At Brigida together with de “Defend the Sacred” delegation
Saturday, November 2nd
5:47 a.m. It is still dawn, but the sun will rise in a few minutes. In front of me is Gaviota, the little dog, the gull of the gringos, as they call him here. Gaviota means seagull. Slowly everyone is getting out of bed.
Yesterday evening our “Defend the Sacred” delegation arrived, including Gabriel from Argentina, who lived in Israel for 29 years as a peace activist. With him, we held the peace vigil in the West Bank on the grounds of Ali Abu Awwad, a well-known peace activist who consistently advocates nonviolence. This was during the last Gaza war. It ended with a ceasefire in January 2009.
While the Palestinians’ homemade bombs flew over our heads, we sat in the open air and thought about possible peace solutions. It was obviously a hopeless story for the Palestinians against the high-tech warfare of the Israelis. It seemed to us like the desperate outcry of an oppressed population in Gaza that is no longer willing to tolerate oppression in silence.
For us, our vigil was a profound experience. We witnessed how settlers, Palestinians, Israelis and internationals stood together for a nonviolent vision of peace. Although we were unprotected in the open air, there was an enormously peaceful energy and all those involved encountered each other on a solidary and existential level. I am always struck by how, in some people, mutual sympathy is stronger than war, and the power of peace and the unconditional will to reconcile in existential situations triumph.
How many wars arise from worldviews?
Such experiences have left a deep impression on me. They also motivate me to think again about a possible peace vigil in the desert. I would repeat a comparable vigil any time if I could somehow see the deeper meaning in it. Something in me can believe that such seemingly naive actions have an effect on the whole. They can awaken a memory in us of how we are originally meant to be, as loving, compassionate beings! And that can be contagious.
At the time, I thought of many people burning their passports as a sign that we no longer follow state instructions that propagate war as a possible solution for peace. I can only see a real peace power when there are no more losers. Especially those who are in power could set completely new examples here.
Helena, a 44-year-old Spaniard who also arrived here with the delegation yesterday, has been very active in Gaza for five years. We will learn a lot from her. She was active for years with “Peace Brigades International” (PBI) and this is not her first time here. She lived in Colombia for five years and was also active here in the peace community of San José de Apartadó, while coordinating and accompanying PBI people throughout the country.
Rajendra Singh and his assistant, the journalist Indra Shekhar Singh, from India, arrived after an 80-hour journey together with Helena and Gabriel as a “Defend the Sacred” delegation.
Rajendra took my hand when he heard about our accident and said,
“Whenever we do something big, nature tests us to see if we are serious about our intentions. Then she gives us all the protection we need.”
I met Rajendra for the first time on the “Walking Water” pilgrimage through the Owens Valley towards Los Angeles. There we witnessed the massive harm being done to nature by the construction of pipelines to transport water to Los Angeles. It is always impressive when he tells the story of how he came to stand up for water. He gained international fame as the “Aquarius of India”. He was originally a doctor.
Rajendra once came to a village as a healer and there an elderly resident told him: “We don’t need your medicine, we need water, that’s our medicine.” Rajendra replied that he had no knowledge of water.
But the old man persisted: “You come from outside, you can help us.” You just have to go out into nature and observe how water wants to be treated, how it moves and purifies itself in a healthy way.” Rajendra did just that. He sat in the desert for several days, observing water. This is how he found his true profession, his calling.
With the tremendous support of villagers, he has now helped more than twenty rivers in India to flow again, leading to the re-greening of entire landscapes.
Martin Winiecki, who accompanied him in India two years ago, told us that from the airplane you can see how the whole landscape has changed because entire areas were processed with a new water management system, and so nature could flourish here again in all its abundance. Rajendra says that the success of the work can be seen after about 20 years. His assistant Indra, who has been to Tamera several times, came to Colombia with him.
All of our group know Tamera, which makes it easier for us, because we don’t have to start every discussion anew as to why we consider the topics of love and sexuality to be an essential political issue.
