The evening of May 1st at Ground ZeroA number of year ago I had a boss who would routinely consult her copy of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War in our staff meetings. Her favorite saying was, “In a time of peace, we need to prepare for war.” And we worked for an environmental nonprofit. Her perspective bugged me because I always thought Sun Tzu got it wrong; what we really need to do, particularly in this day and age with fighting seemingly everywhere, is to prepare for peace in a time of war.
With Osama bin Laden now gone, we can finally turn our sights to preparing for peace. To be sure the war is not over, not by a long shot. As good as it feels to celebrate the end of Bin Laden’s reign, there are still too many others who wish to do us harm. We still need to remain vigilant, on guard, and careful. That, sadly, may never change.
What we can do is turn our sights toward our sights toward the Middle East and begin to truly rebuild relations. Justice has been served, and with justice comes the beginning of the healing process. Though we have been celebrating the end of bin Laden here for over 24 hours, we must remember that many people in the Middle East, many Muslim Americans are also celebrating. They too can begin healing – this war has happened to them, too, and that was not of their choosing. It was the choosing of a vicious, sick man who thankfully is no longer among us.
My sister, Weez, put up a Facebook status yesterday that really struck me as the most beautiful set of words I heard about the situation and our emotions surrounding it:
May 1st Prayer
Now I lay me down to sleep
one less terrorist this world does keep
with all my heart I give my thanks
to those in uniform regardless of ranks
You serve our country and serve it well
with humble hearts your stories tell
so as I rest my weary eyes
while freedom rings our flag still flies
You give your all, do what you must
with God we live and in God we trust
The short of it:
Writer. Health, education, and art advocate. Theater and film producer. Visual artist. Product geek. Proud alumnae of the University of Pennsylvania (BA) and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia (MBA). Inspired by ancient wisdom & modern tech. Proliferator of goodness. Opener of doors. Friend to animals. Fan of creative work in all its wondrous forms. I use my business skills to create passion projects that build a better world. I’ve been called the happiest New Yorker, and I try hard to live up to that title every day.
The long of it:
My career has stretched across Capitol Hill, Broadway theatre, education, nonprofit fundraising, health and wellness, and Fortune 500 companies in retail, media, entertainment, technology, and financial services. I’ve been a product developer and product manager, theater manager, strategic consultant, marketer, voice over artist, , teacher, and fundraiser. I use my business and storytelling to support and sustain passion projects that build a better world. In every experience, I’ve used my sense of and respect for elegant design to develop meaningful products, services, programs, and events.
While building a business career, I also built a strong portfolio as a journalist, novelist, freelance writer, interviewer, presenter, and public speaker. My writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, PBS.org, Boston.com, Royal Media Partners publications, and The Motley Fool on a wide range of topics including business, technology, science, health, education, culture, and lifestyle. I have also been an invited speaker at SXSW, Teach for America, Avon headquarters, Games for Change, NYU, Columbia University, Hunter College, and the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America. The first book in my young adult book series, Emerson Page and Where the Light Enters, was acquired by a publisher and launched in November 2017. I’m currently working on the second book in the series.
A recovering multi-tasker, I’m equally at home in front of my Mac, on my yoga mat, walking my rescue dog, Phineas, traveling with a purpose, or practicing the high-art of people watching. I also cut up small bits of paper and put them back together as a collage artist.
My company:
I’m bringing together all of my business and creative career paths as the Founder of Double or Nothing Media:
• I craft products, programs, and projects that make a difference;
• I build the business plans that make what I craft financially sustainable;
• I tell the stories that matter about the people, places, and products that inspire me.
Follow my adventures on Twitter at https://twitter.com/christanyc and Instagram at https://instagram.com/christarosenyc.
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2 thoughts on “Beginning: Preparing for Peace in a Time of War”
Christa,
Yes, there is too much violence in our world today. How sad.
I prefer peace and harmony, personally, and I hope and wish and pray for the end of conflict.
“An eye for an eye and the world will go blind,” wrote Mahatma Gandhi.
I think we can begin internally. Each person can attempt to take the journey within. We can change from the inside-out.
Outside-in: we can contribute more toward charitable causes and inter-faith dialogue and common weal. We need to build bridges between communities and try to find unifying force in a diverse society. Thanks for sharing your ideas here. Cheers.
“An eye for an eye and the world will go blind,” wrote Mahatma Gandhi. – Gandhi was my kind of leader. We need his wisdom now more than ever. Thanks for writing that quote – so simple and so powerful.
Christa Avampato 
Christa,
Yes, there is too much violence in our world today. How sad.
I prefer peace and harmony, personally, and I hope and wish and pray for the end of conflict.
“An eye for an eye and the world will go blind,” wrote Mahatma Gandhi.
I think we can begin internally. Each person can attempt to take the journey within. We can change from the inside-out.
Outside-in: we can contribute more toward charitable causes and inter-faith dialogue and common weal. We need to build bridges between communities and try to find unifying force in a diverse society. Thanks for sharing your ideas here. Cheers.
LikeLike
“An eye for an eye and the world will go blind,” wrote Mahatma Gandhi. – Gandhi was my kind of leader. We need his wisdom now more than ever. Thanks for writing that quote – so simple and so powerful.
LikeLike