Eye was delighted recently to read that a 'self-styled activist Quaker', Judy Moody-Stuart, had stirred things up at the World Economic Forum in Davos by suggesting in a Middle East discussion group that the UN could move to Jerusalem from New York as a gesture to peace. Judy, whose Meeting is Ditchling, got short shrift with this but was unrepentant. Such spirit! We asked Judy if she would send us an Eyeview of the Forum, and below is what she sent.

The annual meeting in Davos manifests as a marriage between Disneyworld and BYM - ongoing relationship, not just the ceremony. I have attended (as wife of a leading Shell and now mining company Anglo-American man, geologist - see News page 4) over seven or eight years now, including the 2002 WEF Meeting held purposely off-site in New York in recognition of 9/11. It costs a lot (paid for by companies) and NGOs, artists and politicians are invited free - partly to leaven the lump, partly to ensure balanced discussion and proper dialogue. Large and small sessions are 'on the record' with the media present in force. Most people who go to Davos take it very seriously; there is too much to do, hear, ask, so everyone is crammed into a huge conference complex during the day, living in ski-hotels within walking distance, and we meet and chat as equals skidding on the icy streets or between sessions in the Congress Centre labyrinth. Recognisable people: Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson, Angela Merkel, Irene Khan, George Carey, Andrew Windsor, Yasser Arafat, Bill Clinton, Anita Roddick, Paul Coelho, Gordon Brown, Bono, Rupert Murdoch... would pass you in the corridor. Back in 1999 there was no obvious security, except for the Israelis and US presidents. By 2003 there had been violent anti-globalisation protesters who trekked up the alpine valley and trashed shop-fronts, calling for the ‘Great and Good’ to come out and engage with them and ‘answer for’ their economic dominance. Now the Swiss inhabitants of the ski-resort, home to the TB sanatorium in Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain, have to endure the Swiss army and police taking over the town for a week, with barriers of steel and plastic sheeting along the street; every WEF participant is electronically checked and re-checked hourly as they enter hotels and venues; protesters and sightseers are kept completely out.

The meeting is under the personal eye of its founder, Swiss academic and businessman Klaus Schwab, whose organisation excels in promoting discussion and networking, facilitating this in regional meetings through the year - action 'out in the world' depends onthe participants planning amongst themselves when they get home. Phew! To attend this circus for four or five days is immensely exhausting and interesting and frustrating. For a good description of its significance go to the comment by Martin Wolf in the Financial Times (31 January, page 15, or www.ft.com) or for tongue in cheek media comment on your correspondent's efforts to 'improve the world' see blogs.reuters.com

Labels: davos, worldeconomicforum

Nepal is both the birthplace of Buddha and the last Hindu kingdom, so both religions are practised. Eye hears from a friend in New York about the death of her cat, and the sympathetic email she received from a Buddhist friend in Nepal. It reads:
'Sorry to hear about your cat. But this is the way of life. She have had a very good life with you. You made her sleep rather than a painful death because you do not want her to suffer. Long time ago I have done the same to my German shepherd (huge dog). He suffered from the disease with water in the lung. Within days I called vet doc and consulted with him. I do not want to see the dog suffering. He suggested an injection which made the dog sleep within a second.

'I gave him a nice little cremation with the participation of Suchitra, Tamsha and Situ [his daughters], they were very little. They still remember the cremation site on the river near my house. We offered him cloth, coins, uncooked rice and a packet of salt. Except salt, other items were for the eternal journey. Salt is meant for the quick decaying of the body.

'When we walk by that side of the river, we remember the dog. It is believed that animal life is the last life before being reborn as human being (the best of life one achieved after doing many good deeds in the past lifes). So may God bless your cat.'

Eye can’t think of a more consoling message after a loss.

In our wandering through this new form of reality, Eye came across an interesting figure using blogging to pursue a personal quest. We were intrigued as that quest led the blogger into our territory, with pleasing results.

Megumi Nishikura is based in Japan and trying to find out what it takes to create a more peaceful world. 'Do we need a Martin Luther King Jr, or a Gandhi?' she asks the blogging universe. 'Why do people support war? What are the psychological reasons for people's acceptance of violence?'

Her most recent observations are of 'the world's most famous pacifist group' (that's us!). She attended a Quaker Meeting in Tokyo and reports: 'I have to say it's really moving to meet with people who can talk about global warming or their concern for Palestinian children during their religious service. I mean, really, when was the last time you attended a church service (especially in the Christian faith) where people were consciously concerned about the world and were taking action about living out teachings of love and kinship!? I give the Quakers my two thumbs up!'

Well, we think Megumi might be a little hard on the other denominations there, but we take her point. In answer to her question, why do people accept violence, we'll send her a copy of our planned special issue on human aggression and conflict resolution, which the editor is toiling on currently.