Chapter 0 - Peace Building Outline

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We suggest several ways to get the most out of this Peace Education Manual:

1) Which 7 verses in each chapter are your favorite? Why?
2) Which 5 verses in each chapter apply most to your current life situation? Why?
3) Which 3 verses in each chapter do not apply to your current life situation? Why?
4) Which verses in each chapter do you disagree with? Why?
5) How do you rate each chapter on a scale between 1 (dis-like), 5 (like) & 10 (really like)? Why?
6) If you were to add to this peace manual, what insights would you add? Why?
Would they be mostly Mental insights, Emotional insights, Physical (health) insights, Spiritual insights, or Enlightenment insights? Why?
7) Which type of insights are most important to you? How much could you benefit from learning more about the other types of intelligences currently available to the human race? (what types of intelligences do you see in our future?)
8) Between 1 & 100, how would you rate this peace education information: 1 being poor, 50 being average & 100 being excellent? Why?

. . Table of Contents - Printer Friendly Chapters
Chapter 0 - Peace Building Outline, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 0 - click here
Chapter 1 - Front Page, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 1 - click here
Chapter 2 - Ancient Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 2 - click here
Chapter 3 - New Insights / Enlightenment Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 3 - click here
Chapter 4 - Recent Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 4 - click here
Chapter 5 - Not-so-Recent Insights, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 5 - click here
Chapter 6 - Stages of Life, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 6 - click here
Chapter 7 - Good Day / Bad Day Checklist, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 7 - click here
Chapter 8 - 10 Rules for Success, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 8 - click here
Chapter 9 - The Seven Stages of Grief, ... Printer Friendly Chapter 9 - click here

UNDER CONSTRUCTION - July 17, 2011
These first 9 chapters linked above are the only ones that have education numerals assigned to each verse for "International, Congressional, Local, Classroom, Family, Freinds and Individual" reflection, discussion, education and printing purposes.
Chapters 10 thru Chapter ?? to be included with numerical index online soon. We appreciate your patience.
The rest of this web page consists of the entire World Peace Newsletter website, with minimal graphics (printer friendly) without the assigned numerics to each verse. We hope both these versions prove helpful to you.

Peace is a vastly greater concept than the lack of war, violence, poverty and inner turmoil. Peace is the combination of bodily peace, family peace, local peace, national peace, inner peace and world peace. Accordingly, true peace must begin with food, water, vitamin nutrition and medical care for both rich and poor alike. Next, peace training starts with the family and in our education systems. Peace needs to surround us in the form of local safety and security which is best achieved through communication and negotiation with neighbors to attain mutual trust and respect for one another. Governments and state leaders can assist in the peace process by creating and encouraging/enforcing moral and ethical standards, thus promoting justice, liberty, freedom, ethnic and religious tolerance, and constructive relations with all nations.

Inner peace may be the most important key to peace because through love (both of self and the world), faith, meditation , self-esteem, compassion, hope, kindness, gratitude and wisdom (self-cultivation), peace will spread to those around you. World peace is achieved by combining all the "peaces" together to create hot peace (as opposed to cold war). Hot peace is the absolute presence of worldwide justice, freedom, cooperation, negotiation (working with both friends and enemies), education, mutual respect, sharing, compassion, kindness, happiness, joy, equanimity, human dignity and harmony with nature, animals and mother earth. World Peace is merely an unsolved puzzle waiting for loving people to put the "peaces" together. Through love, World Peace not only becomes possible, peace becomes probable.

The Stages of War & Peace

The following outline can be used as a guide for training future peace educators on the stages of war/peace and methods that can be employed to create sustainable peace. This peacemaking outline is a "work in progress" (Created on July 17, 2011) and will be updated as we learn more about the peace process. Although WorldPeaceNewsletter.com started in 1997 in order to help people find peace (mainly inner peace), it isn't until now (2011) that we realized that people really don't understand how to create local & world peace. The peacemaking information that is currently available tends to be ambiguous, unstructured, lengthy and expensive for the countries that most need this training/education. We hope to change this reality either through our efforts or the efforts of others that understand our dissatifaction with the peacemaking information that is currently available to peace builders, NGO's, and others that want to create a more peaceful world. We encourage you to send us your comments, ideas, suggestions, and missing elements in sections 1, 2, 3 and 4. Please email them to worldpeacenewsletter@gmail.com - Thank you for caring about peace!
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1) Conflict / Confrontation / Injustice:

a) Threats
b) Exploitation of resources with little regard for civilian population
c) Denial of physiological needs (food, water, shelter, medical, religious needs, etc..)
d) Violence
e) Terrorism
f) Genocide
g) Tribal / Ethnic / Religious War
h) National War
i) Regional War
j) World War

