“This is a Moment of Mourning, Understanding, Reflection, Learning and Unlearning” – Dishani Jayaweera, Tanenbaum Peacemaker in Action
We can barely imagine what it must feel like to be in Sri Lanka today, as it reels from devastating attacks that targeted Christians on Easter Sunday and killed more than 300 people. Or what it is like in Paris when you can’t celebrate Easter at the nearly 900-year-old Notre Dame Cathedral. Or how the parishes of three burned Black churches in Louisiana are persevering and coming together to rebuild.
We can barely imagine. And like many, I lack the words. But Tanenbaum’s Peacemaker, Dishani Jayaweera, doesn’t have to imagine. After a lifetime working for peace, with diverse religious leaders and communities across Sri Lanka, she said it all… “We are in Deep Pain.”
But religious peacebuilders, like Dishani, don’t waiver. And her large and dedicated network of local interfaith peacebuilders are working hard to prevent further violence. Speaking from her core Buddhist beliefs, Dishani shares how she, as a Sri Lankan peace activist, is processing the shattering violence, fears and finding her commitment to stay the course. As she wrote to her friends late last night, “To face the reality we need BIG hearts… Sharp brains … billions of hands….Let’s come together…”
With a heavy heart,
Joyce
P.S. Help support Dishani and our other Peacemakers in Action Network.