I recently headed to Seattle for a conference. It was an overnight trip so we decided that I would leave the kids at home and go it alone. As I first started driving away—with my mocha and my own music—it was great. I was free.
Ask for Peace, Do Not Feel Insignificant
April 29, 2010 by |
The work of conflict resolution sometimes places us in situations that call upon us to invite and implore and beg those with overwhelming power to engage with us, on behalf of our clients, in the peacemaking process.
Engaging Interfaith Dialogue
April 29, 2010 by |
Religion can be a powerful force for peace; it can also motivate division and hostility. St. Francis, frequently called the Universal Brother, was particularly successful in interfaith dialogue, as documented in the story of his meeting with the Sultan Malik al-Kamil.
The Fruits of Kindness
April 13, 2010 by |
Few of us encounter such dramatic conversions. However, most of us face situations in which a kind gesture makes a real difference to someone, even someone who has fallen into harming others.
A Franciscan Reports from the Holy Land
April 2, 2010 by |
An excellent article, “Easter in the Holy Land,” written by Franciscan Peter Vasko, OFM, appeared in today’s Wall Street Journal.
Revisiting the Manhattan Declaration
February 2, 2010 by |
There are few innovations that compare with Facebook when it comes to no-waiting-required social feedback, particularly the type of feedback that identifies your considerable character flaws in graphic detail. Dare to suggest a popular plan of action might suffer from flaws…
Health Care: The Golden Opportunity
January 24, 2010 by |
In previous blog posts I discussed Taming the Wolf concepts using health-care legislation as a working example. This past week the vote in Massachusetts validated my anticipation the public dissatisfaction that results from a corrupt process.
Coercive Healthcare Legislation
December 20, 2009 by |
St. Francis frequently admonished his friars to eschew domination and coercion. Thus, I was surprised when the Franciscan Action Network (FAN) recently endorsed coercive aspects of healthcare legislation.
It Is Hereby Declared
December 1, 2009 by |
This past week the “Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience” was released. As a mediator who advocates spiritually transformative conflict resolution I have mixed feelings regarding the declaration.
JustPeace
In a recent blog post I spoke of ecumenical and interfaith dialogue. A few days later I discovered the Facebook page for JustPeace, the Center for Mediation and Conflict Transformation of the United Methodist Church.