What the Raven Knows...

The Raven is a harmless creature that has been scapegoated and falsely accused of evil. In legend and story, it often represents a dark and sinister presence or a harbinger of death. Because of this the Raven knows that the accused are rarely the guilty ones and violence cannot solve the problems it claims to cure. If you listen to what the Raven knows, you may discover a surprising way to build a more peaceful world.

...About People

Human beings are not independent creatures who can live and grow in isolation. Rather we are imitative and so we need one another to know who we are, how to behave, even what to desire. We are so dependent, that without an “other” to imitate, we wither and die. As the poet says, “No one is an island. No one stands alone.”

...About Communities

The greatest problem facing the human communities is how to handle the inevitable conflict that results from imitated desire. When I learn what I desire from you, I want what you want and when there isn’t enough to go around (like the job, the girl, or the status) conflict erupts.

...About Violence

Since the dawn of human culture, communities have used violence to end violence, falsely claiming a divine sanction for a human intervention. We have divided violence up into good (the God-approved violence I use) and bad (violence used by my enemies). The Raven knows there is no good or bad violence, only violence itself, the suffering it causes, and our need to justify using it by invoking God’s name.