“The crisis within and the environmental crisis are two sides of the same conflict.”
As long as we wreak havoc in our private lives, lasting trust will not be able to develop. In the personal sphere, it is usually most difficult to see how much we contribute to war. The desire to control our partner or the fear of loss that sets in when our partner turns to another person characterizes our daily behavior. We try to hide it or condemn ourselves for our jealousy instead of recognizing that these forms of behavior have become part of our social disease. When we have an illness, we do not condemn ourselves for it either, but consistently look for new ways to heal.
Despite all the so-called liberations, this topic is still a taboo. So there is still work ahead of us in the area of “truth and transparency in love”; it is a revolutionary nucleus, a powerful potential for our liberation.
“Imagine waking up one morning and no longer being afraid, knowing who you are, why you are here and what you really love.”
When communities really come together here, they can no longer be governed. I like to talk about the three Ts: TTT for “Truth, Trust, Transparency” as a prerequisite for a peace community.
Everyone here, both our small “Defend the Sacred” delegation and the peace community of San José, know that we think this way, that we consider this work to be a necessary basis for the foundation of healthy social forms of life. And even if not everyone accepts the radical nature of our approach, they do see the necessity of including these issues in peace work. Everyone knows that it is both a long way off and a grand vision that motivates us and gives us the strength to stand up for the development of decentralized communities.
At around 7:15 a.m., we meet at the small stone circle that we built here in 2007 with the peace community. Together with the campesinos, we developed the aspects for the stone circle that are the ethical guidelines for the community. It feels as if the two stone circles are connected via the heart of the Earth, awakening in us the organic memory of how this planet wants to be inhabited by us humans.
Later, the peace village also built a chapel, and a colored church window was added to each of the cosmograms carved into the stones. The Jesuit priest Padre Javier Giraldo, a liberation theologian, has been accompanying the community for many years. Through him and his unconditional commitment to peace, I myself experienced a reconciliation with the church, which I had left after my theological studies because I had encountered too many imperialist structures of untruth and oppression.
Here, at the stones near the small chapel, we perform our morning prayer.
Originally, we only wanted to meet in our small travel group of four, following the habit of a joint morning gathering. But Indra and Rajendra immediately join us, and gradually the others also arrive. We burn incense on the stones and say our prayers. Rajendra immediately gathers everyone for a short film: “Water, women and rivers, these are our deities,” he exclaims, asking us all to repeat it in our own languages. He speaks of the five elements that together form what they call Bhagwan, the divine.
I still feel quite weak and lie down again after this first little excursion into the community. After breakfast, we all meet and each of us tells a little about ourselves, why we are here and what our concerns are.
Rajendra asks us in-depth questions about the Comunidad de Paz. For Andrea, who has been spending time here off and on for over 18 years, this place is “her second home” and she tells the story of the peace community in moving words. Helena adds the importance of liberation theology and its deep function and determination to seek non-violent paths. I explain how much the community inspired us to found a global campus back then. The project thrives on the great vision that emerging peace models on this earth recognize and support each other.
It is a soft coming together. Andrea and Katja then drive into town to run last-minute errands. Elisa is revising our diaries and it is a nice, quiet working atmosphere.
Sunday, November 3
It’s Katja’s birthday. We use this day to look at her life and do a round together to the so-called “other reality”. We celebrate her great heart of solidarity. In her own youth, she witnessed domestic violence and so she knew early on that new solutions were needed in the area of love and sexuality. She has been walking the path of community with us since 2000. With her great love for animals and plants, she has been maintaining the work in Terra Deva for many years. In 2005, Andrea and Bijou traveled together for the first time to the peace community here in Colombia.
In the late morning, we meet the delegation of the Defend the Sacred Alliance and listen to each other. Helena tells us about the events in Gaza, where she has been working as a psychologist in the organization “Doctors of the World” for the last few years. Like many of us, she is deeply shaken by current events and said, “I’m about to lose faith in humanity.”
