Category Archives: Nonviolence

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, Music, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Song of The Day

A whole year of Peace Songs: Finale to “Peace Song of the Day” project

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Susanna, The Duchess of Peace writes:

On July 9th of last year, I began a project to find, and blog about, a peace song for every day of the year. The Peace Song of the Day archive is: here.

The idea of the project was to create interesting content, to create a daily ritual of peace culture, to bring people to the blog, and to nurture some self-discipline in myself as a writer.

I believe I succeeded a little bit on the first three counts. Though, since there are many days with no peace song announced, I guess I failed on the self-discipline score. And, I failed even though I had some nurturing help from the Duke, who sometimes provided inspiration, and sometimes just wrote the post for me. My missed days have taught me that I cannot count on myself to be both creative and ambitious each day. So, my next daily project will involve less of a need for inspiration. Though, I hope it will still be fruitful to the peace community.

Other lessons learned: Continue reading A whole year of Peace Songs: Finale to “Peace Song of the Day” project →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Book of the Week, Social Justice

MLK: Declaration of Independence from the War

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The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of PeaceThe sixteenth chapter of The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace contains Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1967 speech  Declaration of Independence from the War in Vietnam. The speech, which is also known as Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence ,was given in the Manhattan’s Riverside Church exactly one year before King was assassinated.   It is sad to realize that Dr. King’s 45 year old attempt to seek freedom from war applies equally to the Vietnam War as it does to the wars that the United States is now waging in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen.

Through the lens of history, it is hard to understand how controversial the speech was in 1967.  It is common wisdom today that the Vietnam War was a mistake, despite the US government’s recently started 10-year plan to rehabilitate American’s view of that war.  In 1967, all the major media backed the Vietnam War.  Dr. King was regularly attacked in national newspapers such as the New York Times for speaking out against the Vietnam War.  Peace activists are still attacked in today’s media for opposing today’s wars for the same reasons that Dr. King cites.

Dr. King responds to his critics who say that he should only speak about the domestic issue of civil rights, and keep silent on the VietNam War.  The critics make the lesser evil argument that Dr. King is hurting the cause of civil rights by speaking out against the war.  Dr. Kings explains in the introduction of his speech that those critics misunderstand both who he is , and misunderstand”the world in which they live.”  Dr. King gives seven reasons why he must speak out:  Continue reading MLK: Declaration of Independence from the War →

antiwar, environment, Nonviolence, Occupy Wall Street, Peace, Royal Book of the Week

Independent books for July 4th

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Books for Independence Day

There’s never been a better time to speak out against injustices, stand up together for our rights and take action to preserve sovereignty, community and democracy.

Occupy World Street

A Global Roadmap for Radical Economic and Political Reform

Occupy World Street: A Global Roadmap for Radical Economic and Political Reform

As demonstrators worldwide demand change, Occupy World Street offers a sweeping vision of how to reform our global economic and political structures, break away from empire, and build a world of self-determining sovereign states that respect the need for ecological sustainability and uphold human rights.

In this refreshingly detailed plan, Ross Jackson shows how a handful of small nations could take on a leadership role; create new alliances, new governance, and new global institutions; and, in cooperation with grassroots activists, pave the way for other nations to follow suit.
“Ross Jackson presents us with an extraordinary global plan to tackle the multiple crises of our times—awesome in conception, sensitive in detail, and realistic enough to succeed.”—Richard Register, author of Ecocities—Rebuilding Cities in Balance with Nature.

2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years

2052: A Global Forecast for the Next Forty Years

Commemorating the fortieth Anniversary of The Limits to Growth, 2052 asks, what will happen to humanity over the next forty years?

We know that much needs to change to make our future more sustainable. But will we rise to the occasion? How much change is likely to occur? And how do we prepare to live good lives in the world that is likely to emerge?
These are the questions that propelled Jorgen Randers, a renowned analyst of global trends, to ask dozens of leading experts around the globe to weigh in with their best predictions on how our economies, energy supplies, natural resources, climate, food, fisheries, militaries, political divisions, cities, psyches, and more will take shape in the coming decades.
antiwar, Music, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Song of The Day, Video

Do your job like a man: Peace Song for June 25th

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“The Great Mandala (Wheel of Life)” by Peter Yarrow is the Peace Song of the Day for June 25, 2012.

The lyrics are unusual for a peace song, because they use the discourse of the opposition. And, the song also includes sensitive reflections of male pride and self-defense mechanisms. A father, who has already lost one son to war, tells his other son, “So I told him that he’d better shut his mouth, and do his job like a man…”

I realized the power of this song, because it was praised by Richie Havens in the movie Peter, Paul and Mary – Carry It On – A Musical Legacy.

Continue reading Do your job like a man: Peace Song for June 25th →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Book of the Week, Social Justice

Book Review: Why You’ve Never Met A Man Named Shirley

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Woman at desk. Clip Art / Copy Free Art from the 1800's. Used to illustrate a 2012 book review of Shirley by Charlotte Bronte.Charlotte Bronte’s novel Shirley is a must read for people interested in the topics of: economic justice; Occupy Wall Street ideas; women’s social history; feminism; war and peace; and charity. Bronte’s second published book, coming on the heels of the success of her Jane Eyre, is another masterpiece, full of drama and surprises, with some radical politics, and an extra heroine thrown into the mix.

Why haven’t many people heard of this book? One set of reasons can be traced to the structure of the book, while another set of reasons relates to suppression due to the political climate of the 1840’s, when it was published, through to today. Continue reading Book Review: Why You’ve Never Met A Man Named Shirley →

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:

Continue reading What’s in your Occupy Handbook? →