accept alternatives to adverse conditions
Anticipate another person’s actions

B B B = Beware of belligerent beliefs
Build bridges of better outcomes
Ban bia(ses) and bitterness

C C C = Communicative compassionately and constructively
Create a Culture of Conflict Resolution
Create a Culture of Cooperation
Consider controversies constructively
Change conclusions when not convincing
Compile a complex of collaborative skills
Consider conflict creatively

D D D = Dignity divergence in dialogue
Deplore dehumanization and distrust

E E E = Encourage empathy and equality
Enhance the other’s enthusiasm and effort

F F F = Foster Multiculturalism as a fourth force
Facilitate with flexibility and friendliness
Foster friendliness rather than forcefulness
Foster fairness and forgiveness

G G G = Glue generosity and goodness together
Govern with gregariousness and group decisions

H H H = Honor human equality and honesty
Halt humiliation and heinous acts

I I I = Instill interdependence for integrative solutions
Integrate interdisciplinary insights
Integrate interests innovatively

J J J = Justify judgments in a spirit of justice

K K K = Kindle knowledge as a key to conflict

L L L = Listen to learn and learn to listen
Lead with love-filled language

M M M = Maximize mediators´ motivations
Manage multifaceted conflict magnanimously

N N N = Negotiate norms of non-violence

O O O = Organize for openness and orientation

P P P = Perceive participants positively
Prevent proactive patterns of aggression
Promote positive problem-solving
Promote positive change
Promote the presence of Peace
Probe power processes
Promote psychological practices

Q Q Q = Query questionnable questions

R R R = Resort to Reflection and Reasoned judgment
Reach results through realistic cooperation
Reach results through reconciliation

S S S = Seek systematic solutions
Sustain systems for supporting Life
Stimulate strategies for sustainable Peace

T T T = Treat others with tact and tolerance
Tap into togetherness and trust

U U U = Undo unrealistic, underlying interests
Unite with understanding and universal adherence

V V V = Veto vilification and victimization
Value conflicts as vital for virtues

W W W = Want a worthwhile worldpolicy
Work for Wisdom and world peace
Withdraw from win-win actions/attitudes

Y Y Y = Yearn for Yes through Yielding




Alliterations on International Relations
Francisco Gomes de Matos

The alliterations below have been selected from a list presented in a lecture given in English to students of International Relations at a College in Recife, Brazil - Faculdade Integrada do Recife. The first word in each alliteration was left blank during the lecture, so as to challenge participants. Key-concepts in International Relations and Diplomacy were to be identified. Fill-ins sometimes varied. Creating additional alliterations can be fun. How about you, dear reader, contributing to this list now:

A A A - Aim at affinity and alliance
B B B - Build a bridge between nations
C C C - Consider conflicts constructively
D D D - Dignify your diplomatic discourse
E E E - Encourage empathy enthusiastically
F F F - Favor flexibility and friendship
G G G - Generate goodness and generosity
H H H - Honor humanity and humaneness
I I I - Inspire for integration and interdependence
J J J - Judge with justice and justification
K K K - Keep a Peace kit for keeps
L L L - Let liberty be the light
M M M - Maximize mediation and meditation
N N N - Nurture national negotiating styles
O O O - Observe opponents with openness
P P P - Perceive persons as peacepartners
Q Q Q - Question quixotic queries
R R R - Recommend realistic reconciliation
S S S - Support and sustain human solidarity
T T T - Treat others with tact and tolerance
U U U - Upgrade universal feelings of unity
V V V- Veto all varieties of violence
W W W - Weigh your words wisely
X X X - X-in diversity and X-out xenophobia
Y Y Y - Yearn for peace in all yards
Z Z Z - Zero in on peace zealously as the zenith




Life Supporting Systems: an ING-poem
Francisco Gomes de Matos

ART is life-enchanting
COMMUNITY is life-sharing
CULTURE is life-diversifying
EDUCATION is life-developing
FAITH is life-building
FOOD is life-supplying
FREEDOM is life-liberating
GOVERNMENT is life-managing
HUMAN RIGHTS is life-equalizing
KINDNESS is life-dignifying
LANGUAGE is life-communicating
LAW is life-protecting
LITERACY is life-assessing
LITERATURE is life-expanding
LOVE is life-creating
NATURE is life-energizing
PEACE is life-humanizing
PHILOSOPHY is life-probing
PSYCHOLOGY is life-becoming
RELIGION is life-serving
SCIENCE is life-transforming
TRAVEL is life-enriching
UNDERSTANDING is life-edifying
UNION is life-strengthening
WATER is life-sustaining
Long live life-supporting systems
HARMONY is life-according
FAMILY is life-generating
WOMAN is life-giving
CHILD is life-growing !




What can P E A C E be ?
Francisco Gomes de Matos

One day PEACE I asked
What can you be?
PEACE kindly smiled
and whispered to me

PEACE can be sought
PEACE can be taught
PEACE can be wrought
But, alas, PEACE can be fought

PEACE can be aimed at
PEACE can be dreamed of
PEACE can be hoped for
But, alas, PEACE can be laughed at

And eagerly I insisted
PEACE what can you be?
PEACE again smiled
and wisely said to me

PEACE can be your meditation
PEACE can be their mediation
PEACE can be our TRANSformation
PEACE can be HUMANKIND salvation




Prepositions for PEACE
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Peace talks
in gentle words
on firm beliefs
through kind actions
with a planetary spirit

Peace talks
among millions of people
without voices due to conflict
in countries fraught with war
under dehumanizing destruction

Peace talks
for dignity and solidarity
by means of appeals and pleas
against all forms of humiliation
by promoting humanization

Please, PEACE talk
as a committed humanizer
about the suffering, the poor
with a universal resolve
to problems socially solve

Please, PEACE talk
into all hearts and souls
for brave new voices
of both young and old
to make us peacefully bold

Please, PEACE talk with citizens everywhere
like a harmonious choir
in search of peace patriotism
in languages spoken,written and sign
to make YOU theirs, ours, and mine.