Where to find the strength when hope is fading? How to avoid hardening the soul and letting compassion give way to despair? She tells us how her stay in Tamera was nourishing for her, when a whole group of committed peace workers met and everyone was able to share their questions, fears and also their despair with each other. For her, the fact that we from Tamera are here, too, contributed significantly to her decision to travel to Colombia with the “Defend the Sacred Alliance”.
Rajendra asks me for a meeting. We sit together on the porch of our house and exchange ideas, but are constantly interrupted because people from the peace community come to greet us.
For me, it is challenging to stay strong despite an inner feeling of weakness.
“Strength always comes. It’s just personal sensitivities and interpretations that want to keep us from it.”
In the early afternoon, Father Javier visits us. His stories give little hope. I admire his calm strength, how he remains unwavering in his spiritual and political truth. He has had many conversations with the current president and describes it very soberly:
“Pedro may have good intentions, but he doesn’t have the power. The real power lies with the paramilitary. Understanding the history of the emergence of the paramilitary in Colombia requires a whole course of study.” “At the moment, in this and other regions of the country, the central power lies with those called the ‘Clan del Golfo’.”
Afterwards, we meet the “Consejo”, the council elected by the community, which plays the leading and coordinating role. They present us with the plan for the coming days and also tell us that they have again received death threats.
In the evening at sunset, I meditate for the Ring of Power. The card “Almendres” is drawn from our stone circle tarot. It connects us with the prehistoric knowledge of peace in each region. The underlying idea is that each region holds a knowledge of peace that we can connect to. It is the idea that the basis for a possible healing biotope exists everywhere, and by learning to connect to the Earthkeeper knowledge, we receive the information we need.
“With the conscious decision to live in a sacred way, we receive the information, teachings and understanding we need to develop our gifts for the benefit of all,” said Dhyani Ywahoo of the Cherokee Indians.
Whenever I am here in Colombia, I feel the effect and energy of certain power places. The core information here has a lot to do with the aspect of abundance and wildlife. These are core qualities that we have completely lost socially.
Monday, November 4
Early in the morning at sunrise at 5:55 a.m., we are invited to a short meditation. We gather near the chapel, where we built the small stone circle in 2008. Many members of the community come. Gabriel begins with a song, and I look for simple words to prepare us for the coming days.
I invite Rajendra to say a short water prayer and then we sing the Portuguese song that Mafalda “received” on our water pilgrimage through Portugal.
“A água é um ser, tem alma, tem memoria, tem saber.”
“Water is a being, it has a soul, it has memory, it has knowledge.”
It feels good to be anchored here in this way. Then the first day of the Universidad de la Resistencia begins. In the morning, the priest talks at length about the origins of the peace community. It is a harrowing story of how they remained true to the principle of nonviolent revolution despite all the obstacles.
The first founding assembly took place in 1997. The area of San Josecito was a kind of corridor for the transport of drugs and weapons. Basically, people had only two options: either to follow the instructions of the military and paramilitary, or those of the guerrillas. Those who were not willing to do so were expelled or murdered.
In 1995, at a farmers’ assembly in San José, a bishop suggested that they make a public statement that they were not part of the war. In response, individual indigenous groups also declared their neutrality. They were no longer willing to be forced to side with one of the armed groups.
Since the term “neutrality” was later misused for other interpretations, they needed a new word and at Easter 1997 there was the first public declaration as a “peace community”.
Due to the many displacements, the village of San José was almost empty and the people of the peace community moved into the empty houses. A commission from Bogotá decided to accompany the courageous campesinos together with Father Javier Giraldo and visionary Eduard Lanchero.
Gloria Cuartas was the mayor of Apartadó at the time. The idea of the Universidad de la Resistencia (University of Resistance) was born in 2001 and the first event took place in 2004.
