Metta’s Opinion

Ending Mass Violence and Poverty

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Earth Unity TW

Ending Mass Violence & Poverty in Our Time

Please join us at this benefit for the Democratic World Federalists on the occasion of International World Peace Day. Michael Nagler will be among the panelists, and Mark Pilisuk, author of The Hidden Structure of Violence: Who Benefits from Global Violence and War, will open the event with a talk titled “The Violent Network: How it Operates, and How We Can Transform it.”

The other panelists are Theopia Jackson and Jacquelyn Cabasso. The event is scheduled for September 21, from 6–8:30pm at Saybrook University.

See the event flyer for full details.

Take Heart and Take Action—to End War

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By Tord Dellsén and Stephanie Van Hook

Photo: wikimedia Photo: wikimedia

 

A month or so ago, many of the headlines streaming through social media emphasized the negative responses to refugees making their way into Europe for sanctuary. It was enough to make a person feel like humanity had reached a new low. And then, something happened: people began to respond with a massive outpouring of support and generosity–and urgency. The response if very much in the spirit of what we call at Metta ‘constructive program’-– everyone can do something. Notice, this is not a ‘protest movement’ as much as it is an active embodiment of living the world that one wants to see; showing our politicians and our neighbors that love it greater than fear and hatred.

Here are just a few of the stories to help us see what really makes us human, after all: our capacity to resist wrong when we see it, even if it calls for risk-taking; and our capacity to nurture and care for one another. These few stories among thousands will echo the voice of one asylum seeker who wrote to the SolidaritywithGreece Facebook page:

(more…)

Michael Nagler to Speak at United Nations

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UN Forum on The Culture of Peace to Include the Role of Media

Noted peace scholar Michael Nagler to serve as panelist

Petaluma, CA, September 7, 2015 – Read the headlines on any given day, and it’s easy to assume that people are driven by conflict and greed. But are we getting the whole—or even the true—story? Michael Nagler, a noted peace scholar and award-winning author, will discuss this question and other media issues before the United Nations on September 9, 2015.

Nagler will be one of several speakers at the High-Level Forum of the General Assembly on The Culture of Peace, a daylong event at the UN’s headquarters in New York. (more…)

Tord’s Vegan Salad

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red lettuce“I often eat this salad, or a variation of it, as the main meal of the day,” says Tord Dellsén, a Metta Center volunteer (meet Tord). The lentils/beans and the soy sausage not only add protein, but help make the salad filling, he notes.

Looking for a healthy, satisfying (and animal-friendly!) meal? Look no further than Tord’s famous Vegan Salad—enjoy! (more…)

Social and Emotional Learning

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Many schools see the value of teaching social and emotional skills so that their students will succeed in their personal and academic lives.

Although there are a variety of ways to promote this type of well-being, many federal, state, and local education agencies mandate that schools implement programs based on the social and emotional learning framework. (more…)

Toward a Culture of Peace: Newsletter

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The Role of Media in Nonviolence

Extra! Extra! On September 9, Michael Nagler will be speaking at the High-Level Forum on a Culture of Peace at the United Nations. He’ll talk about the role media can and should play in creating a nonviolent culture. He was invited by Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhry of Bangladesh, who saw our relaunch issue of Emergence, which looks at media and the new story.

Read the August 26, 2015 newsletter.

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Practical Idealism, Unarmed Peacekeeping-Podcast

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5450072689_53cc90cc77_zThis week we had the honor and distinct pleasure of interviewing TiffanyEasthom, whose experiences in Peace Brigades International (PBI) and Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP), where she was country director for South Sudan (!) gave us invaluable insight into the way Unarmed Civilian Peacekeeping (UCP) has matured over the last 12 years.  Among other things, she shared dramatic stories of field team workers’ courageous – and successful – confrontations with violence.  Tiffany’s depth of understanding of principled nonviolence, unarmed peacekeeping, her unique experience, and her ability to use the language of ‘official’ international peace and development work are invaluable.  We concluded by inviting her back, so stay tuned!

 

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Love & Solidarity

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Love & Solidarity film stillFilm 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 then turns to nonviolence, which he explains is: “trying to use the power that life gives you in ways that solve problems, that heals you and transforms you, and changes and transforms others.”

As nonviolence is often misunderstood as simply refraining from physical harm, Lawson sets up a necessary contrast between types of power: that which drains our vitality and creativity, through physical and non-physical harm alike, and that which nourishes and regenerates our potential. (more…)