Detroit, Michigan, U.S.A.: City of Peace
Welcome Cass Charette of the Detroit, Michigan: City of Peace initiative. Cass and colleagues are forming an organization that intends to faciliate more cities of peace in the Lower Peninsula region of Michigan. Welcome to our Advisory Committee!
Note: Introduction page with information primarily at the time of joining International Cities of Peace. For updates, please contact the liaison.
MISSION : TO FOSTER PEACE IN DETROIT AND OTHER CITIES IN THE LOWER PENINSULA REGION OF MICHIGAN 
Letter of Intent
Cities of Peace Detroit Initiative
The Emergence of a Cultural Transformation
Synopsis
A Conscious Initiative Model, Interconnecting Cities and Counties within the Greater Detroit Area, expanding the Lower Peninsula of Michigan: Cocreating a Resonant Field of Peacemakers for rebuilding communities that are economically and ecologically sustainable, safe, restoratively just, peaceful and prosperous.
Building a model that brings to the forefront and integrates the essential universal principles of Consciousness, inclusive within Peacemaking and Peacebuilding, into everyday living,
within every aspect of society.
This is a communal model that exists inside of ordinary community living.
This is a model that focuses on all aspects of the community.
This is an inclusive model serving all individuals, on all levels of Consciousness.
This is an integral, inter-connected model for reaching critical mass of Conscious Peacebuilding within Detroit, serving the Greater Detroit area, expanding the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
Essential to the Whole: CoCreating a Resonant Field:
Cities of Peace Detroit Initiative provides an integral, organizing field of Resonance that interconnects all individuals, groups, organizations, sectors, programs, projects and events in a shared experience of interrelated coherence.
Have you ever experienced a gathering of people where the synergy of the group was so uplifting & powerful, that you could feel an interconnectiveness among the group, a coherent energy that links heart to heart. This innerconnectiveness between the individuals of the group offers a safe environment and opens communication that is supportive, joyful and creatively productive.
The HeartMath Institute has conducted ground-breaking research on the effects of coherent hearts, and how they actually harmonize and integrate the coherence (heart and minds) of one person to that of another person. This coherent resonance extends into the surrounding environment, or as Lynn McTaggart simply calls it “The Field.” “We are already familiar with the idea of fields extending beyond the material objects in which they are rooted: for example magnetic fields extend beyond the surfaces of magnets; the earth’s gravitational field extends far beyond the surface of the earth, keeping the moon in its orbit; and the fields of a cell phone stretch out far beyond the phone itself. Likewise the fields of our minds extend far beyond our brains.” http://www.sheldrake.org/Articles&Papers//morphic/morphic_intro.html
“Scientists are beginning to bring credibility and validation for the energetic power of the community’s influence as a whole upon each individual, as well as each individual’s influence upon other people and the whole community through the vibratory energy field that they emit. These fields affect the fields of others and the shared energy field that connects individuals to one another and to the world as a whole. Rupert Sheldrake refers to the community’s influence on the whole as Morphic Resonance – where “similar things [vibrations] influence similar things [vibrations] across both time & space.” http://www.sheldrake.org/Articles&Papers//morphic/morphic_intro.html
These scientific advances allows for the implications of peacemaking to be profound, by building a coherent heart-mind interrelationship. Upon creating conditions within our community that allows for coherence, we can shift the quality of the field as a whole, within individuals, groups, businesses, neighborhoods, etc, continually expanding the Resonant Field of the collective throughout Michigan’s Lower Peninsula and eventually throughout Michigan.
The Resonant Field will be the synergized grounding energy for the initiative and will be activated through the united co-creation of Conscious Thought leaders, All Peacemakers and Peacebuilders, including participating individuals, professionals and organizations from every field and function within the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The energy and enthusiasm achieved by the active engagement of people joining together will create a deeper Conscious sense of belonging and unified commitment for serving the greater whole.
One intention within the Resonant Field is to create a tipping point within Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. David R. Hawkins and others in the field indicate that it only takes 1% of the population to create a tipping point. When enough people experience a shift toward new perspectives and thoughts, this influence will continue to expand, sometimes in an exponentially increasing manner, through social and collective consciousness, affecting every field and function, in moving toward living principles of Consciousness. Through this Resonant Field we will ultimately co-create a synergized coherent democratic society, wherein each person recognizes and is welcomed to express their participatory unique potential and purpose in a unified supportive whole system social resonance, applicable for the greater advancement of the whole community.
