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Los Angeles, USA Rotterdam, The Netherlands and Beyond 2002 Los Angeles "World peace begins in the healed heart of each one of us." —Heather Foxhall  Building an Ark for the Twenty-first Century The Rainbow Ark Foundation was invited to collaborate with the 2002 International Trek of the Tall Ships, in order to create a highly visible, global ambassadorial journey of televised Global Wisdom Councils. The Trek began in May of 2002 in Okinawa, Japan and proceeded to Korea, then on to Vancouver, BC; Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, culminating its journey in San Diego on September 11,2002. On Monday, September 9, 2002, The Rainbow Ark Foundation convened a Global Wisdom Council at sea on board the Europa, a tall ship from The Netherlands (our symbolic Rainbow Ark) as she ported in Los Angeles, with the international fleet. This council focused on the theme of September 11th, One Year Later... Just as The Rainbow Ark Foundation's October 11, 2001, New York Global Wisdom Council (also held on board the Europa, then ported in Manhattan) focused on the issue of the media's responsibility in creating a culture of peace, the 2002 Global Wisdom Council continued to gather peacemakers, and media makers as well as wise visionaries from around the world to contemplate the following questions:
 The California Ventura Reporter summed up the Los Angeles Global Wisdom Council this way: A Tall Order.... ... The tall ships grace the public consciousness as surely as places of worship touch the soul. Slates of these ancient war craft and frigates-some of whose designs date to 14th century England- pop up routinely at major ports of call worldwide, delighting thousand amid their staggering height, seasonal adornments and living history.... On Monday, September 9th, The Rainbow Ark Foundation-created by Heather Foxhall as an advocacy for a culture of peace-convened a gathering aboard the tall ship "Europa" during its stop at San Pedro. Attendees, which included furturist Barbara Marx Hubbard, Jacques Cousteau's son Jean-Michel and international Earth Day co-producer Mark Dubois, conferred on world sustainability, the media's role in it's creation and expendable values in the interest of global rapport. "No matter how much we balk and no matter how many guns are raised in the name of greed," Foxhall explained, "nature won't allow us to live in such disharmony. Those of us that understand this and recognize it, have a responsibility to try to educate others. We've been given such abundance," Foxhall said. "All we need to do is to learn how to share it. We were given everything free, with one price tag-take care of it. We haven't been operating under that vision and that direction." Written by Martin Jones Westlin Other voices and reflections of those that gathered in Los Angeles on this symbolic Ark for the 21st century: 
 Jean-Michel Cousteau just off the plane from the United Nations Earth summit in Johannesburg, South Africa expressed the following to the council that day on the high seas: ..."There is a tremendous movement taking place... governments are over...what I see in Johannesburg and here, is that direct democracy is re-born...saying that we[the people] can do it, we can make decisions, today more than ever, our voice counts, and we are going to make it...because of the power of the heart and that's what's going to make the difference!" David Krieger , founder of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation passionately pled "We need to look to ourselves and make deep changes in who we are and how we conduct our democracy... We can't just go along with those that want to take us further into a war culture..." Futurist, Barbara Marx Hubbard , shared this sacred declaration, "...the true purpose of the United States of America is to liberate the creativity and compassion of it's people and of people everywhere... I want to put into this circle that if there is to be a catalytic act at this time in the history of the USA, that it's a campaign to transform the American presidency..." "...I don't know when becoming better off became more important than becoming a better person...but I do know that without this dialogue and without all of us being able to share in this way, the change won't happen...we have to do it..." Larry Kopald , chair, Earth Communications Office "It's imperative that we have these deep heart-based conversations that will guide our actions in creating new ways of being together on this planet...the Global Wisdom Council is so important at this moment in history." Mark Dubois , co-producer of International Earthday "Having people in these kind of circles is great media...allowing the collective wisdom to be given space to be heard... is great media..." Jay Levin , founder of the LA Weekly. Woody Vaspra , director of the World Council of Indigenous Elders, explained that "I realized during the council that these diverse people are our emerging modern wisdom keepers." "[The council] was the most amazing experience! It has inspired me to dare to do greater things that will benefit us all... It is a great contribution to all of our healing..." Sarah Burns , Director for The Institute for the Environment at UCLA "I was so touched by each person's sharing. It's so valuable to catch the sense of an international perspective, our growing global peace community... to help us remember who we are..." Eisha Mason , founder, Center for Non-Violence. 
 2003 On to Europe... The Rainbow Ark Foundation's Global Wisdom Council trek continued on to Europe on September 26 and 27, 2003 with the most recent Global Wisdom Council held on board the Dutch tall ship, Oosterscheldes (our symbolic Rainbow Ark) ported in the city of Rotterdam (The Netherlands). This council created a Rainbow Bridge into Europe and began to galvanize the energy and interest to bring this council process over seas. Here are some of the voices from our Dutch Council: Sonja Vissinga, member of Dutch based Spirit in Business, shared that "to heal the broken heart is realizing that we have a choice for the light." Sander Tideman, founder of Spirit in Business, passionately imparted, " we need to bring forth the values of compassion, interconnectedness, and unity into this modern day world." Dutch cultural economist at Erasmus University, Arjo Klamer, empathetically explained our current global crisis exists because,... " we lost God...we replaced God with the individual and placed him in the center of the universe and that's where we've been focused." Journalist, Klaas Jan Hindricks, felt that ..." we must make the younger generation aware of the world we put them into and...that there are other values than living by the numbers..." Louwrein Wijers , author of Art meets Science and Spirituality, summated by saying that, " next to the United Nations we need United Wisdom...so that we can build something that will hold for the next generations...it is time for us to do this." The Rainbow Ark Foundation is a 501c3 Non-Profit Corporation. |