Mary Midgley, "Animals and Why They Matter"

"Science is not just an intellectual game, carried on among a set of human players. It is a genuine attempt to explore the universe. Among the parts of that universe which are within our reach, the other animal species which share our planet with us are a most significant part. They are not just put there as a convenience for us, neither are they just an oppressed minority in human life. They are the group to which we belong. We are a small minority of them. It seems reasonable to suggest that we ought to take them seriously."

"Animals and Why They Matter" is a concise philosophical inquiry into animal rights. Midgley discusses past philosophical and scientific insights and draws connections between the kind of logical arguments that neglect the rights of nonhuman animals and those that in the past have led to the neglect of rights in human matters (e.g. racism and sexism). It is a natural phenomenon to have a stronger sense of compassion or ethical obligation to those with stronger associations to oneself, but to deny another being's rights based on individual kinship is not an ethically sound way to act. Although Midgley is concerned with this largely neglected topic, she does not take a stance that is absolutist on either end of the spectrum, whether it be as extreme as Descartes' argument that animals lack a soul and are therefore simply machines, or whether it be an activist's stance which allots nonhuman animals the same rights as humans. Instead, the topic is broached so that it can be addressed both rationally and humanely without disregarding emotional or anthropomorphic tendencies as irrelevant to the question of our ethical obligations as stewards.

Citation Information:
Midgley, M. (1984). Animals and why they matter. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press.

Gordon Fellman, "Rambo and the Dalai Lama"

"An advantage the Dalai Lama offers over Rambo and the Godfather is the vision of peace and happiness realizable through sustained, difficult, and gratifying disciplines of examining the inner self and outer reality in ways that allow for changes from destructive, adversarial behavior to that of compassion, mutuality, and love."

"Rambo and the Dalai Lama" is a sociological and psychological expose of the human compulsion to compete with and domineer over one another in adversarial relationships. Fellman explores multiple facets of our society including politics, religion, sports, popular music and films in order to portray how adversarialism permeates our culture and threatens it at the level of global warfare. Although adversarial behavior persists deep within our interactions, institutions, and modes of thought, there are also seeds of "mutualism." Mutualism represents a shift from competition to cooperation, from perceiving people as "other" or as "enemy" to perceiving connectedness through empathy and love. Fellman offers the reader insight into this new paradigm and proposes ways to pursue more mutualistic behaviors and tendencies. One of the strengths of his analysis is his infusion of personal experience in his pursuit of overcoming his own adversarial tendencies and the mental tribulations accompanying his undertaking. Fellman encourages exploration and experimentation both internally and externally, weather by reappropriating our self or looking for and fostering mutualism in our environment. Like a ripple in a pond, our own experiments in mutualism have the potential to stimulate a global paradigm shift, something that the author would like to live to see.

Citation Information:
Fellman, G. (1998). Rambo and the Dalai Lama: The compulsion to win and its threat to human survival. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Riane Eisler, "The Chalice and the Blade"

"Human evolution is now at a crossroads. Stripped to its essentials, the central human task is how to organize society to promote the survival of our species and the development of our unique potentials."

"The Chalice and the Blade" gives an account of our human past that differs from that which has been traditionally handed down to us. Based on archeological evidence from our prehistory and a look at more recent history through a different lens, Eisler portrays a past in which we enjoyed peace and prosperity which was reflected through the mutual partnership between men and women. This is termed by Eisler as a gylanic society, whereas the type of society that we are currently experiencing, one that is often referred to as patriarchal and espouses differences between individuals in an inferior/superior relationship, she terms androcratic. Once this is established, history and its underside comes into sharp focus. During different periods of our history, the spurts of relative peace and productivity that we have experienced have been reflected in societies which lean more toward gylanic relationships between men and women whereas during particularly dark, violent, and repressive periods the androcratic relationship between the sexes has been at work. This brings exciting prospects for our shared future as we are given an alternative to the ingrained idea that our violent nature is predetermined. Instead, we can work again for a partnership model of society, which based on our current capacity for devastating destruction and unbridled technology at the cost of our natural world is a requirement for our continuing human saga rather than an interesting prospect.

Links:
Riane Eisler's Homepage



Citation Information:
Eisler, R. T. (1987). The chalice and the blade: Our history, our future. Cambridge, MA: Harper & Row.

Pam McAllister, "Reweaving the Web of Life"

"The connection between feminism and nonviolence is not that both are so nice and humane compared to patriarchy and violence. It is that both are so potent, with the same kind of power, that they have the potential to turn the violent, patriarchal system over and give birth to something healthier in its place." - Betsy Wright

"Reweaving the Web of Life" is a collection of essays, poems, letters, an interview, memoirs, biographies and more, written by over 50 women and 2 men that make and reflect on the connections between feminism and nonviolence. The views and experiences expressed are diverse, including an open letter to Gandhi questioning his views regarding rape, an essay discussing the interplay between sunpower and moonpower, a proposal to limit and maintain the male population of the planet to 10%, an interview with one of the most prominent names in both nonviolence and feminism, Barbara Deming, and a poem from a Native American about a nuclear reactor accident at Idaho Falls. Taken as a whole, this anthology stands as a catalyst for dialogue between people interested in two disciplines that up to the point of its publication had been separated more by vocabulary than by the views and actions pertaining to each. The metaphor of reweaving fits appropriately in the title as myriad threads of intellect, emotion, and action are strewn together into a cohesive and heterogeneous whole that promotes an openness in approaching ideas that are still being developed.

