My friend Dr. Scilla Elworthy published “The Mighty Heart: how to transform conflict”-
Business plan for Peace Might Heart courses
Nienke is one of the facilitators of the Mighty Heart Course, 10 weeks to bring your Might Heart to Mighty Actions.
Why is it called the Mighty Heart?
The purpose of this little booklet is to be pragmatic, to offer you tools and human skills that can help address whatever part of the current crisis is yours. Why is this useful? Because every single one of us has a heart, and when that heart can exercise its compassionate nature, we feel better. One of the most effective ways we can do this is by healing – healing first ourselves, and then healing the conflicts that rage or growl around us. Healing may not seem very glamorous, but it does do something astonishing – it transforms lives:
- Healing ourselves means we live longer with more glowing skin and fun in our lives.
- Healing anger in our community brings relief and shedding of burdens.
- Healing family feuds releases our relatives from bitterness that causes heart-break.
- Healing legal disputes means more sleep for all concerned.
- Healing environmental catastrophe is the modern version of heroism.
- Healing political arguments is a better plan than going to war.
- Caring for the rights of minorities enables children to sleep safely in their beds.
- Healing trauma can enable those who have seen horror, to sleep without nightmares.
- Being able to be fully present when a crisis strikes, can stop people from being killed, as you will see…
Doing any of these things requires one capacity above all – a Mighty Heart. And this text shows you how to develop yours: it offers you the skills, the guidance and the stories of incredibly inspiring people that Scilla knows and works with building peace.
You can order it from www.thebusinessplanforpeace.org, or from her own website at www.scillaelworthy.com. There is an e-version if you don’t want to wait for the post.
Scilla used Nienke’s work as a peacebuilder example in her book The Mighty heart in Action.
Twice Nienke interviewed Scilla for the Geneva Peace Week. You can find the podcasts here too.