In 2005, they moved into the area where the peace community lives today, after the military was stationed in the village of San José following a massacre of eight people, which was not compatible with their principle of non-possession of weapons. Here they wanted to start a life and research for the development of an autonomous community, where they would not allow any kind of armed groups access.
I don’t want to go into further details now. There is a comprehensive report about the development of the peace community on our Tamera website. Elisa, who is here with us as an interpreter and journalist, reports more details in aninterview with Arley about the murder in March and in a current article this week.
It is an intense day: the various groups from Colombia introduce themselves. Our main task is to be present, and we learn a lot about the other community and resistance projects.
We feel the exhaustion and tiredness of the people. The community has shrunk to a few determined members. In the past, it was mainly a refugee community seeking protection under the leadership of a few dedicated leaders. Now it is more of a community of people who renounce all kinds of luxuries, who know why they are here and who continue to see community building as a central opportunity to counter the violence of the state.
Many have left the community because they were offered money by the paramilitaries or the state and were looking for a somewhat quieter and more comfortable life. You have to know the background of the paramilitaries to really understand these processes. In the evening, we are so full of information that we go to bed early.
Tuesday, November 5
Another day with lots of information.
In the morning, the Padre explains the background of the paramilitary to us. Here are just a few key points from my notes:
He explains that since President Santos came to power, the view has been propagated in public that there are no longer any paramilitaries, whereas in reality the opposite is the case. However, the processes have become much more hidden and opaque.
The official beginning of the paramilitaries was in the 1960s. He points to the connections in the United States, where in 1962, under William P. Yarborough, preparations were made for the Third World War and all communities in Latin America were wiped out. From then on, the term communism (comunismo) was equated with that of communities (comunidad).
In 1969, the right to self-defense was proclaimed. Civilian groups were authorized to use weapons. It was in the interest of those in power to involve the civilian population in the war. Since 1978, the official line was anti-communism. Many people in the military donned civilian clothes at night to carry out massacres against the so-called communists. All those who followed these instructions were given high-ranking posts.
The coordination between the various groups became more and more complex. The areas of Colombia with the highest population rate experienced an invasion of paramilitaries. In the whole process, the Padre identifies different stages of development. First, the official declaration of terror, then the official murder of representatives of the left.
Before I go into the political background in more detail, I would like to share some very recent news that has touched our hearts. I will try to summarize the information. During the event with the priest, I noticed that members of the Consejo kept picking up their phones to briefly contact each other.
Around noon, we learned from a member of the community that a young man named Bradier had been murdered in Medellín. His mother and siblings live here in the community.
Bradier was still a young man, 18 or 19 years old. He had gone his own way and had distanced himself more and more from the community over the last few months. Finally, he went to Medellín. Today we received the call that he was murdered. The news shocked us all.
Nevertheless, the Consejo decides to continue with the event. I can only begin to imagine how they feel, because in Tamera, too, people have recently left this earth during public events. It is a great challenge to guard the intimate space and at the same time maintain the connection with the guests.
Helena, with her big heart, is always ready to spring into action. I walk with her to our house and try to let the information sink in. We pass the house where we can hear the mother crying, who has just lost her son.
Martha asks us to come in. “Sympathy is always good,” are her simple words. We hold the weeping woman in our arms. Life and death – how close these two forces are here all the time.
Later we meet Nevaith, the young wife of German, one of the leading forces in the community, who together with Luis Miguel is moderating the days. Nevaith has matured enormously since I last saw her. It is challenging for women to find and take their place alongside charismatic leaders. She reads the new death threats that they have made public, and I feel her fear:
“Urgent! At this hour, in the middle of the Farmers‘ University meeting (note: the ’Farmers‘ University’ is also called the ‘University of Resistance’, they use both names), we are receiving violent death threats against our community. In the last three days, we have noticed the presence of armed people near our private properties La Roncona and La Holandecita.”
A few days ago, German had already told us that there were death threats again, and he asked us to spend a little time on the street in front of the “La Holandecita” property, where the majority of the community lives and the University of Resistance takes place, to provide some protection so that they can do their work there.
No one here expects us to be attacked as internationals. In their view, they are trying to make us believe that all these death threats are fabrications and that in reality they are dealing with internal conflicts. In public, the image has increasingly taken hold that there are no longer any paramilitaries. And we ourselves don’t notice the presence of armed people either, because they are very discreet so that we don’t believe the community. The reality is only known to those who are constantly very close to the groups, who are under daily threat.
Life here is as wild and unpredictable as nature. You hear about the murder, you read the threatening letters, you grieve and weep with them, and shortly afterwards a group of young girls come to the open-air venue under the thatched roof and perform dances for us. German explains in the announcement:
“We could not bear our pain or our fear if we did not always stand very close to the side of life.”
At the beginning, I had a hard time with the decision to simply continue the University of Resistance. I wanted to stop everything in order to concentrate fully on what was happening, but after a while I sensed that there was also a wisdom in her way of allowing her pain and grief and still being there for the sense of belonging as a larger community, which we all are now for this period of time.
After dinner, we gather our Tamera and “Defend the Sacred” groups on our large veranda and discuss what to do. It’s good that we’re a fairly small group and that each of us is trying to find a place where we can serve the whole.
Indra, Rajendra’s young and very committed assistant, suggests a public action. Everyone wants to help, but how? Gabriel has the highest helping energy through his singing. By contributing his songs full of passion, there is an emotional channel where one can direct one’s inner despair, one’s search, one’s outrage, one’s perplexity or even one’s grief.
At the same time, we who have been coming to the community regularly for many years have to keep raising the admonishing voice: Often it is not helpful what we think is helpful. We decide not to start any actions without discussing everything with the Consejo.
It is fortunate that Helena is with us. With her knowledge of Spanish and her experienced manner, she has a keen sense of when and how to act.
It was also a spiritual adventure for us to travel here with a group that we all know, but without being able to prepare this trip in depth as we would normally do. Nevertheless, it feels as if the cosmos has made the right choices and put together the right constellation.
Late in the evening, we are still sitting together in our little women’s circle. We exchange our feelings and thoughts and talk about what we think makes sense at the moment. For the first time, doubts arise as to whether we are really that protected as internationals. The circumstances have become more chaotic, anger, hatred and greed have taken on a life of their own, a small robbery of a few “gringos” who supposedly have a lot of money on them could be the perfect cover for a political action to weaken the community. Our little “villa” is right on the public road. Helena suggests that we discuss it in the community to see how best to act should an emergency arise.
I know from experience that the best protection is really good and powerful thoughts. Our cell system contains unconscious programming. Strong fears attract corresponding realities, and so do really powerful healing thoughts.
It is a central strategy of our healing work to see through and transform our own unconscious programming that comes from the old war matrix. Nevertheless, it is of course important that we also become aware of our fears first. I suggest that we focus on Peace Pilgrim’s thought before falling asleep: “What’s the best thing that could happen?”
We go to bed and it will be a relatively sleepless night.
I think about how the power of life can best work through us when we feel very weak. Especially in moments when we feel rather powerless ourselves, thoughts arise that we have to achieve more, that what we are doing is not enough, etc. But therein lies the trap, because it is clear that we can achieve little “on our own”. But the Force can always help us, and we should not stand in its way.
Barking dogs take turns with the crowing of the cocks, which start their noisy organ-playing as early as 1 a.m. At 3 a.m., the owl takes over.
What needs to come to light in the peace movement so that we can truly step into a shared, coherent vibration and manifest the miracles that are so urgently needed now? How can spiritual power and political action come together in a way that complements each other? Tamera, the Comunidad de Paz and many committed groups are facing this question. Some have a tendency to get lost in constant organizational debates, while others resort to spiritual exercises to escape the difficult reality.