Citation Information:
McAllister, P. (1982). Reweaving the web of life: Feminism and nonviolence. Philadelphia, PA: New Society.

Nat Hentoff, "Peace Agitator: The Story of A.J. Muste"

"If I can't love Hitler, I can't love at all."


"Peace Agitator" is the story of A.J. Muste and his lifelong radical social experiments. Muste, although spending some time as a revolutionary Trotskyite, was a pacifist and a major figure in American peace movements. Whether it was involvement and leadership in peace marches, demonstrations against nuclear testing, labor strikes, or civil rights activities, Muste lead a life in action guided by the principles of nonviolence and his love of humanity. A theme that appears in this biography, which includes accounts from members of various movements and groups involved in forms of social acton, is that Muste was a sort of Rennaissance man of the peace movement. Muste had a very firm moral foundation based in the Christian faith (he began as a Calvinist Dutch Reformed Church minister and eventually became a Quaker and chair of the Fellowship of Reconcilliation) which allowed him to move forward with an undaunting and momentous conviction in his own work, but also allowed him to tie together the myriad movements that were happening all around him and to conciliate the various points of view that were being espoused. In a way, as the appelation "American Gandhi" indicates, Muste was an activist's activist who had a clear vision that gave root to disparate individual visions of the time.

Links:
A.J. Muste Memorial Institute

Citation Information:
Hentoff, N. (1963). Peace agitator: The story of A.J. Muste. New York: Macmillan

Wangari Maathai, "Unbowed"

"Trees have been an essential part of my life and have provided me with many lessons. Trees are living symbols of peace and hope. A tree has roots in the soil yet reaches for the sky. It tells us that in order to aspire we need to be grounded, and that no matter how high we go it is from our roots that we draw sustenance."


"Unbowed" is a memoir written by 2004 Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai. The story is one that reveals her development from a child who loved being with her mother and enjoyed working with plants and soil, to being the first woman to receive a PhD in her home country, to eventually founding the Green Belt Movement and becoming and outspoken leader, teacher, and advocate for the pro democracy movement. What is most apparent about her through this collection of memories is her dedication and persistence in pursuing what she knows to be right. Through the Green Belt Movement, Wangari Maathai instilled in the common people her own passion for renewing the ecosystem of her depleted homeland through the planting of trees, often times in the face of violent opposition and stints of time spent in jail. Although the story details the overt political oppression that she faced, there is also a general oppression that is the backdrop for her tireless efforts. From the time of colonization from the British up to the present, Maathai's story reveals the oppression of Kenya's land, water, and vegetation, which seems intrinsically tied to the oppression of Kenya's people. Through Maathai's eyes, one can understand the destruction that not caring for the environment, whether out of plain ignorance, for the greed of profit or both, can do to a once beautiful and vibrant country.

Links:
Green Belt Movement



Citation Information:
Maathai, W. (2006). Unbowed: A memoir. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

Desmond Tutu, "No Future Without Forgiveness"

"After the grueling work of the commission I came away with a deep sense - indeed an exhilarating realization - that, although there is undoubtedly much evil about, we human beings have a wonderful capacity for good."


"No Future Without Forgiveness" is Desmond Tutu's account of the work performed by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) put into effect after the end of Apartheid in South Africa, which lasted officially from 1948 to 1994.The TRC provided both the victims and the perpetrators of crimes, which include murder, torture, and unlawful imprisonment during the Apartheid regime a medium to confess their stories and to allow for healing to occur between them. Amnesty would be provided for those guilty of crimes if they were first of all able to establish a connection between their crime and a political motive and secondly they were forthcoming in confessing their crimes and willing to accept some measure of accountability. Although the TRC was not unanimously supported by either the victims or the criminals, nor was it without some downsides and fumbles along the way, Desmond Tutu reveals its necessity for a nation like South Africa to move forward under a banner of reconciliation rather than one of retribution.

Links:
Desmond Tutu Peace Center



Citation Information:
Tutu, D. (1999). No future without forgiveness. New York: Doubleday.

John Paul Lederach, "Building Peace"

"Whether motivated by our courage or our compassion, by our love for our children or of this planet, we all believe that war is not the answer and that we can, and must, do what we are able to create peace in this world."


"Building Peace" constructs a framework for sustained peace efforts in societies divided by various forms of conflict and offers tangible ways of functioning through it, which have been mostly underutilized in mainstream peace processes to this point. In order to do this, Lederach, a peace scholar and practitioner to multiple conflicts throughout the world, proposes a holistic and integrative approach to peacebuilding. Structurally, there should be involvement at the grassroots leadership level of the conflict, such as local leaders and community developers, middle-range leadership including scholars and humanitarian leaders of nongovernmental organization, and top level leadership in politics, religious institutions, and the military. Lederach proposes that the middle range leadership in this model is optimally positioned to work for long term sustained peacebuilding efforts. Also, the conflict should be viewed on multiple levels including the specific conflict, the relationships between conflicting parties, and the larger systems at play which are responsible for fostering the specific conflict. It is proposed that subsystems, or microcosms of the system at large, provide an excellent middle way for peacebuilding that lies between the smaller conflict and the larger system. Another important component of the peacebuilding framework is approaching the conflict as a process that is dynamic and progressive over a period of time which needs to be conceptualized so that various strategies and actions are deployed from facilitators filling diverse roles. Of extreme importance is the need for reconciliation, where opposing parties are allowed to have the appropriate time and space required to address and heal historical grievances that may run extremely deep into the structure of the divided societies. Innovation and creativity are needed for relationship building between the parties, as often times this component is not treated with the import needed for long term sustained peace. Of course resources are also required, but perhaps more importantly, there is a need for the infrastructure to utilize the resources optimally. Finally, coordination across the framework is necessary if peacebuliding is to be sustained. Overall, Lederach proposes a comprehensive approach for peacemakers for them to constantly take into account the broader picture of peacebuilding, but is also coordinate and focus efforts toward specific conflicts. In the final chapter of the book, John Pendergast provides cases in Sudan, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Somalia for the application of Lederach's framework.

See Also:
Lederach, J. P. (2005). The moral imagination: The art and soul of building peace. Oxford: Oxford University Press.




Citation Information:
Lederach, J. P. (1997). Building peace: Sustainable reconciliation in divided societies. Washington, D.C.: United States Institute of Peace Press.

Eknath Easwaran, "Nonviolent Soldier of Islam"

"The Prophet faced many handicaps, but he never gave up hope, and finally triumphed. He has left that lesson behind, and if we face our difficulties in the same spirit, I do not see why we should ever fail. The cause of freedom is always just and the fight against slavery is always noble."


"Nonviolent Soldier of Islam" is a biographical account of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, given the prestigious title of Badshah and known by many as the "frontier Gandhi" due to his geographic location and devotion nonviolence. By utilizing the strength and faith of the Pathan (Pashtun) people, Badshah Khan, by requiring oaths of nonviolence, created an army that stood against the British not by countering violence with violence, but armed with "soul force", risked their lives in their struggle against oppression. In one of the more intense scenarios in the book, the Khudai Khidmatgars, literally translated to servants of God, were gathered in the Qissa Khawani Bazaar to demonstrate against the arrest of their leaders. When confronted by British troops in armored vehicles ordering their dispersal, they refused, and unarmed they absorbed the bullets and attacks of the opposed. The effect of their strength in faith and other resultant situations like it multiplied their support among the Indian people and helped in exposing the brutality of British Imperialism. Throughout his life, Khan held to his firm faith in nonviolence and was assured of its transformative effects through his own experience. Through his leadership, the Pathan people, classically known as violent and vengeful warriors, used their own strength, honor, and firm faith to transform their anger of oppression from violent reaction to love in action through nonviolence. Khan died in 1988 under house arrest after having spent half of his life under arrest or in exile.

Links:
Eknath Easwaran Homepage



Citation Information:
Easwaran, E., & Easwaran, E. (1999). Nonviolent soldier of Islam: Badshah Khan, a man to match his mountains. Tomales, Calif: Nilgiri Press.

Jane Addams, Emily Greene Balch, and Alice Hamilton, "Women at the Hague"

"Peace is the highest effort of the human brain applied to the organisation of the life and being of the peoples of the world on the basis of cooperation."
- Emmeline Pethick Lawrence

"Women at the Hague" is a journalistic account of Jane Addams, Emily Green Balch, both of whom are Nobel Peace Prize winners, and Alice Hamilton and their international travels and experiences as envoys of peace during the International Congress of Women in 1915. Also included is an extensive introduction by Harriet Hyman Alonso, which provides insight into the text of the book as well as the historical background of the three women and the effect that the experience had on their lives as pacifists and peace leaders. The role of women as peace leaders is central to the theme of this work and the views expressed by the women are visionary, since much of what they describe is as relevant today as it was almost a century ago. Themes such as the generation gap between the old male war makers and the young soldiers fighting causes that may not be apparent to them, jingoism, nationalism, and objectification of the enemy in the press, and the strong sense from citizens from every participant country that their cause was one of self defense. Some of the outcomes of the congress include statements of international cooperation, democratic control of foreign policy, and the enfranchisement of women on equal political footing as men, since their voice is a voice of peace. The groundwork laid by the International Congress of Women paved the way for the founding of the Women's International League of Peace and Freedom, of which Jane Addams was President and Emily Balch was secretary.

Links:
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom

Citation Information:
Addams, J., Balch, E. G., & Hamilton, A. (2003). Women at the Hague: The International Congress of Women and its results. Urbana: University of Illinois Press.

Glen Harold Stassen and Lawrence S. Wittner, "Peace Action"

"Whether motivated by our courage or our compassion, by our love for our children or of this planet, we all believe that war is not the answer and that we can, and must, do what we are able to create peace in this world."
- Monica Green

"Peace Action" is a book that celebrates fifty years of the "largest grassroots peace group in the United States." In this work, one is treated to the history of the organization, which began as SANE, a group formed around nuclear test bans and disarmament during the Cold War, and eventually combined its efforts with Freeze, a grassroots organization that was formed around the idea of halting the nuclear arms race, and finally becoming Peace Action in the 1990s. This book edits together various perspectives that weave the personal experiences of activists chronologically from Peace Actions' beginnings. Throughout the reading, one can trace the peaks, such as helping sway the unilateral and militaristic air of the Reagan administration, and valleys, such as waning interest and support in the 1990s, of the organization. Depending on external circumstances and political climates, popular participation has ebbed and flowed. What is evident from reading these reflections is that activists need to focus on the long term, where successes are built upon and mistakes are reflected on and learned from. We are offered in the final essay a window into the future of Peace Action, "Real Security through International Cooperation and Human Rights," in which a unified approach will addresse the problems we are facing and will face through cooperation and a connection to what really matters in building peace.

Links:
Peace Action


Peace Action West YouTube Channel


Citation Information:
Stassen, G. H., & Wittner, L. S. (2007). Peace action: Past, present, and future. Boulder: Paradigm.

Harold Pepinsky and Richard Quinney, "Criminology as Peacemaking"

"What is the obvious connection between crime and war? Crime is violence. So is punishment, and so is war."


"Criminology as Peacemaking" provides a collection of essays from various perspectives on criminal justice as it stands currently, what is wrong with it, and ways to create a system based on reconcilliation and peacemaking in the future. The book is divided into three different sections: Religious and Humanist Peacemaking Traditions, Feminist Peacemaking Traditions and Women's Experience, and Critical Peacemaking Traditions. One might think that starting with a religious section in a book dedicated to criminology might be a little odd, but as Pepensky explains in his closing remarks, it was arranged in this way to provide prospects of hope for an anxiety inducing subject. And although the contributors do discuss the topic from various perspectives and use contrasting parlance, common themes emerge that the authors share. Criminal justice as it is practiced uses means of violence, such as punishment, retribution, and objectification to create a system where the person who committed the criminal act is equated with the act itself. This has been proven not to work and ends up actually perpetuating crime and violence. This is not something that is only present in criminal elements, it is echoed and mirrored throughout our society to the highest levels of government, in which dominance, competition, and war are weaved into the fabric. Criminology as peacemaking on the other hand requires a restructuring of society and the manner in which we all interact with one another. This anthology calls for building positive peace and to rectify our situation by looking at act of criminality and violence in a different light, through mutualism, mediation, reconciliation, individual inner peace, inclusion rather than exclusion, and community building and action. Although these ideas seem utopian and visionary, their concrete applications be seen through such programs as the Alternatives to Violence Project in prisons, and the Safer Society Program which focuses on prevention. This book provides a framework for deep thought, shaping new perspectives, and approaching potential solutions on a problem in which reconciliation and peace is required rather than isolation and violence.

Citation Information:
Pepinsky, H. E., & Quinney, R. (1991). Criminology as peacemaking. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.

Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, "Christ in a Poncho"

"The first step toward liberation, we say, occurs when a human being becomes aware that he or she is a person."


"Christ in a Poncho" tells the story of Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, artist, activist, and 1980 Nobel Peace Prize winner. He is an organizer for the people of Latin America, and through the foundation of the Peace and Justice Service group, facilitated the bringing together of the poor and oppressed in nonviolent resistance, fostering in them a voice and a realization of their own humanity and strength. One of the great metaphors of this book is that of a struggle between an army of ants and an elephant, symbolizing the organization of the poor and marginalized masses against the violent brute power of military rulers. He does not take the credit for the prize alone, but shares its receipt with all of the people who have struggled in the many countries of Latin America, as well as the strength of church leaders living the message of gospel. Through the presentation of documents, letters, and interviews, much of the book covers nonviolent resistant movements affected by the Peace and Justice Service group. These include the Madres de Plaza de Mayo in Argentina who organized silent marches to get an answer about the sudden disappearances of their sons, the 150 months of Brazilian cement workers appealing their legal rights as workers through nonviolent resistance, the plight of the Toctezinín Indians in Ecuador standing up for their rights to plant crops on land that was theirs through the Agrarian Land Reform, and of peasants in Brazil using the law, organization, and resistance to wage a struggle for their right to life sustaining land. In all of these cases, it is the participation of good people that is required, whereas non-participation, silence, and apathy are tragic evils.

Citation Information:
Pérez Esquivel, A. (1983). Christ in a poncho: Testimonials of the nonviolent struggles in Latin America. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.

Elie Wiesel, "Night"

"I did not weep, and it pained me that I could not weep. But I was out of tears."


"Night" is the autobiographical account of a child experiencing the horrors of the holocaust. Eliezer is a child in Romania who witnesses the Jewish people of his town, including his family, unsuspectingly being readied, and eventually rounded up and taken to Auschwitz and later Buchenwald, concentration camps set up by the Nazis for the miserable labor and mass extermination of the Jews. Through the eyes of a child, one sees the horrors, evil and inhumanity that is possible from the minds of men. Humanity is extinguished as Eliezer's story unfolds and torture, rampant murder, and death from starvation and exhaustion are portrayed. Throughout the story, foundations of faith in God are shaken, the identity of people as human beings are stripped bare, interactions with others, even with family members, become matters of survival, and life and death are in the hands of desensitized men capable of monstrous acts. Even after the allies free the inmates from their bondage, looking at himself in a mirror for the first time since being rounded up in his own town, unknowing of what was to follow, the indelible effect on Eliezer stands clear. The capability of humans to commit acts of atrocious violence must never be taken for granted.

