Follow Me Online
Recent Posts
Archives
- June 2022
- March 2022
- November 2018
- July 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- May 2017
- March 2017
- December 2015
- October 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- October 2013
- July 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- January 2011
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- December 2006
Month: August 2014
-
Violence: The Turning
It is a law:
Violence begets nonviolence,
Like a tulip in winter,
In all places,
In all cultures.
But only those
With eyes wide open
Can see it,
In the middle of
Winter storms.The most important turning point
for any civilization passing from darkness into light
is every moment
that a weapon passes
from someone who has no self control
and no compassion
to someone who does.… -
Reason and Compassion
Reason and compassion are lovers
That give birth to our humanity,
but only when they engage
Daily, with intensity.
The more one’s mind
is drawn daily to compassion
For all sentient life,
the more it is drawn daily to develop
universal principles of behavior
that apply to all beings
Without exception,
Even very imperfect beings.
The more that reason is developed daily
the more it becomes empirically clear
that we are all the same,
in 99% of our being,
the more it becomes empirically self evident
That where we are different
it is an advantage,
Our diversity is our strength.compassion and reason are lovers,
So that we can be.(Photo: Cultivating Leadership)…
-
Thoughts on God, Human Leadership, and Mountains, upon Leaving War’s Victims, Unfinished
GOD
An atheist leader
who is rational,
Can be more a messenger,
of God’s mercy for the powerless,
than a leader,
who bows down to God,
over the dead bodies,
of his victims.‘Less suffering’
Is the tortured scream
of God.An authentic smile
Is the fleeting face of God,
A single act of kindness,
The touch of Her finger.Only when you accept death,
Can you become committed
To the renewal of life.
Only when you see democracy die,
Can you plan its rebirth.… -
URGENT ON SYRIA
America, ISIS , and Al nusra , turkey Iran
From the border of Syria
Reports indicate that the United States has come to a decision that Isis in Syria cannot be separated from Isis in Iraq in terms of stabilizing the region and national interests. It becomes essential at this point that whatever the United States does it makes a distinction between the two groups, Isis and al nusra
It is clear that Isis is mostly foreigners and they split badly with al nusra .
Al nusra is mostly Syrian. If United States attacks Al nusra it will be interpreted by the Syrian people as an attack on them. In addition, Al nusra Is vital for the defense of many innocent people from the regime.
This distinction can and must be made. With enough intelligence and Cooperation this will be easily done. The Syrian people on the ground are … -
Counterterrorism
The purpose of terrorism is to provoke a response. The purpose of the provocation of response is to create martyrs. The purpose of the creation of martyrs is an army of enthusiastic especially young men in search of glory and sex. The purpose of the creation of an army is the replacement of old political order with a new order.
The purpose of counterterrorism should be the defense of one’s population, even better, the defense of all life. The actual function of counterterrorism is the strengthening of the police state and weapons sales. The actual function of political counterterrorism by politicians is to create votes. The purpose of the creation of votes is the maintenance of the power structure and strengthening of the state.
Thus the cycle is complete. For when the counterterrorists respond with appropriate excessive violence to the bait of the terrorists both achieve their purpose. And then … -
“Peace Practice Online in a Time of War” -from S-CAR Newsletter
I recently wrote a cover article reflecting on the recent war in Gaza to the newsletter published by School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution.
…Practice is a messy, miserable reality that deserves its own independent study. What do we do in times of war? This has dramatically changed for me and many others in just the last year or two, where every war seems to be bringing individuals together online to a level of intimacy, collaboration, and care unprecedented, and others to a level of hatred unprecedented. Then there are shades of gray, where how you frame your disagreements, your texts, your cries, your screams, your pleas, your ruminations in the dead of night, all of it yields surprising communications across enemy lines, in all of the many and variegated enemy systems that overlap in international conflicts. A string of people from one side of the conflict becoming the only
-
Reflections in August 2014 vol.1
In war in an age of war the act of ultimate defiance is to make another human being feel wonderful.