Wednesday, November 6
It’s the day of our presentation. I wake up exhausted, almost a bit battered. In prayer, I calmly ask my leaders to take over now.
The two hours of our event fly by. The audience is extremely alert. I myself am often overwhelmed by the amount of information, but everyone here absorbs it hungrily. We show some short films about Tamera and our beach action of the “Defend the Sacred Alliance”.
It is very important to Rajendra to reactivate the original founding idea of the alliance. He sees Martin Winiecki and me as the two original founding forces and believes that Tamera should become more visible again. He is saddened that Martin is no longer with us. He wants to use this time to exchange ideas about what the alliance has done in our lives.
For me, the connection between spiritual and political action is at the heart of the foundation. At the same time, there is a willingness to do reconciliation work between the different cultural impulses, where we can study and dissolve the history of victim and perpetrator in ourselves.
I remember well the many arguments we had to have during our first meetings, where many mutual projections collided. In my view, an effective strategy for external work requires this kind of inward deepening in order to be effective.
What arguments did I have at the time with Rajendra, who was outraged by why we kept putting the topic of Eros and sexuality at the center? I talked to him at length and in detail about the parallels between the themes of water and Eros. “They did the same with Eros as they did with the rivers,” writes Dieter Duhm in ‘The Unredeemed Eros’. They dammed it up and forced it into the wrong channels. As a result, trust (which is to water as humus is to water) was taken away from us in the communities and Eros became violent and cruel or withered away.
The fact that our culture is built on war and defense ministries is generally tacitly tolerated. But at least we are allowed to say publicly that we are calling for a ceasefire. If we saw the kind of sexual violence that occurs where civil laws are cracked, we would run away screaming.
Helena reports how much sexual violence is currently also taking place in Gaza, while the public continues to maintain the image that this is “only” about targeted military action to protect the world from Hamas terror. I often lack the words to be able to speak here. I only know one thing: If we want to end war, we have to know and resolve its true causes, in ourselves and in the world. We cannot do this alone. We have to discover what creates the fields that actually have more power than violence. Lately, I have often felt that this kind of joint political and spiritual willingness to act is missing in Tamera. I need the daily spiritual connection between local action and its connection to the global. Without real globality, which has its anchor in direct social and spiritual life, it is difficult to believe in success.
Back to our presentation. I managed it despite my “weakness”. I led most of it, and Andrea and Katja also talked about their work in Tamera, which was good. Of course, we also established many links to the Global Campus and the University of Resistance. The Global Campus was a milestone for the peace community, which they repeatedly emphasized. What memories come up. There is also sadness: We dreamt a big dream, I still believe this dream is true and right. But in our spirit of optimism, we overlooked many details, so things are going much slower than originally thought.
Building a truly international community that researches, lives and thinks together is one of the greatest adventures of our time. This is a central secret of diversity and unity.
After our talk, Father Javier shares some of his memories. It is always touching to experience how deeply they love Tamera and how deeply our connection gives them strength to continue on their path. In order to be able to make progress with the diary, I omit the detailed individual reports. Elisa and I plan to write a political social overview towards the end.
Arley visits us in the evening. He talks about the great value of the community, which they currently feel, in order to overcome the many threats together and, above all, to be there for the people who have just lost family members. In the spring of this year, Nallely and her husband’s brother, 14-year-old Edinson, were murdered. She left behind her husband, a son and a daughter who had a different father. The man lives a very secluded life and his daily quiet work helps him to cope with the pain of loss.
Arley explains how they are trying to create a communal environment for everyone. The 13-year-old has family members outside the community, but she wanted to continue living in the Comunidad de Paz. “In moments like these, we recognize the deep value of the community,” says Arley.
After talking with the priest and some of the Consejo, the death threats appear in a different light and not so current. They think the danger is much less with internationals on the ground and that the trouble will come when we are all gone.
