The Power of Goodness Project

The trilingual stories in Power of Goodness are about people from many parts of the world. Some are people from history; some are from literature, but they all show the excitement of action and the joy of seeing things in a different way. They demonstrate how small actions can make big differences; they offer nonviolent ways to resolve conflicts. Readers will be inspired to act with courage to bring good into the lives of those around them. From interesting stories that sometimes give more questions than answers, young people may begin to think about their roles in the world.

The Friends International Library committee created a pool of inspiring stories from many countries and cultures based on universal themes: courage, nonviolence, justice, friendship, cooperation, and care for the earth. New stories are continually being added to this pool and will be available when versions in other languages and cultures are requested. Power of Goodness includes a study guide with questions and activities to stimulate discussion and thought. All stories are illustrated by international youth ages 6-20.

People of Peace

All versions of Power of Goodness will have messages from known peace figures throughout the world. The U.S. folksinger/songwriter Pete Seeger and the contemporary Chechen writer Musa Akmadov have written messages for the Chechen edition.

Pete Seeger

In these dangerous times we can all be encouraged to be active by reading this book. Hooray for all the people, young and old, in widely separated parts of the world, who have cooperated to put it together. If we all get active in some little way, we will see this power (сила) leap over barriers of language, barriers of religion, barriers of politics. I'll give you an anonymous poem taken from the writings of philosopher William James, a little over a hundred years ago:

I am done
with great things and big things
great institutions and big success
and I am for
those tiny, invisible, molecular moral forces
that work from individual to individual
through the crannies of the world
like so many rootlets
or like the capillary oozing of water
yet which, if you give them time
will rend
the hardest monuments of man's pride

Musa Akmadov

“What you witness in childhood is like an inscription cut in stone”

This Chechen proverb reminds us of the part which early experience plays in our later lives. What happens at the start of life’s pathway has enormous influence on our destiny.

Nowadays the Chechen children bear bloodstained inscriptions – cut deep into their hearts by war, suffering and want. The suffering of Chechnya’s children is great indeed: so great that if they could only express it, their bitter tears would cover the whole of our planet.

“No revolution whatsoever” – so said the Russian writer F.M.Dostoevsky –“could ever be worth a single teardrop from a child’s eye.” For what great cause, then, do the politicians contend in Chechnya – as they compel the shedding of so many children’s tears? To ease the pain in the hearts to Chechen children, and to set their minds free from thoughts that weigh them down… this is surely is a task that calls for help from the entire human race.

That help is partly provided by the publication of this collection of stories for children – stories which speak of loving-kindness and human sympathy. Such kindness is needed wherever cruelty predominates, so that it can surpass cruelty a hundred times over – and help to consign it to oblivion. Yet cruelty and inhumanity have held sway over the Chechen land for ten long years already.

And so the publication of this book – in three languages – means a very great deal. No doubt about it: a priceless gift is being offered to Chechen children – the chance to read it in their own language.

In recent years very few books have been published in the native tongue: and yet the preservation of the Chechen language – concern, indeed, for its future – is far from a merely cultural problem. The painful dilemma is this: will the Chechen people survive or not? A great Chechen poet – Magomet Mamakeev – once declared; “If a people takes good care of its language, cherishing and promoting it, then no one will ever be able to stamp out that people’s freedom.”

Nowadays the land and people of Chechnya are one and the same; and it is children – the children most of all – who yearn for generosity, human kindness, and the opportunity for creative work. They are like parched ground, burnt dry by the sun, and crying out for gracious rain.

That is why special thanks are due to everyone who has taken part in the compilation and publication of this story collection.

Finally – the publication of this book reminds us that the Chechen people have not been left all alone with their suffering: in many a corner of our planet there are those who still think of them. Paraphrasing some famous words of the English poet John Donne, we may conclude that the Chechen people are “not an island out in the ocean, but part of the great mainland which is called ‘humanity’.”

Cover

Michael Hays, illustrator, created the cover art. We are fortunate indeed for his artistic visionary expression of the book’s title. George Foster of Foster Covers created the cover design. We are appreciative of his artistic eye and his devotion to creating a cover in three languages and two alphabets. The cover art and overall design will remain the same for all versions of Power of Goodness. When new cultures and countries request a version of the book for their young people, the title and sub-title will be translated into their own language.

End Papers

All versions of Power of Goodness will have in the front end papers an appropriate quote and art work from the culture and/or country where the book will be published.

On the front end-papers of the Chechen version of Power of Goodness is a quote from Kunta-hadji Kishiev, a beloved Muslim sheik. The art is by Chechen/Ingush artist, Ali Hashagulgov.

