Vote for Nonviolence with Free Range Studios

A vote for nonviolent communication is a vote for nonviolence!

Have you seen The Story of Stuff? If not, consider stopping to watch it now. Then by all means, continue…

Did you think it captured the attention of the world in a way that no other medium had done before? Many people did. Did you learn something from that short animated film that stuck in your mind the way that the endless news reports about global warming and overconsumption of resources, etc., had not? Many people did. Have you ever wished you could turn an issue dear to your heart into a little animated flick like that one, in order to reach deeply into the hearts of the citizens of Earth the way The Story of Stuff did?

We have. (Our version: “If only we could work with Free Range to do a film about nonviolence, just imagine how many people we could reach, how many hearts we could transform, etc.!”…or something like that….)

…Fast forward to now. Free Range Studios, the makers of The Story of Stuff, are planning another concept animation film on a topic that is yet-to-be-decided. And the topic will be decided by public voting! With their Youtopia Grant, Free Range will be offering one group the opportunity to create a video share with the world and speak to people as only hard-hitting intelligent animated commentary can 🙂

We’re putting this up on the Metta blog to bring attention to the fact that Free Range has a section on Peace and Nonviolence that lies nestled among the voting options. That’s right — Peace and Nonviolence — not surprising! Metta Center did not put in a proposal for an animation (how did we miss that opportunity?), but our friends at Bay Area Nonviolent Communication did, and they are on the Youtopia website, waiting to be voted on my you. (Bay NVC is one of Metta’s partner organizations for our Metta Mentors program, and an all-around outstanding organization.)

Bay NVC is one of the highest vote-getters in the entire selection, which is inspiring in itself. People want to support and know about nonviolent communication, because they want to support and know about nonviolence! That is of profound importance, considering that nonviolene is a power that can transform the planet and lead to the conscientious improvement in matters of the environment, animal rights, corporate responsibility, and all the other issues that are being so passionately defended by the many other organizations represented on the Free Range topics list. People recognize this interconnectivity, and they are voting for it.

As Vandana Shiva and others have eloquently reminded us: if we clean up our polluted minds, we will then clean up our environment, take care of our culture, food, and animals, and reform our broken institutions, as a matter of course. From nonviolence comes wisdom, and from wisdom comes nonviolence.

If this resonates with you and you’re feeling democratic, check out the Youtopia site, create an account (takes, literally, five seconds), and vote to make the issue dearest to your heart into an animated film to reach around the world with beauty, intelligence, and people power. Vote for nonviolence, or vote for another issue (you have more than one vote to cast!). But please, just vote your heart, and let’s use our collective voice to inspire one another to creative action.

Thank you to Free Range Studios for speaking a language that everyone can understand.

Remember, a vote for nonviolent communication is a vote for nonviolence.
We are all on this planet together.