Today the Nobel Committee awarded the 2015 Peace Prize to the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, a coalition of four civil society organizations: • Tunisian General Labour Union • Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts • Tunisian Human Rights League • Tunisian Order of Lawyers The Committee credits the Quartet with fostering peace during a… read more
What comes to mind when you think of the word “healing”? What opens in your heart as a result? Inspired by the tropical greenery outside my window (I live in Panama), I envision a lushly regenerating Earth. I’m also seeing subtle waves of compassion awaking the leaders of our military, prison, banking, media, and electoral… read more
If you’ve regularly been following news about asylum-seeking refugees, you’ve likely heard about the Greek island Kos, a major passageway into Europe for people fleeing war-ravaged places like Syria and Afghanistan. I’ve just spent a week in Kos—my partner is producing refugee stories for a Dutch public broadcaster (we parted ways in Kos; he’s… read more
Film still courtesy of Love & Solidarity “Violence is the use of power to harass, intimidate, injure, shackle, kill, destroy.” In the 38-minute documentary Love & Solidarity, Rev. James Lawson speaks about structural forms of violence. No one, he makes a point of noting, has a right to commit violence. With violence aptly illustrated, Lawson… read more
Stories about change can be even more powerful when they work from metaphors, which engage our senses, enliven the imagination and move us with already-tangible understandings. So I like to think of the “new story” as a home.… read more
Every summer brings lists for the “best beach reads.” What about books that help us stay engaged and inspired throughout the summer? Here’s a list of nonviolence must-reads. Peace to you and happy reading. Beyond Forgiveness, edited by Phil Cousineau Beyond Forgiveness includes essays by Metta Center’s president, Michael Nagler, and executive director, Stephanie… read more
“Reaching for the stars is ambitious. Reaching for hearts is wise.” ~ Maya Angelou As the editor and creative director of Emergence, Metta Center’s bi-annual review of nonviolence movements and culture, I’m in a very lucky position: I collaborate with writers and artists whose work reaches for our hearts. How grateful I am for their… read more
In his first—and much talked-about—encyclical that goes beyond a Catholic audience, Pope Francis calls on humans to cherish the Earth, “our common home”: The urgent challenge to protect our common home includes a concern to bring the whole human family together to seek a sustainable and integral development, for we know that things can change.… read more
In the video below, British comedian and activist Russell Brand talks about attending the Anti-Austerity march in London, which he saw as a “display” of people creating positive culture together. Then, most interestingly, Brand calls for people to protest on behalf of the police, noting how police are caught up in the same repressive system… read more
As the founding director of The Global Media Center for Social Impact (GMI) at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, Sandra de Castro Buffington passionately analyzes where mass media and positive social change meet. I was curious about Sandra’s take on how mass media might play a role in creating nonviolent culture, so I interviewed… read more
