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World Peace by 2030 - A Journey to Heal One Hurt at a Time
In honor and celebration of the recently recognized International Day of Peace and today's National Native American Day, Senior Director of Enterprise Architecture Bryson Hill interviewed a special guest who has made it his life’s work as a Native American Chief to bring forward world peace by 2030.
World Peace may seem like a lofty, even farfetched goal. However, Chief Phil Lane Jr. has been a proponent of peace for many years and has done substantial work to create healing among his tribes by laying the stepping stones achievable and sustainable peace. One simple yet powerful phrase can be summarized: “The hurt of one is the hurt of all.”
Through Chief Lane's dedicated work of more than nineteen years, he became one of the key Indigenous leaders in resolving Canada's Residential School issue, which involved the sexual, physical, cultural, psychological, and emotional abuse of thousands of Aboriginal children in Canada.
This Healing and Reconciliation process resulted in a $3.5 billion settlement for Residential School survivors, a full public apology by the Prime Minister of Canada and leaders of all political parties on the floor of the Canadian Parliament, and the establishment of a $500 million Aboriginal Healing Foundation.
Since then, Chief Lane has continued his pursuit of healing the human family through reconciliation and unity with the goal of global peace by 2030. In our short interview, Chief Lane offers some practical knowledge and wisdom to consider how we might bring peace to all members of our human family.
Bryson: You have been a proponent of peace for many years. What started you on this journey toward world peace?
Chief Lane: Hatred and anger can only take you so far. We must all realize that we are one human family. The past is past, and we need all our energy to focus right here, right now.
Bryson: What frameworks guide your actions toward peace?
Chief Lane: Peace starts with the individual. We must start by setting aside our differences. For example, we practice talking circles that promote communication and respect among our people.
Bryson: With war surrounding us, how might we move toward peace?
Chief Lane: Peace is a Spiritual movement. We are at war in many ways: Economic war, Cyberwar, Spiritual war, Religious war, Information war, and Conventional War. And the conflict goes on and on.
We are in a terrible time of suffering. Suffering for food, water, for many basic human needs. And we will move forward in a principal, centered way. People are waking up to the realization that we are One Human Family and that the Hurt of One is the Hurt of All.
My perspective is the understanding that we are One Human Family, and we’ve always been One Human Family. And the Honor and Healing of One is the Honor and Healing of All! We need to reawaken our inner self to see the world as it really is, that we are all interconnected. There are so many creative ways to connect ourselves.
Bryson: How might we, as an interconnected Human Family come together?
Chief Lane: We need the spiritual dimension. A spiritual foundation helps to ground us in this reality. The spiritual teachings give us a path to follow. The Creator has always sent us messengers, “the spiritual path,” so to speak. The soul existed long before this physical time and space. This soul allows us to transcend this place of time and space.
There is so much that goes into the process of our becoming into the state that we are now. To truly understand ourselves, we need to do things that help us to uncover our inner souls. Some ways our people do this is through ceremonies. And sharing living ceremonies and the meaning of these ceremonies is one way to create connection.
For example, in our Indigenous cultures, we invite others to partake of our sweat lodges and sun dances - we have to enjoy ourselves! Or by teaching others about our sacred teachings such as The Sacred Tree.
Also, prayer is important, and everyone has a way of praying. We pray to the four directions, for example. Essentially, we have another dimension of ourselves, and to transcend ourselves, we need to understand ourselves spiritually and the hurt each of us has experienced. We must heal!
Bryson: That is beautiful. Thank you for sharing this with us. One final question - with so much confusion, how might we find the peace you talk about?
Chief Lane: Well, after all, we must seek truth wherever it may come from. That’s the key. They say the sun rises on different horizons, so if we get hung up on the horizon in the winter, and the truth rises on the summer horizon, we will miss it! I want to find the light; I don’t care what the lampshade looks like. That’s my motto!
Authors note: A few years ago, Chief Lane adopted me into his extended family and asked that I call him “Deksi” (meaning Uncle and pronounced Deck-She in the Dakota Language and asked if I wouldn’t mind if he called me “Toska” (meaning Nephew and pronounced Toe-Ska in Dakota]. And, of course, I was honored to do so. To me, he will forever be Deksi Phil.
I feel deeply that Deksi lives in these principles of peace and unity we explored in the above conversation, especially in how he has brought me into his extended family. It seems to me that Deksi has a plan to do the same for all of humankind that we may all live in peace and harmony, for as Deksi would say, “The hurt of one is the hurt of all. The peace for one is peace for all!”