Prepositions for PEACE, by
Francisco Gomes de Matos,
an applied peace linguist from Recife, Brazil, March 4, 2005




Peace Across Peoples
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Visions of interdependence
Missions of cooperation
Acts of mutual dependence
Pleas for global integration

In a spirit of sharing
Acts of cordiality
nations together teaching
lessons of solidarity

Among all nations: PEACE
Across all cultures: PEACE
Among all persons: PEACE
Across all peoples: PEACE




Imagining Peace
Francisco Gomes de Matos

One day, a world of dreams
Peace and War side by side
In unison it seems
they speak on Channel TIDE

As they watch the waves
and share a common ground
they act as friendly braves
who create the same sound

kindly their words come out
messages in synchrony
discourses: what about?
to be one: Harmony

And from that new day on
Peace and War integrate
Humankind can live on
All is PEACE! Joy is great.




Verbs Against War: An Alphabetically Arranged List
A poem-plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

Colleagues are kindly asked/challenged to add to the list.

WAR should be/is to be/ought to be  .....
ABHORRED/ABOLISHED
BANNED
CONDEMNED
DEPLORED/DISCOURAGED/DISLIKED/DETESTED
EXTINGUISHED
FORESTALLED
GRILLED (subject to severe questioning)
HALTED
INTERDICTED
JETISONED
LAMENTED
MINIMIZED
NULLIFIED
OUTLAWED
PREVENTED
QUARANTINED
REPUDIATED
STOPPED
TERMINATED
UNDERMINED
VETOED
WITHERED
X-ED OUT
YIELDED (in the sense "collapsed")
ZAPPED

Milton Schwebel adds:
EMASCULATED
ILLEGALIZED
RIDICULED
UNWARRANTED




Peace Literacy
A poem-plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

As a process or a practice
A value, an ability
Human beings can learn to use
So many types of LITERACY!

For those literacy-endowed
INCLUSION is under way
For those without LITERACY
EXCLUSION gets in the way

We can speak or sign, read and write
Also know how to calculate
But have we been educated
To really share, cooperate?

We can be multilingual
And multicultural, too
Build transnational knowledge
But what good does that do?

If we don't treat one another
With all respect and dignity
And show how profoundly we care
For the good of humanity!

To be peacefully literate
Here, there and everyplace
Is a human-rights challenge
Which humankind needs to face




HumanKIND Please Be KIND (Adjectives for Peace)
Francisco Gomes de Matos

Oh,HUMANKIND please be kind
Avoid being quarrelsome
Refrain from being malevolent
Let´s learn to be benevolent

Oh,HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being insulting
Refrain from being inconsiderate
Let´s learn to be considerate

Oh, HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being rude
Refrain from being impolite
Let´s learn to be polite

Oh,HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being selfish
Refrain from being unsympathetic
Let´s learn to be sympathetic

Oh, HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being self-centered
Refrain from being uncooperative
Let´s learn to be cooperative

Oh, HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being violent
Refrain from being destructive
Let´s learn to be constructive

Oh,HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being humiliating
Refrain from being dehumanizing
Let´s learn to be humanizing

Oh, HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being offensive

Refrain from being disrespectful
Let´s learn to be respectful

Oh,HUMANKIND, please be kind
Avoid being thoughtless
Refrain from being divisive
Let´s learn to be cohesive

Oh, HUMANKIND, please be KIND
Avoid being belligerent
Refrain from being hateful
Let's be PEACEFUL.




Words that Fill
Francisco Gomes de Matos

The list of verbal abuses
Our big human frailty shows
By avoiding demeaning uses
Our communicative peace grows

Instead of verbally abusing
Cordially let's learn to speak
In place of insulting others
Let's try hard to be meek

NO! to language offensive
YES! to uses constructing
NO! to language derisive
YES! To uses humanizing

Let's not destructively communicate
For dignity we would demote
Let's constructively approximate
For dignity we would promote

If the vocabulary humans use
Are forms that communicatively kill
The education needed is to choose
Words that peace- with- harmony fill



What Can FAITH Be?
Francisco Gomes de Matos

FAITH is food
for the soul
that brings life
a new goal

Itæs a force
from within
that tells you
"Don't give in"

It's a fruit
flavor sweet
gives your heart
a new beat

It's a friend
in a plight
that tells you
"Pray with might"

FAITH is freedom
from fear-fright
that gives you
a new light

FAITH is power
that ignites
when needed
days and nights


 

 

Families for Peace
For Evelin
A poem-plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos

A family is a social unit, some would say
Or view it as a group-forming interrelation
To living it can be a most challenging way
Existing as a close or distant approximation

It can be a strong bridge, a blessing
But alas it can often become so brittle
When members each other in addressing
Respect and understanding show so little

A masterpiece, by Santayana it has been called
for its remarkably dynamic nature and composition
In it may coexist what is fruitful and flawed
translated in acts of happy or unhappy disposition

May friendly feelings free familiies from fight
May actions of anger/aggression never take place
May all parents and their children always unite
And give the world a longlasting, peaceful face




Francisco Gomes de Matos' Reactions to Current Events

 

Poems received from 2010 onward may be found at Francisco's WordPress pages

 


For the Victims in Baghdad
Francisco Gomes de Matos

The world has awaken deeply saddened today:
In Baghdad hundreds crossing a bridge died
Killed by an invisible someone,mentally astray
Why has such inhumanity been applied?