The greater the number of people living from their full capacities, expressing their brilliance, experiencing coherence in thought, intention and action and believing in new possibilities, the greater the resonance of the collective is expanded. When we cocreate from this resonance we move into a higher creative intelligence. This allows us to live beyond our perceived limitations of our current economical and ecological breakdowns to cocreating viable sustainable solutions from the perspective of what is possible.
The Cities of Peace Detroit Initiative Focus Points:
1. Utilizing 21st Century scientific breakthroughs, and collaborating with Conscious leaders, incorporating the vast wisdom within current Conscious Peacemaking and Peacebuilding services, programs, models, organizations and individuals leading the way with intention, vision, purpose and passion. Cities of Peace Detroit Initiative will embrace the new paradigm, which already exists as 21st century research and collective intelligence, recognizing what has lead to the breakdown of our current ecological and economic systems and making Conscious choices for building the new systems.
2. Synergizing a top-down, bottom-up inclusive approach, cocreating a collective coherent energy that advances forward movement of Consciousness, inherent to Peacemaking, while addressing and meeting the current needs of individuals and the community.
- Synergizing sectors, fields and functions. Bringing together Conscious thought leaders, business leaders, academic leaders, economy and ecology leaders, social healers, restorative justice advocates, conscious citizens, media and philanthropists, coherently co-creating a new standard of innovative solutions for sustainable living, holding the intention for inclusiveness of all individuals within the community. It is essential to recognize the importance of synergy (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts), and how each sector of society affects the whole.
- Building a collaborative expression of unity for expanding individual and community capacities, including all cultures and religions, supporting one another as individuals, groups, organizations and the collective for healing and coming together as Peacebuilders for serving the greater good within all aspects of our communities. As we move into wholeness our individual and collective capacities will expand, allowing a movement of transitioning through the limited social conditions of what is breaking down into new perspectives for: co-creating future visions, strengthening core values, pooling resources, and approaching challenges through group coherence and dialogue to implement sustainable solutions.
- Reaching the general public. Addressing the current needs of individuals, organizations and the collective community by offering relevant topics of interest in which parents, educators, management, social and civil institutions and others can implement on some level, within their lives and the current social infrastructure. A few examples of topics include: stress, emotional Intelligence, new scientific insights for how the brain works, mindfulness and understanding the heart. This is an important step, as it will allow an inclusive, smoother transition of moving current reality into Conscious Peacemaking, thus expanding the Resonant Field within the greater Detroit area. Rather than attracting only those who are leaders in the Conscious movement or those who are ready to integrate the deeper levels of Consciousness within their lives, the Cities of Peace Detroit Initiative will serve individuals and organization at their current willingness for expanding Conscious capacities. For example: schools continue to separate religion and state, yet the repercussions of stress, such as peer pressure and suicide are prominent concerns for teens. Educators are more ready to implement such topics as: stress, students effectively understanding and meeting stress in creative ways; emotional intelligence; and the new science for how the brain works. Businesses are ready to introduce and implement such topics as: creative stress; advanced levels of emotional intelligence; mindfulness; intention; group coherence and whole system thinking. These relevant topics will also simultaneously offer the general public tools to transition into understanding Consciousness on deeper levels, individually and collectively.
- Offering high level Conscious participatory platforms of inclusion for the general public. These platforms will allow for experiential participation, as well as a fundamental support system for individuals and groups, on all levels of Consciousness, to transition from Conscious conditioning of separateness to living Consciousness of Peace, Love and Unity. Such participatory platforms included within the Resonant Field: campaigns and events: holding community intentions; and experiencing group coherence and whole system thinking within their professional environments or community circles. The majority of the general public has not had the opportunity to experience the energy of a Resonant Field, holding the highest Conscious Intention for their lives and their community, feeling the synergy of being a part of group coherence or participating in whole systems thinking. Other various support systems and community experiences are expressed throughout the synopsis.
- Inspiring ordinary people to make a difference in the community. Every person has a unique purpose, service and gift to offer. We once believed that bringing peace to the world was left for the great Peace leaders, such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. We now move into an era knowing that we can all lead the way in Peacemaking. There are people stepping out to make a difference around the world, many who are ordinary people without credentials or money who are allowing their Spirit and passion to be heard. An intention for this campaign is to create enough synergy so that people will be inspired to move into their greater capacities. It is of great importance that we believe in one another, support one another, collaborate and co-create with one another, to empower each person, to bring their unique gifts and passions to the forefront of contributing to the community. Some ways include: participating in school, business or social programs; parents inviting their children or children inviting their parents to become involved; opening up to noticing something in your community that you may have overlooked in the past or starting something you have held a desire to do; participating in campaigns that unite thought and intention; cocreating on large scale projects; and understanding how even a small service or sharing your skills or vision with a group can impact the whole.
