More Irish Musings: Across the Divide

Is the name of the city "Derry" or "Londonderry"?  That is one of the questions we encountered when traveling in Northern Ireland!

It's a matter of who you are talking to:

• For the Irish Catholics, it is Derry (or Doire, a monastic settlement founded by St. Columba and dating back to the 6th century);
• For the Northern Irish Protestants, it is Londonderry (renamed in the 17th century when King James I settled Protestants into the northern counties).

To be respectful, our tour guide suggested, we should say "Derry-Londonderry" to any locals we meet.  (Derry-Londonderry is sometimes referred to as " The Hyphenated City.")

When are we separated from others?
(Photo: Peace Bridge (2011), Derry-Londonderry,
Northern Ireland - Larry Gardepie)

A fact of life in Derry-Londonderry: the Catholics live primarily on one side of the river and the Protestants live on the other.  Our local guide mentioned that he has many friends who stay only on their side of the river and have never met people from the other side.

In 2011, a new walking bridge was constructed to connect the two sides.  It's name -- the Peace Bridge.  The bridge has two towers which hold up the suspended walkway.  Depending on where you stand on the bridge or either shoreline, the towers look either separated or connected (crossing over).

This is meant to symbolize how close or far apart peace can be depending on where you stand -- and/or -- if you are willing to move.

Can we see when we are connected?
(Photo: Peace Bridge, Derry-Londonderry,
Northern Ireland - Larry Gardepie)

As you enter town, you cross over an older bridge and pass by the Hands Across the Divide artwork.  It portrays two men reaching out to each other -- not quite touching.  Erected in 1992, these statues symbolize reconciliation, healing, and the hope for peace.  (Note:  the Good Friday Agreement that allowed peace after centuries of struggle wasn't signed until April 1998.) 

Hands Across the Divide (1992) and the Peace Bridge (2011) remind us of the hope before -- and the continued process after -- a bridge -- or hyphen -- of respect, understanding, and peace is created. 

What keeps us divided?
(Photo: Hands Across the Divide (1992),
Derry-Londonderry - Larry Gardepie)

I wonder how many hyphens we encounter in life?  Just think of those little bridges that connect thoughts, ideas, and people's names; ways that we allow more than one belief to coexist; or how we try to respect another person.

This week let us look for hyphens or create bridges across the divides that separate and isolate us.

These hyphens and bridges may be more common than we think!  Let us work for Peace! 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

 

 

Our Dilemma

I looked up the definition of Dilemma this week:  "A situation requiring a choice between equally undesirable alternatives."  That makes sense, but then I wondered about our current situation:

• Where the country is equally divided;
• Each side excludes the other in discussions and decisions; and
• We don't listen to or engage in other perspectives.

America finds itself at a crossroads... and possibly, a dilemma... but how do we view the equally undesirable alternatives?

Are you being heard?
(Photo: "No Kings" Rally, San Diego - Larry Gardepie)

I experienced this Crossroads in two different ways this past week:

• I attended San Diego's "No Kings" March (attended by over 60,000 people).
• I posted a politician's speech on my Facebook page.

(I posted the speech not because I agreed with all of it, but the person presented an interesting perspective of what is happening nationally.)

What values do you believe in?
(Photo: Liberty and Justice for All - Larry Gardepie)

Why are these representative of the crossroads we are facing?

• For the march:  it was peaceful; people wanted to belong; opinions mattered.
• For the online post:  some responses were attacks; discussion shut down.

One online comment even recited the Pledge of Allegiance, emphasizing that the United States is a Republic (not a Democracy) and is "One Nation Under God" (Christian).  

Reviewing our almost 250-year history, it can be said that:

• We are a "Republic" AND we are a "Representative Democracy."
• We have freedom to express our religious views.
• "One Nation Under God" in the Pledge and "In God We Trust" on our money weren't officially adopted until the Eisenhower years (1954 and 1956). 

Can we include everyone?
(Photo:  Aerial View of No Kings March, San Diego - Larry Gardepie)

As our country changes and evolves, maybe we need to define Our Dilemma.  It seems that:

• We no longer relate to one another;
• We have lost the elasticity to consider more than two options; and,
• We focus on EITHER-OR thinking rather than BOTH-AND.