Leading innocent people to an unjust death
That non-person has shown how global insecurity
Can bring about unwitting collective sacrifice
And further enhance abominable indignity

May the names of all those Iraqi citizens
In a Book of World Martyrs be recorded
So succeeding generations can remember
That our ways of living need to be reordered

How? By building hope, justice, and peace
By sharing the world in responsible ways
By fostering so lidary feelings and actions
By assuring all, everywhere, of livable days


 

 

A Bridge Not Crossed - A poem in memory of Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian Londoner, killed on 22nd July 2005 in London
Francisco Gomes de Matos

He left Brazil six years ago
To his family said good-by
Wanted to live long in England
But in London he would die

A bridge he was crossing
Between England and Brazil
His journey was prematurely stopped
His heart now stands still

His death was caused by fear
and terror-instilled adversity
He was ejoying another culture
But short-lived was his liberty

A victim of the fallibitlity
Which all human institutions share
Jean-Charles has not died in vain
Let the world know that we care !




A Tribute to the London Martyrs
A poem-plea by Francisco Gomes de Matos (7th July 2005)

You were diabolically killed
By the worst ISM there is today
One whose abominable name
Makes us sick to say

For your families we pray
Greater strength they will need
You'll be missed by Good Humankind
For you were martyrs indeed

The ISM that we most abhor
As the cowardly weapon of hate
Let's ban it forever from Earth
United, as our top-priority mandate!




On Humility: My  reaction to a recent  diplomatic event  - Japan and China
Francisco Gomes de Matos

For a human being, a virtuous trait
For a country, an action great
One nation was offended
The other nation repented

With international respect
And national dignity
In relations circumspect
A deep sign of humility

Both nations deserve praise
For a universal lesson taught
In HUMANITY a raise
has inspiringly been sought




And PEACE traveled the Earth : A Tribute to POPE JOHN PAUL II
Francisco Gomes de Matos

As a brave peace maker
He tirelessly traveled
to seven Continents
countries big and small
soils he kissed them all

As a serene peace messenger
He affectionately spoke
to millions of people
in languages big and small
spiritually he spoke them all

As a wise peace promoter
He patiently talked
with many heads of state
on conflicts big and small
preached Peace above all

As a keen peace educator
dignity and justice he kindly taught
women,men,children,adults
through lessons big and small
showed Hope for all

As a planetary citizen
he went to East and West
made pleas for solidarity
humane actions,big and small
In deep Faith he loved us all

In a blessed role
He humbly played his part
in lands where joy and suffering
may co-exist ,big and small
Yes,PEACE traveled the earth
a permanent reminder for all

On March 3, 2005, by Francisco Gomes de Matos

On April 13, 2005, Francisco Gomes de Matos replied to criticism as to praising a conservative and controversial pope as follows (this was part of a conversation on an email list/site):
Dear colleagues, I have just read R.'s manifestation of his freedom of speech concerning other citizens' rights to express their views on JOHN PAUL II's actions. I appreciate the fact that this site has given its members the right to be  "heard"/read on issues which presumably could be of general interest. Just as the colleague has the right to pass judgment, I have the right to praise. May this list continue its policy of welcoming comments, no matter how provocatively worded, from East and West, South and North. We live in a world of diversity and, above all, of peaceful dialogue.
Francisco Gomes de Matos Federal University of Pernambuco and Brazil America Association Recife, Brazil




To Beslan Children - The World Misses You
Francisco Gomes de Matos

~~~
When you died
because of a war
Human dignity cried:
"Don't close my door!"
~~~
When you were killed
in acts of violence
Human Rights denounced:
"Where's the protection of innocence?"
~~~
When you were sacrificed
in abominable terrorism
Planetary citizens proclaimed:
"Let's create a new humanism"
~~~
Where peace and justice prevail
where differences disappear
where human beings sail
all waters without fear
~~~
where memories of you
will show us a new way
which will change history
your heroism is here to stay.

On September 5, 2004, by Francisco Gomes de Matos

~~~

Please see here also Francisco's poem on Peace Patriotism.


 


Guest Contributions

 


Brother

by Hugh Mann

I'm not well
If you are sick

I'm not rich
If you are poor

I can't live
If you're not free

I depend on you
And you can depend on me

A brother is no bother
We all have the same Father


 

I Refuse to Die. And I Even Refuse to Cry.

by Latha Nrugham

These lines were written during the second half of my decade-long work with the homeless children and youth on the streets of Mumbai. Bombay (now Mumbai) Central Terminus, BCT is the meanest/toughest place to live even for homeless adults. These words reveal my understanding of the boys who lived on BCT. They have heard these lines and agree, requiring no changes. They die young.

I refuse to die. And i even refuse to cry.

             Take away my strength
             Take away my supports
             all that i value
             all my good times
             Take away goodness itself
             Take away my future
             Take away my smiles
             Take away my hopes
             all my rights
             all my little joys
             Take away happiness itself
             Take away all my bonds

             I've learnt to survive
             without trust and faith
             I've learnt to survive
             without any needs and dreams
             I've learnt to survive
             as a stranger to my own
             I've learnt to survive
             on pride, laughter and freedom
             I'll keep my body alive
             away from hunger and thirst
             I'll keep my spirit alive
             away from you and your breaths
             I'll keep my mind alive
             away from loneliness and hurt
             I'll keep myself alive
             away from home, maybe not for long
             But while i'm alive
             I live proudly

Nazar uthake jiyunga, sar uthake jiyunga
(i will live with lifted eyes, i will live with an uplifted head)
I refuse to cry
And I even refuse to die.


 

Strangling Heaven

by Laurie Corzett/libramoon (see more at http://emergingvisions.blogspot.com)

How do you know that
you're strangling heaven?
Taught to irrelevant
standardized scales
Taught to be standardized,
Chris tian White Males
or wherever you're placed
and timed
Taught to believe the sublime
is but an affectation,
drug-induced hallucination,
not to be relied upon
when creditors come to call
demanding payment
for providing you with life.
Selling your soul for nickels and dimes,
the working-class creed.
Giving in to everyday crimes,
habituated to need
secondhand pleasures,
pirated treasures
that never succeed in
destroying the pain,
the long season of Hell
you strive to explain
"it's his fault" "it's their fault"
"it's my fault"
all victims of blame.
And you're strangling heaven.
You're making it impossible to survive,
denying your passion to thrive,
denying your worth,
the blessing of birth onto
this mortal stage.
You pace in your cage
as if castrated of will.
And heaven so wants you,
surrounds you, offers
your most deeply hoped for love,
boundless happiness, life eternal,
every pocket of your soul
exquisitely fulfilled.
Heaven offers you her open arms,
and you, in your hellish nightmare,
strangle her
unaware.
(c) March 12, 2008 Laurie Corzett/libramoon


 

Kinship

by Laurie Corzett

Why be kind?
Why model humane expectations
of the reasoned mind?
Theories of evolution say
strategies of the Golden Rule,
like birds in migration, fish in school,
move us all forward,
increase the common pie.
All well fed, well loved,
well and whole.
Why would we not embrace
that model?
Why favor divisive cries of
anger, bitter tears fed
by fears unfairly explored?
Why be kind in the face of
derisive mocking?
Fear's not unfounded to we
bearing wounds of sharp stones
flung in punishment as gossips
proclaim our sins.
Can we find and flow together,
name ourselves as kin:
we who are kind?
(c) March 23, 2008 Laurie Corzett/libramoon




O Peace! Before You ….

by Dr. T. Ashok Chakravarthy

O Peace! Before you we humbly bow
Harmonious seeds we aspire to sow,
On mankind you have steadfast trust
Is it but possible to keep that intact?

The dominating and conflicting trends
Ominously are they threatening mankind,
They are but the hurdles on peace paths
Whoever dares to tread, confronts death.

The scars of fear, death and destruction
Taught us to desist from any provocation,
Unmindful yet, we prefer to be provocative,
The egoistic fire is alluringly destructive.

When humans suffer the pangs of death,
Children forced to face starvation deaths,
Mothers are snatched of their dear ones,
Whom should we blame? Please imagine.

O Peace! Before you we humbly bow
Harmonious seeds we aspire to sow,
But if aggression ploughs with violence
Show us, how to sow the seeds of peace?


 

We Are One
"world anthem" of love and peace by Kevin Reid

200 singers, adults and children from many countries, participated to harmonize their
voices in joy and celebration:

As I look into my brother's eyes
Holiness is what I recognize
I see the truth in everyone
Let us stand and live as one
United everywhere
With love replacing fear

We are one, we are one
It's the truth of who we are
Everywhere let the flag of love unfurl
In our hearts lies the truth
Of the unity of life
We are one and the truth of life is love

As I look into my sister's eyes
Immortality is what I find
From the eternal we have come
Let us live in peace as one
Coming together everywhere
It's time for love to vanquish fear

We are one, we are one
It's the truth of who we are
Everywhere let the flag of love unfurl
In our hearts lies the truth
Of the unity in life
We are one and the truth of life is love




Let Peace Be Victorious
by Dr. T. Ashok Chakravarthy

If the blissful flags of peace
Are tagged to the cries of war,
If the pigeons of peace
Are freed in the war-torn skies,
If the peace-loving forces
Are flown into the war terrains,
If the provocative elements
Are disciplined to uphold peace,
If the promoters of suppression
Are cured by the potion of love,
If the innocent victims of war
Are treated with love and concern,
If the conspirators of conflicts
Are persuaded to desist from wars,
Will there be a crisis or a scope
For enmity to exist amongst humans?
Won’t there be a space for hope
To expect a hope-enhanced tomorrow.

From the dark shackles of egoism
Peace would liberate the mankind,
Who can deny the bliss of peace
Once pleasure is derived out of it?
What we seek is public domination
What we lack is true dedication,
If both are effectively curtailed
Peace victorious shall we herald;
It conquers and occupies the world
Laying flowery paths in every heart
Forget not, this option is the best.




Where There Is …
by Dr. T. Ashok Chakravarthy

Where there is amity, there is joy
Where there is joy, there is peace
Where there is peace, there is humanity
Where there is humanity, there is love
Where there is love, there is concern
Where there is concern, there is care
Where there is cadre, there is unity
Where there is unity, there is strength
Where there is strength, there is harmony
Where there is harmony, there is trust.

Any of these if we lack
We face the dearth of all,
Surrounded by uncertainties
Of mistrust and hatred,
Of violence and hesitation,
Of death and destruction,
Of uproar and dejection,
We lose every viable option
And sprout seeds of destruction.




Song "Das Individuum"/The Individual
by Alexander Patrut

German version - Das Individuum:

Sie halten sein
Reden für Schweigen
seine Güte für
Schwäche und sein
Wohlwollen für
Zerbrechlichkeit
und sie lernen
es kaum kennen.

Sie halten seinen
Zorn für Jähzorn
seinen Mut für
Übermut und seinen
Widerspruch für einen
Trinkspruch
und sie lernen
es kaum kennen.

Sie meinen sie
würden ihm sein
Bild vorwerfen aber
sie werfen nur
sich ihr Bild
von ihm vor.

English version - The Individual:

They think his
talk to be silence
his kindness to be
weakness and his
goodwill to be
fragility
and they only know him
a little.

They think his
courage to be mischief
his anger to be
violent temper and his
contradiction to be a
conundrum
and they only know him
a little.

They think they
would reproach him
for his picture
but they only reproach
themselves for their
picture of him.




Healing
by Inge Danaher

One day I was uncertain
and asked God for a sign
He parted wide the curtain
And showed me things divine.

One day when I was hurting
I cried out : heal my pain
I felt His love so certain
My pain was gone again.