- Offering activities and programs through venues that are open to or that invite the general public to participate in and experience. Some venues include, malls, libraries, police, fire, local shops, community fairs, exhibits, open houses, fundraisers, artistic and student involvement and more.
3. Facilitating ongoing community gatherings that offer state of the art peacemaking skills, providing continued educational and informational trainings on relevant topics. These Community Gatherings will be facilitated by national and international leaders offering specific topics for deepening Peacemaking and Peacebuilding skills. Some examples include: Stress, Resonance, Intention, Group Coherence, Mindfulness, Restorative/Unified Justice, Love and Forgiveness, Whole Systems thinking and more.
- Activating the movement through the first community gathering with world renowned Peacemaker, Peacebuilder, and social healer, James O’Dea. This first Peacemaking Leadership Gathering will synergize the initial committed group of conscious Peacemakers, Peacebuilders and social healers within the Greater Detroit area.
- Holding the vision of uniting sectors, fields and functions, it is with intention that the initial committed group of Peacemakers and Peacebuilders gather in one thousand or more within the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. This can be accomplished by setting an intention to involve all sectors, for example: 50 mayors, 300 academic leaders on all levels, 200 business professionals, peace organizations, health care professionals, restorative justice, prison reform, addiction rehabilitation, prevention and social reform advocates, government representatives, economic and ecology professionals and more. All are invited.
- Unity and New Thought churches (all religions are invited) and Peace organizations will be central for cocreation. Mayors within all cities, as well as the media will be invited to support the cocreative process and getting the word out to invite community participants for expanding the Resonant Field of Conscious Peacemakers.
4. Bringing awareness to and making accessible Gandhi’s and MLK’s wisdom and NVC (non violent communication). The teaching of NVC becomes essential as a way of living life. Gandhi teachings express that passive violence leads to physical violence and the greater oppression of our communities and society as a whole. Violence does not only exist in the physical form, but also in the passive form. Examples of passive non-violence includes: retaliation, judgment, psychological abuse, bullying, oppression, manipulation, gossip, discrimination, crime, wasting resources, pollution, greed and poverty. Velcrow Ripper, a peace advocate and international film maker, expresses, King’s profound dream was to enlarge “the concept of brotherhood to a vision of total interrelatedness.” Ripper continues by expressing, “If he were alive today, I believe he would have recognized the incredible potential of this remarkable time in history.” This is a time when everyone holds the capacities for being a Peacebuilder.
5. Inter-connecting and building collaboration between all sectors, fields and functions, cocreating with vision and intention for a new standard of innovative solutions. Utilizing a whole systems approach for new insights and individual brilliance to emerge, allowing individuals within sector groups to contribute their unique gifts, purpose and service, as well as cocreating in a unified perspective with the highest intention, for serving Detroit and counties within the lower peninsula of Michigan.
6. Establishing Group Coherence within all groups, Joanna Zweig, PhD defines Group Coherence as “the shared energetic state reached by a group of people that allows them to perform one or more tasks in perfect rhythm and harmony with great energy to overcome obstacles; a felt perception in which individuals who have experienced Group Coherence can recognize it in other contexts and want to recreate the experience in other groups.” People are discovering the synergy of collective Consciousness, that when people come together with intention and purpose, in cocreation, an energy of intelligence arises. “In these group experiences, people have access to a kind of knowing that’s bigger than what we normally
experience with each other,” describes author and researcher Carol Frenier. Tom Callanan
expresses, “My experience with these groups is that the stronger the collective wisdom present, the stronger my sense of unique individuality—only now it’s within the context of the whole rather than separate from the whole.”
Juanita Brown, author of The World Café: Bringing Conversation to Life, observes, “What’s happening in these settings is that you’re actually bringing up the new. That’s what makes it so exciting for people to be a part of. You’re bringing up the next level—whether it’s deeper or higher or broader—and people sense that there’s something there of immense value.
7. Inviting Mayors of all cities within the Greater Detroit area of Michigan to participate by holding town meetings that engage people wanting to be heard, make a difference and take inspired action through coherence, collaboration, intention, vision and purpose. Town meetings, group forums and other coherent initiatives that expand dialogue for Conscious community advancement would also include collaborating with the Occupy Wallstreet Movement, initiating the CoCreate Mainstreet Integral Peacebuilding Movement.