Links:
Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity

Citation Information:
Wiesel, E. (2006). Night. New York: Hill and Wang.

Joanna Macy and Molly Brown, "Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World"

“To let ourselves feel anguish and disorientation as we open our awareness to global suffering is a part of our spiritual ripening.”


“Coming Back to Life” elucidates the principle that everyone and everything is interconnected, not only via traditions in religion, spirituality, and indigenous cultures, but also through discussions of systems theories that have been increasingly coming to light in recent scientific research, philosophical inquiry, and movements in deep ecology. According to Macy and Brown, we are currently at a Great Turning Point, for which we are preparing to shift from the current Industrial Growth Society into a Life-sustaining Society. That is to say, we are waking up from our current hierarchical, anthropocentric, competition based models of living so that we may move toward a cooperative, compassionate, natural one. The immediacy of the need for this to happen is palpable, since we are increasingly seeing and accepting the oppression, poison, destruction, death, and despair that is resulting from our current way of life. As a society and as individuals, we are avoiding painful realities in the world around us; this is not a hopeless state of affairs. In order to facilitate this transition, it is time to work to reconnect our lives and minds to the reality around us. The second half of this book is thankfully dedicated to detailing guided workshops that are directed toward uncovering and dealing with the pain that ensues from regaining a compassionate mind for our world. This book has information for everyone since it inspiring portrays underlying causes of the apathy and numbness used to avoid disturbing realities, and provides a road map for interested parties to begin a process of reconnecting.

Links:
JoannaMacy.net
Molly Young Brown

Citation Information:
Macy, J., & Brown, M. Y. (1998). Coming back to life: Practices to reconnect our lives, our world. Gabriola Island, BC, Canada: New Society.

Birgit Brock-Utne, "Educating for Peace: A Feminist Perspective"

"If women are to create a more peaceful world and do away with the male institution of war we must get more power before men have destroyed our earth."


"Educating for Peace" looks deeply into the question of peace from the standpoint that peace is not something that can be solved within our current patriarchal framework. Instead, peace is a subject that must be tackled by women, since it is women who can see and approach the problem from a holistic, caring, and rational point of view. Our current societal framework is one where aggression, violence, competition, dominance, and compartmentalized knowledge are rewarded and men, who are especially prone to this pattern of normative behavior due in some respect to biological predisposition but which is extremely exacerbated through their socialization and education, are the recipients of the benefits. Women on the other hand are currently and have historically been oppressed and marginalized, both through direct and structural violence, in this patriarchal system that does not reward humane concern for societal matters and ills. Historically, women have been at the forefront of peace movements. One of the best examples of this can be seen from the institution of the Nobel Peace Price, funded by Alfred Nobel who was the inventor of dynamite, but which was inspired by the much less recognized and more magnanimous peace figure, Bertha von Suttner. Yet women's role as peace leaders, as well as much of the body of our popular historical occurrences, is largely invisible. In order for peace to become a reality, Utne argues that there needs to be a paradigm shift from a patriarchal framework that we are currently forced to work with, to a framework that is defined by compassion, cooperation, sharing, and other qualities that embody a positive model of peace. To get this new model, women must continue to lead the charge and "get power" without conceding to the currently championed destructive system of men.

Links:
Birgit Brock-Utne's Homepage

Citation Information:
Brock-Utne, B. (1985). Educating for peace: A feminist perspective. The Athene series. New York: Pergamon Press.

Hannah Arendt, "On Violence"

"Violence can destroy power; it is utterly incapable of creating it."


"On Violence" looks at a phenomena that has been admittedly recurring throughout human history. During the 20th century, as science and technology have ceaselessly progressed and proliferated to the point that we have created the ability to destroy everything in our natural world, we no longer have a rational basis of extolling violence as a virtue whose ends justify means. Hannah Arendt, in order to provide clarity, defines concepts, such as violence, power, authority, force, and strength, terms which often get used synonymously. Through these definitions, an elucidating connection is made between power and violence, two terms that often get used together even though power, as Ardent argues, is the opposite of violence. Violence is an implement, a means to achieve an end. On the other hand, power, which is an end in itself, requires a concert of people for support in order that its structure is maintained. Violence is implemented when power is threatened, whether it is by the state or by the governed, but it cannot create power. Instead, violence often creates an environment of more violence. Based on her exposition, Arendt argues against violence as biological necessity of human action. Instead, she argues that violence is based on conscious human decisions, and it is our faculty of action that makes us political beings, which may explain why violence as an implement is glorified by so many. As the future unfolds, and grips of power slip, violence will continue to present itself as a tempting course of action in its stead.

Links:
Friends of Gaviotas

Citation Information:
Arendt, H. (1970). On violence. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich.

Alan Weisman, "Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World"

"I want Gaviotas to be real. I'm tired of reading about all these places that sound so perfect but never get lifted off the page into reality. Just for once, I'd like to see humans go from fantasy to fact. From utopia to topia." -Paolo Lugari


"Gaviotas" is a story, written by journalist and inspired visitor Alan Weisman, of utopian idealism made reality because of the vision and hard work of Paolo Lugari and a host of other individuals seeking to create something new. The product was Gaviotas, a village founded in the llanos, or Columbian savanna, where no roads led and nothing much grew. It was in this harshest of places that a diverse group of people, from engineers to artists, created a community that was self-sustaining and functional without adding to the pollution and distruction of an already overtaxed planet. Because what was being done was new, the community of llaneros needed to be creative an inventive. Based on their inventive use of recycled and readily available materials, rather than importing first world technologies with first world problems, came systems of solar power to sterilize water, heat showers and power kitchens. One of the best examples of their creativity was the invention of a highly efficient water pump for underground water that worked off of children at play on seesaws. Perhaps the most inspiring aspects of this story is that through research, they introduced the Carribean pine, a tree that they figured would respond well to the acidic soil of the llanos, which flourished over the years and provided them with lumber and an extremly useful resin that they farmed from the trees. What is truly astonishing is that by introducing these trees, other species of trees are sprouting that have not ever been recorded in the area, growing under the protection of the pines and revitalizing a long lost ecosystem. Gaviotas is an inspiration to a world in need of it.

Links:
Friends of Gaviotas

Citation Information:
Weisman, A. (1998). Gaviotas: A village to reinvent the world. White River Junction, Vt: Chelsea Green Pub.

Kenneth Boulding, "Stable Peace"

"The quest for peace must be part of an evolutionary process."


"Stable Peace" looks at the question of peace in very practical terms. The type of peace that Kenneth Boulding, an economist and peace activist/researcher, focuses on in this book is the absence of war rather than other positive or negative manifestations associated with the term. Boulding offers a peace-war model that is based on strengths and strains; strengths leading to peaceful situations and strains leading to instances of war. In such a model, myriad variables enter into what increases the strain or strength of a given state, including memories of past oppressions, the professionalization of the military, political structures, etc. He sees the dynamic of peace as one that is evolutionary and gradual rather than, as is often popularly represented, revolutionary. His proposal for international peace policy therefore seeks to foster an evolutionary process rather reaching equilibrium. Concrete examples of his proposal include 1) removing boundaries from political agendas, 2) pursuing a "Graduated and Reciprocated Initiative in Tension Reduction" (GRIT) in which interactions between international bodies involve an indefinite cycle of actions and reactions in the form of decisions and acts, 3) exploring and practicing nonviolence, 4) transforming the military into a peacekeeping organization, 5) "national policies for strengthening the structure of world political organizations," in large part to facilitate disarmament, 6) policies geared toward nongovernmental organizations, and 7) policies emphasizing peace research. Boulding sketches policies that do not seek perfect peace between international bodies, but rather stable peace fostered by evolving open and positive relationships.

Citation Information:
Boulding, K. E. (1978). Stable peace. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Barbara Hartford & Sarah Hopkins, "Greenham Common: Women at the Wire"

"Which comes first, disarmament or feminism? It always had to be one or the other - prioritising. We say you can't have one without the other."


"Greenham Common: Women at the Wire" is a narrative about what began as march of the 'Women for Life on Earth' from Cardiff to a US military base at Greenham and turned into a long-term encampment of women in opposition to the 'cruise' silos that threatened death and destruction with their unwanted existence. The manner in which the book was edited together reflects the nature of the camp itself. It is made up of many different voices offering first hand accounts of creative and nonviolent resistance, court hearings, jailings, weathering the elements in makeshift housing, democratic group meetings, interactions with the press; everything that was happening in a liquid and constantly developing situation. As it was a developing situation, the tension, doubt, and confusion both internal and external to the camp is relayed, but only adds to the organic and transcendent nature of what was going on. The women in the camp, while coming from different backgrounds, holding different opinions, and speaking with different voices, were all gathered and bonded together for a common purpose and felt strong enough to make that purpose known through their actions.

Links:
Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp Website

Citation Information:
Harford, B., & Hopkins, S. (1984). Greenham Common: Women at the wire. London: Women's Press.

Peace Pilgrim, "Peace Pilgrim"

"This is the way of peace - overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."


"Peace Pilgrim" is the story and the message of a woman who made her life a pilgrimage for peace. Through her own search for, and discovery of, her own inner peace, she found that her life's journey would be to walk, and in effect make her life a prayer for peace for all mankind. In beginning her pilgrimage, she simplified her material world greatly; she had very few personal possessions (not more than could be carried in her emblematic tunic) and she relied on her own spiritual fortitude and the kindness of others for sustenance. She walked across the United States six times going on seven, as well as having journeyed through Canada and parts of Mexico, from 1953 to 1981. This work, which was compiled after her death, gives the reader a glimpse into her life from her turbulent search for inner peace to the journey itself and her reflections on it. It provides anecdotes and insights, answers to questions, newspaper clippings, and letters. Most of all, it provides the reader with the message that peace starts with the individual, for without peaceful individuals how can one expect a peaceful society?

Links:
Peace Pilgrim and Friends of Peace Pilgrim Webite

Citation Information:
Peace Pilgrim. (1983). Peace Pilgrim: Her life and work in her own words. Santa Fe, N.M.: Ocean Tree Books.

Peter Ackerman and Jack Duvall, "A Force More Powerful"

"People power in the twentieth century did not grow out of the barrel of a gun."


"A Force More Powerful" describes the 20th century as a period of conflicts in which nonviolence has been used as a source of strength and might for groups of people to fight against oppressive forces. Whether the desired ends have been to gain denied rights, to resist undesirable occupation or rule,or to transition from one form of government to another, nonviolence has an overlooked history that has been in many instances successful and in all instances insightful. Fifteen historical cases of the successes and failures of movements that opted to use nonviolence as a strategy are covered, from the most well known and organized cases such as Gandhi leading the people of India in mass civil disobedience, to lesser known and less organized instances like Las Madres de la Plaza de Mayo, mothers of sons who had disappeared, or were taken, undera military junta in Argentina. Each of these cases show that the power of one group requires the subordination of another. Violence is the means of the powerful to demand obedience and subordination of another, whereas nonviolence is the power of the people to resist and not cooperate with those in power. As history continues to unfold, nonviolence should hopefully continue to play a part in determining our collective future as its successes become more exposed and the idea of the violent ruler and the obedient ruled becomes an obsolete form of governance.

Links:
A Force More Powerful Film and Book Website

Citation Information:
Ackerman, P., & DuVall, J. (2000). A force more powerful: A century of nonviolent conflict. New York: St. Martin's Press.

Henry David Thoreau, "Walden and Civil Disobedience"

"Most of the luxuries, and many of the so called comforts of life, are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind."


"Walden," first published in 1854, is a work that is at once an autobiography, a text on self sufficient living, a cataloging of observations of the natural world, and a critique on the excess and furious pace of modern society. Written over a year long period spent near Walden Pond, on piece of land that was owned by his friend Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau chose to separate himself from the people and trappings of the modern world in a life experiment with simplicity, subsisting on a meager vegetarian diet, in a meager self-made home, working only to sustain his life, providing ample time to read and contemplate in solitude and to observe and commune with nature in its yearly cycle. Thoreau moves beyond mere ideological opining by using his own life to experiment in living simply, and in effect getting to a kernel of existence that avoids meaningless and destructive externalities. "Civil Disobedience," an essay that was deeply inspiring to leaders of nonviolent movements to follow in the 20th century, is one that makes the case that when confronted with state mandated laws in opposition to one's conscience, one is morally obligated to resist the law.To continue in one's participation in and allegiance to governments, states, or other temporal authorities that enforce morally repugnant laws, such as was the case with slavery, is to perpetuate these laws through acquiescence.

Links:
The Thoreau Reader

Citation Information:
Thoreau, H. D. (1983). Walden and civil disobedience. New York: Penguin Books.

James Lovelock, "Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth"

"There can be no prescription, no set of rules, for living within Gaia. For each of our different actions, there are only consequences."


"Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth" is the first presentation in book form of the Gaia Hypothesis by James Lovelock. The hypothesis, which is extremely contentious to this day, originated from Lovelock's work with NASA to produce life detecting instruments for use in the exploration of Mars. Lovelock's hypothesis stems from the observation that the Earth's atmosphere contains elements that are in "violation of the rules of chemistry," which indicates that the maintenance of this dis-equilibrium relies on a complex system of interaction with the world of which it is an extension, comparable to an organism's hair or feathers. The hypothesis, which is a further extrapolation of Lovelock's observations and scientific investigations, proposes that the earth acts as and is a living organism that maintains equilibrium through the interconnectedness of its biota, oceans, geological makeup, and atmosphere. This new proposal brings with it the idea that we, as sentient, intelligent beings who are increasingly becoming a larger part of the biota that makes up this organism, bear responsibility for the inevitable consequences of our actions and interactions with it.

Links:
James Lovelock Website

Citation Information:
Lovelock, J. (1979). Gaia: A new look at life on earth. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

The United Nations, "The International Bill of Human Rights"

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights."


"The International Bill of Human Rights" consists of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948, which was an international expression of inalienable human rights for all people, regardless of any superficial differences among them.In order to further this document from an expressive international document into more binding international law, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights were treaties put into effect in 1976, binding signatories to the document to work for rights and freedoms described in the various articles in the treaties, including the right to life, freedom from torture, rights to just wages and safe working conditions, etc. This book, edited by Paul Williams also contains a forward by ex-president and Nobel Peace Prize winner Jimmy Carter,and an afterward by Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel who point out the importance of international recognition of the rights of all humans at the various levels that our civilizations and societies interact.

Links:
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 60th Anniversary

Citation Information:
Williams, P. (1981). The International Bill of Human Rights. Glen Ellen, CA: Entwhistle Books.

Helen Caldicott, "Nuclear Madness"

"The controversy surrounding nuclear fission is the most important issue that all societies and the world at large have ever faced."

"Nuclear Madness" was originally written in 1978 by Dr. Helen Caldicott, an Australian born physician and activist for nuclear issues, and was updated in 1994. The overall picture that is painted by Caldicott is that we live in a world that allows a very young industry driven by profit, using a power that is not very well understood, to pollute our only lifesystem and sow the seeds of devastation for generations to come. One specific example is that nuclear reactors produces plutonium daily and in great amounts. This material is the basis for creating nuclear weapons, is extremely deadly, and as of yet has no known permanent storage method, even though it will be on our planet for 500,000 years. To know about these dangers and bank on future generations to clean up after this "innovation" is one of the many reasons for the descriptive title of the book. This work provides a history of nuclear power and it's products that has been covered up by vested interests and greatly ignored, has been abhorrently exploitative to the environment and in effect to human life, and has had disasters caused by ignorance and arrogance. The biproducts of nuclear power are dangerous and long-lasting in terms that can only be discussed in abstract terms, since to discuss it any other way would sound like lunacy. Reading this book and understanding the potential and real consequences of progress in this arena reveal the underlying sickness that pervades modern society.