A quote by 18th century Quaker, Stephen Grellet, will be in the back end papers of all versions of Power of Goodness. Art is by our cover artist, Michael Hays.

Project Background:

Power of Goodness: Stories of Nonviolence and Reconciliation is the third generation of a book originally collected in English and published in the U.S.A. first by Philadelphia Yearly Meeting (PYM) which later turned the copyright over to Friends General Conference (FGC). That book was entitled Lighting Candles in the Dark and included short stories about people who showed bravery and courage as they dealt nonviolently with dangerous or difficult situations and social issues. Some of the stories are about Quakers, but most are not. They contain six values:

• Courage
• Nonviolence
• The Power of Love
• Acts of Loving Service
• Fairness and Equality
• Care of the Earth

1964 PYM edition

1992 FGC edition

2001 FGC edition

The story of the Russian-English version of Lighting Candles in the Dark began about ten years ago. A small group of twelve-year old students in Novgorod (a town of about 200,000 not too far from St. Petersburg) first prompted us to publish Lighting Candles in the Dark in Russia. Many of the stories were read and discussed in English at a local Novgorod school in 1994. Their instructor, Janet Riley (now the executive secretary of the Friends International Library), had expected them to respond favorably but never expected such deep understanding and enthusiasm. During one of the last classes, the children were invited to give their honest opinion of the stories and about the appropriateness of providing Lighting Candles in the Dark for other Russian children. Here is a brief synopsis of their discussion:

"There are moments in these stories where we can do the same."
"They teach us how to act."
"Yes, they teach us to be kind and to help one another."
"They show us another way."
"They show that love is important."
"It is good for us to know about children in other places in the world."
"They give us ideas for our lives."

English teachers in Novgorod were also moved by the stories. Some of their comments include:

"They remind me of the children's stories of Tolstoy."
"They will help Russian school children relate to children in other parts of the world which is so important."
"The response on the part of children would not be emotionless - they would understand and feel because the stories are devoted to children."
"This book will be a valuable resource for teaching English and for stimulating classroom discussion."

With this positive encouragement of our Russian friends and co-workers, we decided to publish a bilingual edition of Lighting Candles in the Dark for Russian children, teachers, parents, and older students of English.

As the book was prepared for publication the Friends International Library committee found Russian stories to include in this version. A new story from Chechnya was also born in the process. Several additional stories from Chechnya will be part of the new Power of Goodness version.

Because of a shortage of textbooks in some regions of Russia, the bilingual edition of Lighting Candles in the Dark was greatly appreciated by teachers, students, and parents. We donated about 5,000 copies to teachers, schools and orphanages we already knew in the communities of Novgorod, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Electrostal, Serpukhov, Perm and Kez. The stories served as a springboard for discussions in addition to their use in language study. Russian immigrants in the USA also used this book.

Our experience with older students at university level and in adult English classes in Novgorod and Elektrostal showed that the stories are appropriate for all age groups due to simplicity of vocabulary coupled with rich moral content. We are pleased that it was possible to use Lighting Candles in the Dark not only with young children but also with adults who are beginning students of English. Thus the stories not only please young people but also assists adults who are beginning to learn English. Young people (ages 6-20) provided almost all of the illustrations used in this book.

Appreciations

We give special thanks to the following people for their generous contribution to the Power of Goodness project:

• Introductions: Pete Seeger, Musa Akmadov.
• Translations: Tatiana Pavlova (Russia), John Coutts (England), Zalpa Bersanova, Said-Hamzat, Hasan Turkayev (all from Chechnya).
• Cover Design: Foster Covers.
• Cover and Back End Paper Art: Michael Hays.
• Story Questions and English Editing: Rosemary Wilvert, Liana Forest.
• For important general support: Friends House Moscow and Tamara Alieva.
• Collection of Chechen youth Art: Hawa Mahmudova.
• Web design by Winston Riley ^IV, Wonder Dog Programs.
• Monetary Contributions: From Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of Friends: Chace Fund Committee, Sara Bowers Fund Committee, International Outreach Committee, Pemberton Fund, Shoemaker Fund. From Individual Contributors: Cynthia and Miles Edwards, Daniel C. Shaffer and Kingdon Swayne.

We dedicate the Chechen version of Power of Goodness to the memory of Tatiana Pavlova and Anne Friend who both worked faithfully on its creation.

Friends International Library Committee
Janet Riley, Johan Maurer, Misha Roshchin, Sylvia Mangalam