One day when I was crying
From anguish and from woe
I felt his comfort drying
The tears that overflowed.

And yet so many prayers
I say appear unheard
So many cries for healing
like unrewarded words.

My mind just cannot fathom
Divinely authored plans
But simply in obedience
Must I obey commands.

Our loving caring Father
must have the final say
and his obedient children
must not get in His way.

The waters are not parted
For each pursuing foe
And storms rage on around us
Despite the faith we show.

I challenge not the wisdom
Of One who all does know
But choose to be obedient
Til home to Him I go.




Prayer
by Inge Danaher

Doesn't have to be a word
Doesn't need to be aloud
Doesn't need a special place
alone or in a crowd
at home at work
at school at play
any time any day
anywhere
anyhow
now.

Aware
He is there
listens
and cares.
That's prayer!




God Is All Around
by Francisco Gomes de Matos in response to Inge Danaher

You're blessed for you needn't prove
that a spiritual life can be found
Your faith will your health improve:
In revealing ways, God is all around.




On Forgiving: A Trilogy of Poems
by Inge Danaher

1. Forgiving Those Who Hurt Us

Forgiving is not always easy to do
but done well restores mighty power to you
for things that are harbored
take captive your heart
and freeing this captive
can often be hard.

And where there is such a lot to forgive
the burden is harder and with it you live
sometimes for ages and sometimes for good
until the art of forgiving is understood.

You are the captive much more than the foe
or the person who injured and damaged you so
But setting them free is a wonderful gift
that will finally your own burdens shift.

Although it is powerful to shake someone's hand
sometimes the other will not understand.
Often they know not the pain they have caused
and telling it may cause them terrible woes.

Instead, to forgive you must open your heart
Reach out in friendship reach out in love.
This may at first not be easy to do
but practice creates a much better you.

For when you reach out with love and with care
'tis your heart that is healed much more than theirs.
And if this act of love seems far too hard
God's help is there for all who ask!

His Love knows no limits and knows no end
Is given freely to foe and friend
He shares it gladly and all who despair
find solace and comfort waiting there!

It may not be easy to forgive and forget
and wrongs can become like a favorite pet
the more that we nurture and harbor the gripe
the bigger it grows and the harder to wipe.

So start with your heart and reach out in love
and feel it's healing and comforting touch
then pray for help to place into your mind
only thoughts that are warm and kind.

Forgetting is never easy to do
but done well restores peace to you
for things that are harbored
take captive your mind
and once imprisoned
you're also blind
to all that is warm
and loving and kind.

In each and every one of us
beats a heart that yearns to love and trust.
And maybe I have lost the key
and need for you to set me free!

When I look around and see
how many have forgiven me
or people who've been badly hurt
yet spread their love around the world
then I feel ashamed to see
how long it takes me to set free
those who may not even know
of how and when they hurt me so.

2. What Gives me the Right

What gives me the right
to hate with a passion
people in a fashion
who've never crossed my sight?

How often I'm swayed
by ancient reports
by others's retorts
by filtered embellished
colored with malice
based on innuendo
4th handed info!

I listen and ponder
but don't even wonder
if fact or if fiction
political friction
colored somewhat
the actual event?

Why am I often
judge and jury
of things I've vaguely
read about.
and with a raging
burning fury
I rant and rave
and even shout!

Righteous anger
is not like this
for hatred it
does not unleash
righteous anger
deals there and then
with harm inflicted
on innocent men.

The righteous judge
has the power to rule
in fairness using
the law as his tool.
No, my indignation
is very unwise
for I'm judging often
through others eyes.

Forgiving others is
not complete
until we stop hating
even these
so called monsters
who so many have hurt
for God is their judge
and knows their heart.

So I'm setting free
from the hatred I've felt
so many people
who I've never met.
People who touched not
a hair on my head
I'll leave them be judged
by my Maker instead.

So Adolf and Saddam
and others like you
if people you insured
forgive even you
then I too must set you
free to be judged
by someone much wiser
and someone who's just.

For harboring grudges
diminishes me
and truly to love
I must set them all free
and sometimes the frightening thought
comes to me
if wearing their shoes
what my actions would be?

Therefore I must treat
with love and respect
all of my brethren
and never forget
that I will be judged for
for the way that I have
lived and have loved my fellow man.

3. Forgiving Myself

In my youth I was unwise
looking back
through older eyes
many things I would revise.
But I like where I am now
so I must admit somehow
that the paths I walked along
were not all completely wrong.

Yet I do have some regrets
demons that are hard to shed
decisions that can't be undone
and careless words that hurt someone.

Wishing doesn't take them back
despite the tears that I have shed
and I often felt despair
when my thoughts would wander there.

Until one day I journeyed back
along those rather distant tracks
right back to the very start
the first memory in my heart.

And I saw this little child
fragile, vulnerable and mild
walking paths some steep and wild
brambles bushes rocks and sand
dangers lurking close at hand.
and I was amazed, in awe
how she stumbled bravely on
even when all light had gone.

Now my heart was touched and raw
by the dangers that I saw
would have liked to hold her tight
comfort her through many a night.
Then her face I recognised
saw my eyes in this disguise
the eyes that every day I see
in the mirror look at me.

Was the first time in my life
I saw myself as just a child
innocent and without guile.
So I finally made peace
felt this healing this release
only love left in it's place
love for self that felt like grace!
Then I realised suddenly!
God's eyes looking down at me!
What a gift He'd given me!
To see myself through eyes of Love
Those eyes that look on from above
that see us stumble see us fall
and despite it Love us all!


 

Our Brothers
by Inge Danaher

Dear sisters do you remember when
it seemed as though the race of men
abused their powers enslaved their wives
in general upset our lives?

Maybe you need to ask your mothers
what life was like when only brothers
were thought to have intelligence
and sisters were just breeding hens?
Or toys at best or trinkets fine
to show off like a perfect wine?

Emancipation came along
whipped into shape
that menacing throng
of fierce and domineering men.
Women everywhere wanted to
show how much better they could do!

But sisters have we gone too far
in proving how adept we are?
Have maybe we along the line
of masculinity made a shrine?
Forgetting how to celebrate
in all of us the feminine traits?

Instead of lifting high for all
feminine virtues to uphold
have we by asking for our rights
become diminished by the fight?

And having now reduced us thus
trampled our virtues in the dust?
Damaged our brothers along the way
confused by all the things we say?

Women and men right from the start
equally created are
just somehow along the way
some of us went astray
confused strength with physical might
thought these gave the right
to dominate and to abuse
to enslave and to accuse.

Yet right though the ages
many a mighty man
had a woman beside him
guiding his hand.

From cradle to grave
men were influenced
by the gentle rocking
of a woman's hand.

And I believe many a tyrant
was twisted and sad
not knowing love,
chose violence instead.

So sisters and brothers
the time is right
to lay down our weapons
and stop the fight.

We need each other
to understand
we need to go forward
holding hands!

And mothers and fathers
your role must be
to teach your children
liberty
pride in their gender
be it female or male
each one equal
yet not the same.


 

A Source to Rely
Tholana Ashok Chakravarthy
(tacvarthy[@]yahoo.com)

The drifting clouds
The seasonal drizzle
The sensuous wind
The sizzling view
Greenery all around;
How pleasant,
How captivating
The view around is?
The nature is of course
A paradise on earth
That provides serenity,
Peace and pleasure
To all living creatures
Whoever is born
On this planet earth.

Aspire, let the ocean of love
Let the ocean of concern
At every nook and corner
And in every heart and soul
Enlighten and enthuse mortals;
To script the essence of harmony
And to forget the pain and agony.
Let the flags of love and concern
Flutter high in our hearts’ caverns.

Silently, We Often...

Moment after moment
We all should untiringly aspire
To establish Peace,
To impart Universal Brotherhood,
To promote harmony
To safeguard humanity
For a ‘Harmonious Planet Earth’.

The invisible layers of hatred
The surging layers of enmity
In the name of religion,
On the pretext of region,
In the guise of caste,
In the garb of race
Try to destabilize humanity.

As silently as the tide of sea
Get swallowed by another tide,
Small fights transforming into wars
Ravaging country after country.
Slashed by the sword of revenge
Peace! Silently we often watch
Drowning in the pool of human blood.

The silence after a storm,
The calmness after a sunset,
With untiring efforts and firm unity
We should break the stalemate,
And enlighten one after the other
To fight against the evils of hatred
To usher a dawn that calms all storms.
(18th April 2017)

Abode of Peace

Peace, peace, peace
Let us all pray for ‘Universal Peace’
Herself, the Goddess Of Peace
Crave for peace, peace, peace
But, where’s peace? Where’s its place?

Every heart beholds a place for peace
Every soul possess a twinkle of peace
The veil of violence has clouded peace
The mire of hatred has enveloped peace
Elusive, hence, is the search for peace
Evasive seem all the efforts for peace
For peace’s sake, should prevail peace
For global peace, should prevail peace 
Yes, let’s pray for peace, peace, peace
Let’s aspire for peace, peace, peace.

United, we all should strive for peace
For, we cannot survive without peace
A place of peace, a home of peace
A nation of peace, a world of peace
Every place should be an ‘Abode of Peace’
Peace should we uphold for the sake of peace
We humans should lovingly embrace peace?

Realize! Affection is peace, trust is peace
Truce is peace, friendship is peace
Unfold your arms and embrace peace
Perpetual will be the warmth of peace
Infinite, yes, will be the delights of peace.

In search of everlasting world peace
Let’s pray for peace, peace and peace
For peace and prosperity, let’s love peace.
(18th April 2017)


 

Synchronicity
by Brian Ward
Please see more of
Brian's poems, and contact him at wardeez[@]xtra.co.nz.

I float
I float on the river of life
I bump into the bank
Only to bounce back

I float
I get washed under
Only to rise again

I steer myself but I cannot steer others
I can only talk to them
And show them how I steer myself

I move between floating and steering
It’s wonderful
I am part of the river


 

You raise me up: To more than I can be

Lyrics by Brendan Graham, Music by Rolf Lovland.
This song blends elements of Celtic and gospel music. The song was played in Northern Ireland, on the historic day at Stormont, 8th May 2007, when a new power-sharing government was sworn in. The song was played when the MLAs moved into the marbled hall at Stormont to be addressed by Mr Paisley, Mr McGuinness, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern.

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary;
When troubles come and my heart burdened be;
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence,
Until you come and sit awhile with me.

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up: To more than I can be.
... Please read more, for example, at http://www.selahonline.com/lyrics_hidingplace.html.


 

The Heart Can Be a Funny Please
by Dr. Sue McGregor, inspired by Francisco Gomes de Matos's work

The heart can be a funny place
Full of love and full of grace
But, hearts can also appear to be bare
Empty of compassion, no room for care

People create life spaces, making room for self
But what of others’ lives, what of their hearts on a shelf?
We cannot leave their essence outside
Time for peace within our hearts to abide.


 

A Song of Hope by Rashani Réa

"The Unbroken"
(This poem was written by Rashani Réa in 1991, following the sixth death in her family. In her book, Beyond Brokenness, she shares the genesis of this poem.)

There is a brokenness
out of which comes the unbroken,
a shatteredness
out of which blooms the unshatterable.

There is a sorrow
beyond all grief which leads to joy
and a fragility
out of whose depths emerges strength.

There is a hollow space
too vast for words
through which we pass with each loss,
out of whose darkness
we are sanctioned into being.