8. Inviting all citizens to participate in a United Synergy for identifying and holding specific Intentions for the Greater Detroit area and community projects. Lynn McTaggart has said, “Intention is felt in the body of the receiver.” Intention is also felt and received within the body of the collective.
Some thoughts for intention within the community initiative are:
- An overall Intention for Peace.
- Examples for setting more focused intentions may include: recognizing the thoughts you think; forgiveness, reconciliation between family, friends, neighbors who have been estranged or in conflict; or within the broad spectrum of social ills within communities, such as: crime, prison reform, rehabilitation, mental health, homelessness, gang violence, abuse and addiction; unity between religions and cultures; environmental issues, economic sustainability and restorative/unified justice. Restorative/unified justice is central to Peacebuilding. The positive effects for implementing restorative/unified justice within our communities is essential for all to understand and to be recognized for ending overall violence, transforming our economic infrastructure and maintaining safety within our communities.
9. Providing current interconnected and interactive communications, inclusive for all.
- Website: Accessible 21st century information on relevant topics is offered through a website. Links to articles, videos, resources and processes will allow deeper awareness to emerge, and thus inspire Conscious peacemaking within the everyday lives of all people. The website will also be a vehicle for engaging the public to participate, contribute and cocreate together on all levels of interest.
- Email Campaign: Allows all citizens to feel a sense of belonging and interconnectedness. The Email Campaign will enable participants and anyone interested: to be kept abreast of community projects, programs and events, 21st century insights, new information, links to websites; fun activities for families, businesses and social groups; community gatherings, circles, masterminds for individuals and interconnecting professions within all sectors, fields and functions. For example: Mayors, therapists, lawyers, and educators sharing ideas and collaborating on projects, visions and more.
- Media: Inviting all components of media to be a part of the infrastructure for Conscious Peacemaking within the Greater Detroit area of Michigan. Bringing awareness to the new Truths, Values and Virtues of Peacemaking and Peacebuilding, illuminating individuals, organizations and professionals serving the movement, telling the stories of people on the ground who have been holding the vision and leading the way for systematic change, being a strong voice for the exchange of energy among the people participating in community campaigns, events and projects, reporting the new news, keeping the community abreast on large scale initiatives and the progress being made as a collective community, and more.
10. Setting in place support systems, to meet the current needs of all people moving through the
various levels of Conscious Peacemaking. Offering support groups within the community is essential. For example community circles and masterminds for individuals, professionals and youth, as well as within social organizations, such as prisons, rehabilitation centers, health care and more. Some examples of focused areas of support groups are: restorative/unified justice, expectant mothers, addictive behavior, juvenile delinquency, abuse, veterans and more. Others areas of support include providing resources, trainings, accessible hands-on tools and the availability for volunteer mentors or sponsors, facilitating healing processes, forgiveness and reconciliation, setting intentions, creating group coherence, and teaching communication skills.
Community Gathering Places: Proceeds from community gatherings and events, as well as other contributions will support the establishment of city, neighborhood gathering places, which will provide as a safe, supportive, and self sufficient space open to the general public. These gathering places will be a model for peace, unconditional love and unity. A model for giving and receiving, where people can go for support and healing, as well as tea, snacks, activities for families, support circles, town meetings, celebrate birthdays and holidays, exchange services, resources and more. See full description.
11. Jobs creation of social Peacebuilding within our systems infrastructure. For example, educators, through independent funding of parents or otherwise, teach Peacemaking skills to students, parents and others within the community after school and during the summer. In terms of supporting the economic infrastructure of prisons, providing Peacebuilding skills to prison faculty, including guards enables prison reform and rehabilitation of inmates, while in prison. Offering restorative/unified justice and non-violent communication skills training to therapists, educators, police and prison faculty and all others interested, would provide jobs for the transition of Peacemaking throughout the societal infrastructure, such as, courtrooms, rehabilitation centers, working with inner city gangs, health care and more. This would impact the effects on crime, juvenile delinquency and prisoner recidivism dramatically. Training Peacemakers in general will provide opportunities to support the healing process of individuals, as well as provide services for business professionals and group trainings within all fields and sectors within communities. Jobs creation will provide the opportunity to expand into all sectors, for example, including product development, such as within the textile industry with Peace Detroit Brand products.
12. Impacting the community through large scale projects, such as Arun Gandhi’s homeless project, community work projects for released prisoners or models for transforming inner city and community gangs.
13. Offering fun activities, projects and programs that the whole community can experience
together.
