: . **» »» » • 'S .'. & Beyond A Weapons Mythology M artin L uther K ing Jr. Special E dition (Elje -Jlo rtlan b ffib seru er B \ J ennifer A i . dkich » t, .f »i .* • f .4 A society’s myths, the stories that it tells about heroes and villains, are the building blocks and product o f culture. Myths shape a culture while at the same time expressing and perpetuating its values. Myths imparted to us from a young age help form our world views, com pelling and constraining our behav ior. Mythology is imparted through stories. Induction into the mythol ogy o f a culture starts at birth, with songs and nursery rhymes, and con tinues throughout life. The stories that we hear and tell as adults rein force those first lessons from the cradle. Weapons are a significant part of our national mythology. Books,mov ies, electronic games, chi ldren' s fairy tales - all are filled with images of guns, swords, missiles, even nuclear bombs. By the process of continual exposure and reinforcement, we be gin to believe a fallacy - that w eap ons are the best tools for dealing with conflict. Our children play with guns and, like children of any species, learn adult behavior through their games. Toy stores are stocked with all the weapons of war - realistic- looking, imparting a sense of pow er to the user. Weapons o f destruction are so commonplace in movies that it’s rare action-adventure film that doesn’t fill the screen with death and massive ruin in the first five minutes. Nuclear weapons give us a de structive capability almost beyond imagining. We can annihilate nations with the turn of a key and we’re heady with the power that confers. The United States presides over an elite club o f nations that have this power. And other nations want to join the club! Images ofjoyous Indi ans reacting to their government’s announcement of a nuclear test dem onstrate how pervasive a weapons mythology is in other cultures as Jan. 13, 1999 C8 Retirement Living • Studio & 1-Bedroom Apartments with Full Kitchens • Easy a ccess to shopping and bus lines • Dining Room , Beauty and Barber Shop • Activities, Clubs, and Garden areas • Safety, Security, and Companionship • Federal Rent Subsidies for those that cpialify Westmorelands Union Manor 5404 SC 23rd Avenue Portland, Oregon OT2O2 233 5671 Marshall Union Manor Kirkland Union Manors 2 0 2 0 NW Northrup Street Portland, Oregon 07200 3530 SC S4th Avenue Portland, Oregon 0726« 225-0677 ta 777-8101 itu, »omu orwmierr» Office (503) 287-5504 Fax(5031287-8913 Dr. Billy R. Flowers well. But our power has outstripped our sensibilities. We understand the irrational nature of living under the constant threat of oblivion, o f being unable to walk the streets o f our cities at night, yet we profess to know no better way. As the Rever end Martin Luther King, Jr. so el egantly stated, “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided man." We can no longer afford a weap ons mythology. The ability to de stroy nations with nuclear warheads, to escalate ourselves into a war which nobody can win, which could in fact cause the very extinction of our species, dictates a revolution in our thinking - a new mythology that recognizes the necessity o f a new armament. King wrote, "There may have been a time when war served as a negative good by preventing the spread and growth of an evil force. but the destructive power of modem weapons eliminates even the possi bility that war may serve as a nega tive good.” We need a mythology in which our weapons are laws and prin ciples, not guns and bombs. The skills we need to develop in our children are those o f negotiation and compromise, o f unflinching adher ence to principles o f fairness and empathy. Mythology is bom of and perpetuated through the stories we tell our children. The heroes of these stories will become our children’s heroes. From the earliest nursery rhym es we need to infuse our children’s imaginations with tales of gallant men and women who saved the day by clinging to principles of mutual respect and non-violence. We need to tell the stories ofThoreau and Ghandi, o f Martin Luther King, Jr. and Sojourner Truth. In a world where our very survival depends upon eliminating the threat of weap- ons o f mass destruction, a radically new way of thinking is essential. King wrote, “ In this world. Nonvio lence is no longer an option for intellectual analysts, it is an impera tive for action.” We need to tell new stories. Sto ries excite the imagination and stimu late creativity. With stories of prin cipled heroes winning with alternate “weapons” we are trained to think in new ways, to find new solutions to old conflicts. Violence will existwhereverpeople live in proximity. We cannot com pletely escape our biological ten dency toward aggression. What we can do. however, is learn to cope with violence in a way that doesn’t engender further violence. With weapons o f creativity, com munication, and empathy, we can respond to violence with non-vio lence. We can foster a new mythol ogy that honors creation rather than destruction. Chiropractor Honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2124 N.E. Hancock Street Portland. Oregon 97212 IN THE SPIRIT OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., PBS A N D ITS MEMBER STATIONS CELEBRATE THE LIFE A N D ACHIEVEMENTS OF P O R TLA N D ART M U S EU M FREE admission! VJ performances! H E N R Y H A M P T O N FREE activities! FREE >• FREE Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration Monday, January 18, 7999 7 1:00 am to 4:00 pm The Portland Art Museum honors the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with a special day open to the public free of charge. Enjoy the special exhibitions Robert Colescott: Recent Paintings and An Escher Celebration Join in the fun of a special Museum Family Day, with hands-on art-making activities and performances inspired by the exhibitions. It S all free! « t» R e C o le s c o tt-in s P lr e d music! c o lla g e s FREE FUN! 998) ( 1 940 This event is sponsored by T h a n k s for g i v i n g o r d in a r y p e o p l e A N E X T R A O R D I N A R Y P L A C E I N H IS T O R Y . E yes on the P rize I fui 1(12 M alcolm X: M ake I t P lain on in A merica I’ ll M ake M e a W o rld : A C entury of A frican -A merican A rts © PBS — PEPSI , life-si»® : rpiî«®ie p a tte r n s and p u z z l e s E sch er-IiRe L e a r n H ow to „ a K e E s c H e r s tX in te ssa la tio n s P overty B reakthrough : T he C hanging F ace of S cience pwt â II ano T he G reat D epression A merica ’ s W ar o w n life . Robert Colescott Recent Pointings is su p p o rted by G rand Patrons G o rd o n D Sondland and K atherine J D urant, and spo n so red by IKON Office Solutions and < a n o n An E sth e r C elebration is S ponsored by Embassy Suites Portland D ow ntow n F o r M o r e I n f o r m a t i o n C a ll: 2 2 6 - 2 8 1 1 e x t . 2 2 7 OPB It's Where You Belong’ wwwopb org P o rtla n d A rt M u s e u m 1 2 1 9 SW P a rk A v e n u e , P o rtla n d , O re g o n Educational programming at the Portlano Art Museum Is made possible through a generous grant from the PGE-Enron Foundation. 97208 J