There is a cry deeper than all sound
whose serrated edges cut the heart
as we break open to the place inside
which is unbreakable and whole,
while learning to sing.

- Rashani, 1991
Thanks you, dear Noor Akbar, for sending us this poem!

Rashani asks to write short explanations as to why sombeody likes this poem. Here is Evelin Lindner's paragraph explaining why she likes Rashani's poem:
"Rashani's poem describes my life, in a nutshell. It describes my experience of being cast into an unbearable amount of suffering, several times in my life, only to emerge as a new being. In my work as a researcher, I focus on the topic of humiliation. I have had experiences of utter humiliation in my life, so deep that they almost erased me as a human being, socially, psychologically, and almost also physically. I would never have thought that there would be a time in my life where I would SING, where my entire life would have turned into a song, or, as I perceive it, a WAVE with no anchoring, a wave of humility and love. Rashani's poem, in its last line "while learning to sing," so graciously captures the almost unimaginable pleasure of fluidity, the pleasure of refraining from clinging to fixities, the pleasure of floating in flux. This song means life despite the fear of getting lost, of falling into a void. Rashani's poem paints the entire spectrum from utter despair to utter liberation, liberation even from liberation."

Please see also Beyond Brokenness by Rashani and her four other books (art books). Rashani writes (December 12, 2008): "My Bird Has Come Home is a collection of illustrated poetry that i did when i was 8, 9 and 10 years old. The Unfurling of an Artist is an early book of collages and writings, on the theme of creativity. It was done when i was 17 years old, for a senior english project at Ipswich high school.


 


Commitment
by Araken Barbosa, August 11th, 2005

We must be aware of dangers
that life may someday present
But (we) shouldn't fear to face'm
And never to crime consent

We should always focus on Peace
Striving to maintain all the best
of our thoughts and actions
Towards North and South, East 'n West

Let's give our way to resilience
always welcome empathy
Commit ourselves to patience
Tolerance, Peace and harmony




To a Suicide Bomber
by Ada Aharoni

On Saturday, June 04, 2005, Ada Aharoni sends a message with the following subject line:
Poem on the Horrendous Crime of Educating Youngsters to become Suicide Bombers

Ada writes: Yesterday, again 3 young suicide bombers were caught in Jerusalem, when they planned to commit suicide bombings. Bernard asks: "How do we help people realize that training their children to be suicide bombers is not helpful?" I hope that perhaps my following poem can help a little to open the eyes of the potential future suicide bombers - if it ever reaches them!
I asked my 14 year old granddaughter the question above, and she had a very good suggestion: "Films! Make exciting beautiful films in which the message is that life is better than death!"
Ada and Nitzan

To a Suicide Bomber

Deluded, brainwashed suicide bomber
they lied to you
when they manipulated your cells
with sleek murderous words
in their stupendous "Shahid- Hero" washing machines
where they only wash young brains like yours
with bomb-flamed slogans
and rat poison soap-suds

They lied to you when they told you -
you will surely go to heaven

To 72 ravishing young virgins awaiting you
when you courageously blow yourself up
and kill many, many innocent people -
they lied to you

And you did not even have the courage
to ask them: "if so,
why don't you go?"

30.05.2005, Francisco Gomes de Matos responds:
Dear Ada,
Loved your poem. It forcefully conveys the message that none should induce others to kill oneself and others. Hope your poetic creation gets disseminated widely and wisely.
Wish others created other poems - yours was beautifully inspired by your granddaughter. My granddaughter is only 1 1/2 month old, but my two grandsons (10 and 8) will be asked the question.
The self-destruct and other-destruct actions of suicide bombers merit thorough crosscultural analysis, in the light of theories of destructivity, of self-destruction, of self-deception, and of different psychological, and religious traditions/approaches/systems (this term first appeared in written English in 1580; self-annihilation made its written debut in 1640; suicide comes next: 1645, brainwashing occurs - in written English - from 1945 on).

In the perspective of Human Rights / Humanitarian Human Rights and the like, your message could also feature bits of advice such as:

Why don't you exercise your right to refuse to kill,
or your right to reassert your own right to live, or still
your right to decide on how to best serve your country,
and the like

A most disturbing, provocative issue, Ada. How can human beings share a vision and a mission of humane globalization, of humane interdependence, of dignity, equality, justice and peace for all? School curricula would have to be TRANSformed, so that human beings everywhere could be not just REeducated, but REhumanized, especially those sharing destructive,negativistic views of persons, groups, communities, nations.

Francisco Gomes de Matos


 

 


Reviews



Poetical Structures by Francisco Gomes de Matos
A Review by Maria Cristina Azcona

1.-The poetical structures by Francisco Gomes de Matos are original because they are applied to peace through poetry. The creation resides in the intention of these structures, which is dedicated to move the reader’s thought towards the transformation of his/her mind in a positive way. This transformation is provoked by the stimulation that the poet does on his/her attitude in front of the world. The reader feels enthusiastically encouraged to dedicate his/her efforts to create abstract values like Justice, Serenity, Freedom, that are related to Peace. Then, he/she needs to develop a creative thought, and a speed thought which is now compelled to be expressed in many different words that sorrowfully are nowadays out of use: compassion, humaneness and so on.

The reader is invited to produce words, to express these ideals and to communicate them to us.

This communication produces peace itself in an immediate and very accurate way. The readers, now transformed in writers, share among them the concept of peace that hides in the interrelation of those abstractions.

There resides the exquisite originality of Francisco’s work.

Human beings are not accustomed to interchange this kind of communication, in a higher level of thought.

He makes us put our mind on the ceilings of its possibilities, where communication flows despite the differences of religion or race.

Peace is possible only when we are able to travel to our deep inner world, and then, from there, share this inner world with the inner world of the other, our brother.