If this is true, then we might consider the following questions this week:

• Am I willing to engage in peaceful dialogue?
• Can I seek to understand other perspectives?
• How do I move beyond a "choice between equally undesirable alternatives" to choices of Possibility, Potential, and Opportunity?

These questions are BOTH individual... AND... collective.  Will I (and we) choose to reflect on and share our responses?

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

 

 

Irish Musings: Living with Barriers

Think of the physical barriers in your life: fences that define what you own or that protect your family; walls that keep people out; or possibly gender or skin color prohibiting you from being hired or promoted.

Traveling through Northern Ireland we encountered a variety of barriers that spoke to the divisions in that part of the world.

But what barriers do we live with... here and now?

Do you see through the barriers that separate?
(Photo: Fences and Faces, Belfast, Northern Ireland - Larry Gardepie)

It's important to notice and reflect on the barriers that we -- or others -- create... intentionally or not... for good reason or not! 

And no matter how much we decorate a fence or a wall, we must remember that it is still functioning as a barrier.  Its objective remains:  separating... dividing... obstructing... retaining.

How do you decorate your barriers?
(Photo: Fences and Flowers, Dublin, Ireland - Larry Gardepie)

This is why I was struck by the stained-glass windows in the Belfast City Hall: they told a story of tragedy (Titanic), heartache (famine), and hope (peace at last).  At the bottom of one colorful window was the following:

"Not as Catholics or Protestants,
 Not as Nationalists or Unionists,
 But as Belfast Workers Standing Together." 

Wow! The honesty to admit the divisions AND be aided by the reality and realization that we CAN live together! 

Can we stand together?  Do we want to?
(Photo: "Standing Together" Stained Glass Window,
Belfast City Hall - Larry Gardepie)

Coming back home, I reentered our American tragedy and heartache - the divisions that no longer allow us to see the individual faces; the labels that keep people out; the barriers that no longer protect... but destroy "the Other."

Our tragedy invites us to ask several questions:

• Are we happy being divided?
• Do we want to stand together, to live together?
• Where is the hope, the peace at last?

These -- and many other questions -- encourage us to overcome our Living Barriers and to become curious about the Other Side of the wall that separates.

We are called to dialogue!

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

 

 

Irish Musings: Barriers Expressed

Travel opens my mind to other cultures and ways of living.  One place that has intrigued me since childhood is Ireland and Northern Ireland:  its history of struggle, violence, and self-determination.

For those of us of a certain age, we can recall "The Troubles" - a polite way of talking about a civil war on an island divided by national identity (Irish and British) and religion (Catholic and Protestant).

The story goes back centuries as various peoples conquered and forced the local inhabitants to follow their laws and beliefs.

Do you see your story in others?
(Photo:  Belfast Murals - Larry Gardepie)

As our tour group traveled around Belfast, the local specialist talked about the struggle for peace and understanding.  We visited areas of the city that have prospered since the Good Friday Agreement of 1998.  We also saw murals and other expressions of homeland struggle, and how local lenses interpret their understanding of other struggles around the world.

The war in Gaza is near to their heart as many murals depict the decades-long struggle of the Palestinians for home rule, something the Irish and British citizens of Belfast can understand.

Where do you see hope around you?
(Photo:  Belfast Murals - Larry Gardepie)

Even with 27 years of peace, the "peace walls" that separate the Catholic and Protestant areas of town still exist.  Tourists are encouraged to write notes of peace and hope on these walls -- expressions of encouragement and solidarity with the locals.

Like the Berlin Wall that separated West and East Berlin in a divided Germany, the intent is eventually to tear down these walls.

What barriers separate you from others?
(Photo:  Belfast Peace Wall, dividing
Catholics and Protestants - Larry Gardepie)

Thinking about the tour guide's words, I wondered:

• Is not being at war the same as living in peace?
• What barriers exist in my relationships with family and friends?
• Do I conquer others with my thoughts, words, and actions -- expecting them to live according to my beliefs?

Ireland and Northern Ireland offer us so many lessons on life's struggles, the importance of dialogue, and how to live in peace.  Peace is a lifelong process!

Do we see the barriers we create?  Are we willing to tear them down?
 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting