Category Archives: Peace

antiwar, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Book of the Week

Nobel Laureates: End Afghan War

February 18, 2014 Peace Couple Leave a comment

The final chapter in The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace is the 2001 International Appeal of Nobel Prize Laureates, Poets, Philosophers, Intellectuals and Human Rights Defenders for an Immediate End to the War against Afghanistan. This appeal ends the final section of the book: Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975- ) .

The appeal succinctly reiterates the points made in the last two essays. The invasion of Afghanistan fails on two accounts. It did not bring the perpetrators of 9/11 to justice. It is increasing the future likelihood of terrorism against the US.

Since the Appeal is short, and a public document, I have reproduced it below: Continue reading Nobel Laureates: End Afghan War →

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TWL: Things We Love

February 14, 2014 Peace Couple Leave a comment

Happy Valentine’s Day!

The idea of this site is to help bring a little more love into the world. We have been working to create a community space to share the way to a more peaceful life. Our definition of a peaceful life encompasses all areas of our lives.

Since the early days of this site we have been focusing on what it means to be a pacifist, and we will continue to do so. We have also touched on what a shareable economy means; peaceful music and books; how a CSA works; and why vintage jewelry is better than new.

TWL will focus us on exploring what more of what peace means in the rest of our lives, such as what it means to freecycle; to be a vegetarian; a locavore; a community member; to use nonviolent communication; and to clean with vinegar. And more. But first,

We want to hear from you!

What brings peace into your life?

What can you share from your journey?

Please use the comments section to share.

Continue reading TWL: Things We Love →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Book of the Week

Roy: Afghan War based on DoubleSpeak

February 1, 2014 Peace Couple Leave a comment

The Arundhati Roy excerpt War is Peace is from her .from ‘s 2002 book Power Politics. It form the twenty-second chapter in The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace. This essay continues the Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975- ) section of the book. Roy is an activist and Man Booker Prize winning author. Though, the preceding essays in this book all deal with timeless themes in supporting pacifism, this essay, which centers on the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, is the first essay in the book to feel that it is based on contemporary world politics.

Roy starts the essay with the gamification {the process of turning war into a video game] of the October 7, 2001 US-led attack on Afghanistan. The attack was done without seeking UN approval or even under color of international law. Inverting the expected criticism against her comments, Roy makes clear that she does not take the side of any entity that chooses violence: Continue reading Roy: Afghan War based on DoubleSpeak →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Occupy Wall Street, Peace, Royal Book of the Week, Social Justice

Pauling & Ikeda’s False Dilemma of Absolute Pacifism

December 27, 2013 Peace Couple Leave a comment

The second excerpt in The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace.from Linus Pauling & Daisaku Ikeda‘s 1992 book A Lifelong Quest for Peace forms the books twenty-first chapter. This dialogue continues the Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975- ) section of the book. In previous essay titled Immorality of War: Pauling & Ikeda, I discuss their credentials including Pauling’s Nobel Prizes both in Chemistry and Peace, along with Ikeda’s 1983 United Nations Peace Award.

This 3 1/2 page conversation does not make a cogent argument against absolute pacifism. Both speakers make the obligatory reference to Hitler; discuss the difficulties of being a pacifist in a non-pacifist world; and determine that unsurprisingly that Einstein was not an absolute pacifist. Paradoxically in an essay that argues against pacifism, they conclude with a discussion of how Japan has advanced quicker in economic and individual health due its not diverting national resources into a military economy.

The Hitler argument is that pacifism would be useless against the Nazis. It is usually raised by those who are fearful of the concept of pacifism. I would not expect this argument from these authors or to be promoted by the editors of this collection. Continue reading Pauling & Ikeda’s False Dilemma of Absolute Pacifism →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Book of the Week

Immorality of War: Pauling & Ikeda

December 25, 2013 Peace Couple 1 Comment

The excerpt from Linus Pauling & Daisaku Ikeda‘s 1992 book A Lifelong Quest for Peace is the twentieth chapter of The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace. This dialogue continues the Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975- ) section of the book. Linus Pauling — who died 2 years after co-authoring his book — was a chemist, biochemist, pacifist, author, and teacher. Ikeda is the founder and current president of Sōka Gakkai International (SGI), an international lay Buddhist association which focuses on peace, cultural and educational activities. He is the recipient of the 1983 United Nations Peace Award and has written over 80 books.

In his amazing career, Pauling won the 1954 Nobel Prize in Chemistry and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize. When he was awarded the Peace Prize the Nobel peace Prize committee issued the following statement: Continue reading Immorality of War: Pauling & Ikeda →

antiwar, Nonviolence, Occupy Wall Street, Peace, Royal Book of the Week

Schell: Complete Disarmament is the Only Sane Path

December 21, 2013 Peace Couple Leave a comment

The excerpt from Jonathan Schell‘s 1982 book The Fate of the Earth is the nineteenth chapter of The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace . This dialogue continues the Post-Vietnam to the Present (1975- ) section of the book. The essay centers on Schell’s lifelong quest to abolish nuclear weapons. The Fate of the Earth is based on a series of essays that Schell wrote for The New Yorker in the early 1980s. It won the Los Angeles Times Book prize.

Sadly, despite the fall of the Soviet Union, Schell’s arguments for the only path to a safe world still hold. He sees nuclear weapons as the greatest “predicament” that mankind has faced. With the benefit of current knowledge, I would argue that global climate change has overtaken nuclear weapons as humankind’s worst self-imposed threat. Yet even at number two, the abolition of nuclear weapons must be accomplished for our survival. I would also argue that the two are intertwined under former US President Eisenhower’s “military-industrial complex.” Continue reading Schell: Complete Disarmament is the Only Sane Path →

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New eBook by The Wilders… Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened?

October 29, 2013 Augustus Leave a comment

The Occupy movement is over two years old! Kimberly and Ian Wilder of Peace Couple are excited about their new eBook: Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? In the eBook, Occupy is explored through original reporting, photographs, cartoons, poetry, essays, and reviews. OWS:WJH? includes an essay analyzing the “One Demand” concept, and its relationship to peace as a platform item. The collection of essays and blog posts records the unfolding of Occupy into the culture from September 2011 to the present. Authors Kimberly Wilder and Ian Wilder were early supporters of Occupy, celebrating the occupation with their websites, YouTube videos, Flickr photos, and more. The Wilders are proud to reflect on and celebrate the changes created by the American Autumn.

The eBook is currently available on Amazon for Kindle; Barnes & Noble Nook; iTunes iBookstore; and Smashwords independent EBook seller for only 99¢, and anyone can read it using their Kindle/Nook Reader, smart phone, or computer. and now More platforms to come.

A list of free eBook readers for computers and mobile devices is at the bottom of this post.

The Introduction to the eBook begins as follows:

Is Occupy Wall Street dead?

The short answer is “No.” Occupy is very much alive. Continue reading New eBook by The Wilders… Occupy Wall Street: What Just Happened? →