2. -Alliterations are a fantastic tool to create a poetical structure, which will be easily understood and easily assimilated by the mind of the reader. I have many poems, especially ecologic, where alliterations are the basis of the internal rhymes.

Ecology is also a theme related to peace because it enhances the importance of life in Earth.

NOISE by Maria Cristina Azcona is the self-translation of "Ruido" a poem of my first book of social poetry "Dos Talles Menos de Cerebro" (Brains Two sizes smaller):

"Noise"
by María Cristina Azcona


Noise in our cities clashes, rushes, croaks
and barks in our ears.
It itches like a tattoo, to and fro...
It claps and beats. It barks aloud.
It hurries us like hurricane.
( Bombs have broken blocks).
It knocks you down and you can’t think any more.
We are like tools.
It is expanding its really shocking wave.
But now, we are just noisy tools.
Its noisy tools. We are its slaves.
We are making noise with our teeth and boots.
(Without an attitude)
Without a book...
Noisy tools, noisy tools, noisy tools....
without a book, without a soul, without a book.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006 11:49 AM
Subject: Fw: Aboriginal Poetry March editon "Bridge Matters"


 

 


Links

Please note that the entire HumanDHS website is maintained by volunteers, since its inception in 2003, and this is mainly done by Evelin Lindner. Until 2012, she usually pasted interesting news into this Links section. From July 2012 until 2017, she tagged interesting information on delicious.com. From 2017 onward, you see Evelin's personal list of interesting web links on Twitter:

Francisco Gomes de Matos:
One of the serious gaps in the preparation of researchers is TERMINOLOGY SCIENCE. Since we deal with concepts-terms, we should be minimally knowledgeable about the form-meaning-use of terms in our specific areas! FREQUENCY, too, is important (the DICTIONARIES OF FREQUENCY are being published, see the Frequency Dictionary of Contemporary American English, by Mark Davies and Dee Gardner, published by Routledge, 2010, and, also by the same publisher, Frequency Dictionary of Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish.)

When the words injustice and indignity entered written English:
Justice made itself visible in English from 1175
Injustice entered written English from 1350 (Humiliation, too!)
Dignity was born visually in English from 1150
Indignity made its written debut from 1575
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 15th January 2011. His source: The Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 1997. Published by Random House, New York.
...
Mercy - 1120; Pity - 1175; Compassion -1300; Humaneness - 1500; Sympathy - 1560; Commiseration - 1585.
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 24th March 2011.

Let´s never harm
Let´s never hate
Let´s never hurt
Let´s never humiliate!
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 11th January 2011

Everybody let's respect
and Dignity we'll perfect
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 7th February 2011

As the concept of EQUALITY is central to DEMOCRACY,
so the concept of  DIGNITY is central to HUMANITY.
As the concept of SOLIDARITY is central to SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY,
so the concept of HUMILITY is central to TRANQUILITY
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 11th March 2011

The FDCAE says that DIGNITY is among the 5,000 most frequently used words in English.
•  The ADJECTIVES that cooccur with DIGNITY: human, great, personal, quiet, EQUAL, inherent
•  The VERBS most frequently used together with DIGNITY: treat, maintain, die, restore, lose, RESPECT, preserve, uphold, constitute
•  The NOUNS that collocate (hang out together with) DIGNITY: sense, RIGHT, person, honor, freedom, worth, grace, value, BEING
(Capitalization by Francisco Gomes de Matos)
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 16th May 2011

Culturomics.org
This is a database of words as found in the 15 million books scanned for the Google Books project. On the website one can check how often a chosen word or phrase appears in that set of books. Here is an example for "human dignity."
- We thank Uli Spalthoff for making us aware of this project.

Google Labs
Type in a word or phrase in one of seven languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Hebrew, Russian, Chinese) and see how its usage frequency has been changing throughout the past few centuries.

When the words injustice and indignity entered written English
Justice made itself visible in English from 1175
Injustice entered written English from 1350 (Humiliation, too!)
Dignity was born visually in English from 1150
Indignity made its written debut from 1575
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 15th January 2011. His source: The Random House Webster's College Dictionary, 1997. Published by Random House, New York.
...
Mercy - 1120; Pity - 1175; Compassion -1300; Humaneness - 1500; Sympathy - 1560; Commiseration - 1585.
- Francisco Gomes de Matos, 24th March 2011.

Cosmopoésie
Marie Robert, an artist nominated Messenger of Culture of Peace at Unesco in 2000, dancer and choreographer, photographer and poet, trekker, founder of the "Cosmopoésie" - poetry of the words, images and gestures.

The Tagalog term for "nonviolence," or alay dangal, means to "offer dignity"
- We thank Michael Nagler for making us aware of this connection! (The standardized form of Tagalog is commonly called Filipino.)

Winning Words: Individual Differences in Linguistic Style among U.S. Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates
Richard B. Slatcher, Cindy K. Chung, James W. Pennebaker, Lori D. Stone
Abstract:
This study examines the personalities and psychological states of the 2004 candidates for U.S. president and vice president through their use of words. The transcripts of 271 televised interviews, press conferences, and campaign debates of John Kerry, John Edwards, George W. Bush, and Dick Cheney between January 4 and November 3, 2004 were analyzed using a computerized text analysis program. Distinct linguistic styles were found among these four political candidates, as well as differences between political parties and candidate types. Drawing on previous research linking word use and personality characteristics, the results suggest that the candidates had unique linguistic styles variously associated with cognitive complexity, femininity, depression, aging, presidentiality, and honesty.
Keywords: Personality; Language use; Presidential election; Political psychology
Please read the entire text at http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/Students/Slatcher/cv/winningwords_jrp.pdf

Bridge Matters
Bridge Matters features Aboriginal (Koorie) prisoners who are writing poetry in jail in Alice Springs (in the heart of Australia).