Links:
Helen Caldicott Website

See Also:
Caldicott, H. (1992). If you love this planet: A plan to heal the earth. New York: W.W. Norton.

Radio Interview:



Citation Information:
Caldicott, H. (1994). Nuclear madness: What you can do. New York: Norton.

Philip Hallie, "Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed"

"For Trocmé, every person - Jew and non-Jew, German and non-German - had a spiritual diamond at the center of his vitality, a hard, clear, pricelessly valuable source that God cherishes."

"Lest Innocent Blood Be Shed" is the story of the tireless love of Andre Trocmé, a protestant pastor and advocate of nonviolence, his wife Magda, his cousin Daniel, Edouard Theis, and the community of Le Chambon, a tiny French village under Vichy control during WWII. The community hid, protected, and aided the escape of large numbers of refugees, including many children, who were trying to hide from the oppression of fascism or the threat of death in concentration camps, as was the case for Jewish refugees. What is remarkable about this story is the simplicity of goodness in action, which the people of the Le Chambon did under the guidance of their pastor without hesitation. Fostered by their Christian faith, the act of saving the lives of those in need was never in question, since all men, women, and children have intrinsic value to God. Beyond mere heroism, this is the story of the goodness of people in the most harrowing of times.

Links:
The Righteous Among the Nations

Citation Information:
Hallie, P. P. (1979). Lest innocent blood be shed: The story of the village of Le Chambon, and how goodness happened there. New York: Harper & Row.

UNESCO, "From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace"

“People working for a culture must become a part of the change they want to create. In other words, people working for a culture of peace must manifest the values they wish to create in a wider society.” – Keith D. Suter

“From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace” is a collection of essays from prominent members of the international peace community, which have been culled and published by UNESCO. UNESCO was founded in 1946 as an agency of the United Nations to “build peace in the minds of men” through “education, social and natural science, culture and communication,” a mandate which is not overlooked in this work. Major threads of this anthology include a definition of what both the term “culture” and the term “peace” mean in the present day, conceptualizations of potential cultures of peace, and discussions regarding what assets (e.g. religion, education, media, etc.) are available to build a culture of peace on a global scale. From these essays, one gets a holistic look at a topic which is often misunderstood or at least not fully conceptualized. Throughout the 20th century, peace has been interpreted in various ways and has been continually developed from a more narrow negative definition (e.g. the absence of war) to the positive and holistic definition (e.g. structural non-violence) that peace has come to encompasses today.

Links:
UNESCO
Culture of Peace Website

Citation Information:
UNESCO Publishing. (1996). From a culture of violence to a culture of peace. Paris: UNESCO Publishing.

Oscar Romero, "The Violence of Love"

"Let us not tire of preaching love; it is the force that will overcome the world."

"The Violence of Love" is a collection of homilies given in chronological order by Oscar A. Romero, who served as Archbishop in the Catholic Church in El Salvador from 1977 to 1980, when he was assassinated during a mass that he was performing. His message is one of love, nonviolence, peace, and social justice; a response to his experiences of violence, oppression, and poverty suffered by the people of El Salvador. Although this anthology is rooted in Catholicism, the words transcend religious dogmatism or sectarianism to reveal a universal message of love that is fearless and faith that obliterates the individualism and ego that separates us. The most prominent message in this work is a calling to follow the message of the gospel by following Christ's message, which was his life, in action rather than word. His message is a social one and it reveals a universal chord that many of the most prominent figures in the history of the promotion of peace address: that we are all the same and that the suffering of any one person is also our own suffering.

Citation Information:
Romero, O. A., & Brockman, J. R. (1998). The violence of love. Farmington, PA: Plough Pub. House.

Cesar Chavez, "An Organizer's Tale"

"It is my deepest belief that only by giving our lives do we find life."

"An Organizer's Tale" anthologizes many of the speeches and writings of Cesar Chavez, a farm laborer and union organizer for migrant farm workers in the United States. What can be gleaned from this collection is that Chavez' life focus had been on the unrepresented poor and exploited migrant farm workers who face constant health problems from working with chemically treated produce, work long hours for pittance pay, and suffer general exploitation from growers who count on their invisibility separation from the general population. Most of all it can be said that he organized behind the idea that all humans are equal, and that social justice is something to struggle for from the ground up with the effected masses rather than the process getting mired in the ideologies, bureaucracy, and monetary requirements that halt the progress of other social organizations. His means of instigating change, whether through boycotts, strikes, or fasting, were always inspired by and carried out in the nonviolence inspired by the civil rights movement as well as the actions and teachings of Gandhi. This books is arranged chronologically and includes further readings, a timeline of Chavez' life, and a further collection of quotes from other sources.

Links:
The United Farm Workers

Citation Information:
Chavez, C., & Stavans, I. (2008). An organizer's tale: Speeches. Penguin classics. New York: Penguin Group.