Category Archives: Nonviolent Communication

environment, Fashion, Food, Holiday, Music, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Occupy Wall Street, PAXi, Peace, Royal Book of the Week, Royal Fashion, Royal Tour

TWL: Things We Love

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I know it's not Valentine yet but I'm full of ... Happy Valentine’s Day!

The idea of this site is to help bring a little more love into the world. We have been working to create a community space to share the way to a more peaceful life. Our definition of a peaceful life encompasses all areas of our lives.

Since the early days of this site we have been focusing on what it means to be a pacifist, and we will continue to do so.  We have also touched on what a shareable economy means; peaceful music and books; how a CSA works; and why vintage jewelry is better than new.

TWL will focus us on exploring what more of what peace means in the  rest of our lives, such as what it means to freecycle; to be a vegetarian; a locavore; a community member; to use nonviolent communication; and to clean with vinegar.  And more.   But first,

We want to hear from you!

What brings peace into your life?

What can you share from your journey?

Please use the comments section to share.

Continue reading TWL: Things We Love →

antiwar, Holiday, Music, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Peace, Royal Song of The Day

The Genius of “Alice’s Restaurant”

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I realized a little after 12 noon this Thanksgiving that Arlo Guthrie has had a much broader cultural impact in terms of bringing a progressive message to the general population than his father, Woody Guthrie.   As a reader of this post is probably aware, across the radio dial across the United States, it is a tradition to play Arlo Guthrie’s song, Alice’s Restaurant at 12 noon on Thanksgiving.  This tradition has been going on for four decades.  We are not just talking about the anti-war song being played on granola-crunchy college radio stations.  I listened to Alice’s Restaurant on a Clear Channel owned classic rock station that won’t even play Imagine most of the year.  The DJ announced and dedicated the song as a favorite Thanksgiving tradition of a recently deceased listener.  No mention was made of the song’s lengthy anti-war message.  The song had transcended into a widely-celebrated annual tradition for the general population who never expresses a sentiment about war for the rest of the year.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8DtpdXZi0M]

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Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Occupy Wall Street, Peace, Social Justice

Occupy San Diego,CA General Assembly 7/18/12

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I attended the Occupy San Diego General Assembly (GA) on Wednesday July 18, 2012. Occupy San Diego holds GA’s on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

occupy san diego (5)

The Wednesday GA is held at the Children’s Park at the base of 1st Avenue near the waterfront. Walking along the waterfront to the GA, there are MLK quotes in the cement. I thought this one was appropriate for the GA:  Continue reading Occupy San Diego,CA General Assembly 7/18/12 →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, PAXi, Peace

Peace Index: Daily stats for the peace movement

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Peace Index. Daily stats for words such as “peace”, “nonviolence”, and “anti-war”. How much are Americans talking about peace today?

See ongoing chart of daily peace index numbers under **asterisks** at the bottom of this post.

“When will the wars end?” I wonder that each day, and, I reflect on secondary questions, such as: “Is anyone succeeding with peace work lately?” and “Is the peace movement thriving?”.

I had always wished there was a way to check up on these concerns, a way to check the pulse of peace. I wanted to find statistics on peace, just like people can find statistics on the stock market, the price of gold, or, even, the casualties of war. I did a little research, and I could not find a number or index that answered my questions. There are some very good peace indexes. Though, the ones I found are only calculated yearly, or they only changed when big events happen.

So, it is still impossible to predict exactly when the wars will end. Though, we have devised a system to give some answers about the status of peace and antiwar sentiment in the United States. The system is The Daily Peace Culture Index for the United States [DPCIUS], which has the nickname PAXi. The PAXi number will be posted prominently at Peace Couple every day. [Well, we try!] We hope you will seek it out when you do your daily searches for news, information, and updates on the state of the world. Continue reading Peace Index: Daily stats for the peace movement →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Occupy Wall Street, Peace, Royal Book of the Week, Social Justice

What’s in your Occupy Handbook?

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The Occupy Handbook edited by Janet ByrnePeace Couple was queried about receiving a free review copy of a book of essays called the Occupy Handbook (535pp, 2012, Back Bay Books).

The book’s title got me thinking about the possibility of which essays would be in my personal Occupy Handbook.  First, would be a selection from the Fellowship of Reconciliation‘s 1958 MLK comic book that was translated into Arabic and used as a nonviolent training tool for the Arab Spring.  Paired with that would be an essay from Gene Sharp, whose 198 Methods of Nonviolent Action shaped the tactics of the Arab Spring.  Next, I would include an article by Adbusters and Naomi Klein about the fomenting of Occupy in the US.  Delving into the Occupy movement itself would require an exploration of the power of consensus and direct democracy: So, I would include writings that reflect the concepts shown in the video Consensus (Direct Democracy @ Occupy Wall Street):

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dtD8RnGaRQ]

The Occupy Handbook we were sent to review is heavily tilted toward economic issues (and covers them well), but the book barely acknowledges the democracy, social justice, antiwar, and environmental issues that have been raised by the Occupy movement.  That is why it would be important to include  the fruit of consensus process such as Occupy Wall Street’s One Demand and the Declaration of the Occupation of New York City which contain a much broader vision of a better world than simply economic reform.

In terms of people who have informed the Occupy movement, I would include:

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Music, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Peace, Royal Song of The Day, Video

Donna Summer sang “Let There Be Peace”: Peace Song of the Day for 5/17/2012

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Donna Summer passed away today. We found a song she sang about peace, and are making it the Peace Song of the Day.

“Let There Be Peace”
Dedicated to the memory of
Donna Summer, born LaDonna Adrian Gaines
Born: Dec 31, 1948
Died: May 17, 2012

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Music, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Peace, Royal Song of The Day, Video

Fighting is not the solution: Peace Song for 4/16

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“Fighting Is Not The Solution“, performed by Brett Dennen (and friends), is the Peace Song of the Day for April 16th. This song can be found on an album of children’s peace songs, put together by The Mosaic Project. Grown-ups will probably also enjoy this song — and some of the other songs on the album, too. You can get Children’s Songs for Peace and a Better World through CD Baby: here.

The song has a great chorus, with simple words of wisdom: “Fighting is not the solution…Try conflict resolution.”


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