Testosterone, gestures of kindness are semen seeds. Men get busy, it will make you inherently happy and bear you many children.
Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD). A doctrine that was supposed to be about deterrence, not prophecy. #Israel#Hamas#Palestine
Mimicry, the compulsion of humans to mirror their postures, facial expressions, and enemy war cries. Most posts on FB and Twitter.
Better to deny the past in fear and embrace the present with courage than to embrace the past with courage and deny the present in fear.
…
-
“Sunni and Shiite British Imams Denounce ISIS Together In New Video” -Huffington Post
Very important Muslim statement on IS.
Sunni and Shiite Muslim leaders in the United Kingdom have come together to denounce the Islamic militant group ISIS in a video posted by a group called Imams Online, reports the BBC.
A statement on the Imams Online website says, “Senior British imams have come together to emphasize the importance of unity in the UK and to decree ISIS as an illegitimate, vicious group who do not represent Islam in any way.”
Click here to read the whole article.
…
-
Young Warriors / Real Prison
Every day in every region I meet young warriors who know not what they do, and aging warriors who regret everything they have done. I can do nothing before their folly except bear witness to humanity.
The stoics, the Epicureans, Taoists, the Sufis, the Buddhists, all feel that the real prison is the human mind. I am still thinking.
(Photo: Tom Lynn/AP)…
-
Shades of Heaven / Birth
SHADES OF HEAVEN
When a theologian of another religion says what you were thinking the moment before it comes out of your mouth #syria, with the Bosnian hero Father Ivo.
BIRTH
The warrior is born at 15000 feet,
With the press of a thumb.
The anti-warrior is born underneath cement,
With the press of a shovel,
Eyeing,
The first,
Grey,
Thumb.(Photo: Now Media)…
Posts navigation
Academic Affiliations
Articles and op-eds
Podcasts
Video/TV Appearances
Categories
- Advocacy
- Afghanistan
- Africa
- America
- animal rights
- Apology
- Arabs
- Aziz Abu Sarah
- Books
- Buddhism
- business
- China
- Christian
- Christians
- citizen diplomacy
- civil rights
- civil rights movements
- Compassion
- Compassionate Judaism
- conflict analysis
- conflict management
- Conflict Resolution
- Congress
- crimes against humanity
- Culture
- Dalai Lama
- democracy
- diplomacy
- disaster relief
- education
- elections
- environment
- ethics
- EU
- evangelicals
- fascism
- Foreign Policy
- Forgiveness
- France
- fundamentalism
- Gaza
- genocide
- Georgia
- global warming
- Hamas
- Happiness
- Healing
- health
- Hezbollah
- Hinduism
- Holocaust
- human rights
- humanitarian aid
- IDF
- India
- indonesia
- interfaith relations
- Investment
- Iran
- Iraq
- Ireland
- Islam
- Islamophobia
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Jerusalem
- Jew
- Jihadis
- John Stuart Mill
- Judaism
- Justice
- Latin America
- Lebanon
- Libya
- Madrasas
- marc gopin
- Mass demonstrations
- McCain
- Media
- medicine
- Middle East
- military
- multimedia
- Muslims
- Naqba
- narrative
- NATO
- negotiation
- Nepal
- nonviolence
- nonviolence through behavior
- nonviolence through mind
- nonviolence through policy
- nonviolent resistance
- Obama
- overseas aid
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Palestinians
- peace movements
- peace process
- Pentagon
- Philosophy
- Podcast
- politicians
- politics
- Politics News
- poverty
- racism
- radicals
- Rationality
- refugees
- religion
- religious conflict
- Republican Party
- revenge
- Revolution
- rule of law
- Russia
- Russian Orthdox Church
- Saudi Arabia
- settlements
- spirituality
- Syria
- terrorism
- Tibet
- torture
- tourism
- Turkey
- tyranny
- U.S. military
- Uncategorized
- United Nations
- United States
- US Foreign Policy
- Utilitarianism
- Violence
- violence reduction
- war crimes
- White House
- women
- worker rights
- youth
Tags
Recent Comments