They give us the green light to come up with a long-term strategy.
Thursday, November 7
“Your life is your prayer.” Follow your inner guidance today as best you can. I feel some physical strength again for the first time today.
As almost every morning, we read from “Sources of Love and Peace” and talk about what it really means to follow our inner voice and what it means to be and remain transparent among us. We are all a bit thin-skinned and it’s good to have some time for our inner processes.
It is an art to stay focused during the devotional talks. Each of us has points where we feel easily “triggered” and we touch on these points in conversation. Real coherence arises when we no longer have to hide anything from each other and actually know the distinction between our own divine reality and our ego issues. It is natural that this requires long-term work. Elisa expresses her gratitude and how touched she is to be able to experience all these moments with us and that Katja, Andrea and I also make our “vulnerable” spots transparent.
Now I’m just making notes because I have to go to the next meeting in a moment.
Gloria Cuartas visited this afternoon for a few extra hours and I want to highlight her speech. She spoke with her enormous strength, her love and concern for the community, with her loyalty to the community and her role as a political “functionary”. She expresses her despair at how difficult it is to work in a government that faces such strong opposition. They still have about a year before the next election. The moment she talks about Gaza, her speech almost turns into a performance.
“Where is the heart of humanity? How is it possible that no one is acting and standing up? That’s what I love so much about you. ‘You stand up, you don’t remain silent, you are a living example of true revolution and I will always stand by your side.”
She talks about the challenges of her work and what it means to really bring the truth to light. She asks the community:
“Don’t abandon the government! Demand a conversation with the president where you don’t feel seen and supported. ‘He needs solidary confrontation and conversation.”
We can feel how much she appreciates him and how deeply she fears that this approach will also fail. She repeatedly thanks us for our cooperation with Tamera and how much Tamera has given her hope.
Of course, the victory of the election in the US was not left unmentioned, and she and many others suspect nothing good for Colombia, latently expecting a world war. After her speech, I asked her, “How can Tamera best help you right now?”
”You are a light of hope for us. All those who have visited Tamera have received new strength and new direction for their work there. Keep going, don’t give up. And help to ensure that there is true information about our work here. When we are flooded with negative information, you are always an oasis of strength that highlights the true vision and knows the basic idea of community as a nucleus for the non-violent revolution and always emphasizes it. “We need you!”
Friday, November 8
During our daily morning oracle, in which we open the book “Sources of Love” at a random page, we get the same message as yesterday: “May your life be your prayer.”
Andrea and I go directly to the health center in the nearby village of San José, accompanied by Don Carlos, without breakfast, to have the stitches removed from my head wound. We receive a warm welcome and a doctor checks the wound and removes my stitches. It seems to be healing well and I am grateful. Andrea is also really relieved. The doctor has an explanation for my continuing dizziness and suggests daily exercises.
When we return, we go straight to a service to say goodbye to Bradier. There is singing and praying, and Levis holds his crying mother in his arms. Afterwards, we walk with the assembled community to the prepared grave to lower the coffin into the ground. I hardly have words for what is happening. The mother cries more and more violently and cries, “Why? Why? Bradier, come back! Get up!” She taps on the coffin, through which you can see the young man’s pale face. More and more people begin to weep violently. Even Levis, who has been holding his mother throughout the service, now breaks down into tears and sinks to the ground. I kept going back to some of the people. It was as if I felt the soul of Bradier, who wanted to communicate to them that he was doing well. My feeling was that at that moment he was closer to the community than he had been in the last few months. But that is difficult to explain. I was touched by the collected way in which the Padre accompanied the community through this painful process.
Meanwhile, it is evening again. So many things are happening here that we can hardly keep up ourselves. Around noon, we meet with our small group, who are all very touched by the events, and prepare for Global Grace Day and our ritual for it tomorrow morning at sunrise.
We are grateful to be connected to people around the world who are searching for nonviolent solutions with a similar determination as the community here.