- All people can participate in the 60,000 Thoughts a Day campaign, neighborhood gatherings, family and friend socials, forgiveness and reconciliation programs, acts of compassion and kindness, sending Peace/Love cards, providing ideas through suggestion boxes, placing a peace pole on their lawn or business, participating in world wide events, such as Summer of Peace, International Day of Peace, Oneness Month and other global events throughout the year, and much more.
14. Documenting the process and measuring results of initiated community projects. The
participants and all citizens will be kept informed of the progress and results of the projects
and programs through media and other venues. Committed participants and all citizens are invited to share their stories and video the process, contributing to the historical legacy of Peacebuilding. Put in place systems to measure results. Over time there will be visible changes within the Greater Region of Detroit area communities.
15. Becoming a “Whole Systems” Model. The Cities of Peace Detroit Initiative participants cocreating throughout the Greater Detroit area of Michigan, and in collaboration with other City Models and Initiatives form and utilize a “whole model” community design. This “whole model” can then be expanded to other cities and communities around the world, contributing to the “morphic resonance,” referring to Rupert Sheldrake’s theory that collective fields, once created, begin to impact other groups engaged in similar activity around the world.
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.”
William Hutchinson Murray
Cass Charrette, 2012
About Cass Charette:
We were Born Peace
When we speak of Peace…
Peace on Earth, Peace within our communities,
Peace within our lives, Peace within our families,
We speak of Peace within ourselves…
at the core of our Being.
“I Am” Peace.
When we speak of Peace…
We speak of you and I in dialogue with our own hearts,
expanding this experience of Peace, within the center of our Being, out into the world.
We speak of a dialogue interwoven with a heart-to-heart resonance
rooted within the human family.
Beneath the perceived separation, suffering, therein, lies the light of Peace
living at the center of us all.
You and I are Peace.
When we speak of Peace…
We speak of a Universal Inter-relational Connection with Provenance.
You and I have been conceived by life itself…
a Universal Conscious Intelligence that has breathed its breath in us.
This breath of life alive within us, is an energy that no man, women or child
can live without and all humankind has the honor of intimately knowing.
This organizing intelligence at the center of you and I
interconnects all of humanity…all of life.
You and I are Brothers and Sisters.
We are a human family conceived as Peace.
We have envisioned a day when there would be Peace on Earth.
The great pioneers have spoken a truth to be heard,
along with the countless courageous individuals who have paved
a path, in honored service,
leading us to this day, this new era of Peace.
We now recognize the Omnipresent Organizing Intelligence
that breathes within us…as Peace itself.
Peace is alive within you and me. We are Peace.
Today, you and I, as brothers and sisters, are free to know each other in Peace.
Speak into the Embrace of Peace.
Speak into the Embodiment of Peace within the Human Family.
We, you and I, are the reflection of Peace on Earth.
Cass Charrette
(Inspired by the poetic voice and presence of James O’Dea)
Email: casscharrette@gmail.com
About Detroit, Michigan (from Wikipedia):
The largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the seat of Wayne County, Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people, and serves as a major port on the Detroit River connecting the Great Lakes system to the Saint Lawrence Seaway. It was founded on July 24, 1701, by the French explorer, adventurer, and nobleman Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac.
Known as the world’s traditional automotive center, “Detroit” is a metonym for the American automobile industry and an important source of popular music legacies celebrated by the city’s two familiar nicknames, the Motor City and Motown.[9][10] Other nicknames arose in the 20th century, including City of Champions beginning in the 1930s for its successes in individual and team sport, The D, D-Town, Hockeytown (a trademark owned by the city’s NHL club, the Red Wings), Rock City (after the Kiss song “Detroit Rock City”), and The 313 (its telephone area code) Detroit became known as the “great arsenal of democracy” for its support of the U.S. role among the Allied powers during World War II.
Detroit and the surrounding region constitute a major center of commerce and global trade. The Detroit area emerged as a metropolitan region with construction of an extensive freeway system in the 1950s and 1960s which has expanded in ensuing decades. Freeways and transit systems have facilitated movement throughout the region with millions of people taking up residence in the suburbs. Between 2000 and 2010, the city’s population fell by 25%, from the nation’s 10th largest city to 18th.[15] Commensurate with the shift of population and jobs to its suburbs, the city has had to adjust its role within the larger metropolitan area. Downtown Detroit has seen an increased role as an entertainment hub in the 21st century with the opening of three casino resort hotels, new stadiums, and a revitalized riverfront. The metropolitan region currently holds roughly one-half of the state’s population
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