2) Peace Training Education:

a) Conflict analysis and early warning signs.
* i) Conflict analysis typically focuses on the problems of culturally divided states, especially those with weak democratic traditions, deep ethnic divisions, and histories of collective violence perpetrated by one group against another or by past/current governments against civilian populations.
b) Non-violent demonstrations, protests and media campaigns (previously only newspaper, radio and tv, now including the internet and social media).
b) Erasing ignorance / non-awareness / non-admission of the situations.
c) Creating consciousness of inequity & injustice of issues, interests, needs and wants.
* i) con·scious·ness
1. the state of being conscious; awareness of one's own existence, sensations, thoughts, surroundings, etc.
2. the thoughts and feelings, collectively, of an individual or of an aggregate of people: the moral consciousness of a nation.
3. full activity of the mind and senses, as in waking life: to regain consciousness after fainting.
4. awareness of something for what it is; internal knowledge: consciousness of wrongdoing.
5. concern, interest, or acute awareness: class consciousness.
d) Conflict transformation.
* i) Conflict can be the transforming agent that causes the individual / region to change perception, attitude, behavior and actions.
* ii) Tranforming destructive relationships into productive social changes.
* iii) Identity transformation/education into peaceful souls (especially on children & youths).
* iv) Personal transformation (inner peace) related to grief and trauma, dealing with family deaths, anger, bitterness and hatred (especially in young, middle-aged and older adults).

3) The Peace Building Processes:

Negotiation - Getting all parties to talk face to face and resolve their differences by themselves.
Conciliation - A conciliator communicates with each side individually.
Mediation / Facilition - Promoting justice for all parties by an impartial third party.
Advocacy - A third party promoting one side due to real/perceived injustice.
Arbitration / Adjudictive - A third party makes a binding decision for both parties.
Threat of force - The threat of military action by a third party against the offending party.
Economic Sanctions - Third parties imposes economic sanctions against offending party.

These peace-building processes generally fall into three categories (or a combination of them) -
* Consensual (the parties reach a agreement by themselves)
* Adjudictive (court ordered by third party)
* Legislative (laws or rule-making determined by a group, organization, ruler or legislative body)

Transformative peacemaking focuses on the means (process) used to reach the ends, focusing very closley on the process instead of merely the desired outcome. The approach stresses fairness, understanding, respect, and inclusiveness of all parties in order to create a commitment to increasing justice, finding truths and healing relationships.

The end goal of these processes include some of the following:
a) Balancing power between the stronger and weaker parties (only possible when the advantages to each parties are understood).
* i) The weaker / wronged party gets restored justice and the attacking party hopefully acknowledges the wrongs committed.
b) Conflict resolution:
* i) Working together to reach independent and/or mutually acceptable goals.
* ii) Improving relationships between the various parties (not always possible).
* iii) Listening / understanding all sides without judging.
* iv) Develop / determine / promote solutions that lead to personal / regional social change and improvement.
* v) Attempt to create both individual empowerment along with mutual interdependence and community.
* vi) Reconcilliation - quarrels and differences are settled so that violent opposition are eliminated and hopefully friendships are created.
* vii) Reparations - the offending party reimburses the offended party for the wrong doings.

Conflict resolution can be viewed as "Distributed" or as "Expanded".
* "Distributed" may be equated to "dividing the pie" or "splitting the difference".
* "Expanded" attempts to discover many different solutions than first considered (value creation) prior to reaching agreements / dividing the pie, or coming up with solutions that create a win-win situation for all parties involved.

4) Sustainable Peace:
a) Reducing inequalities and perceived injustice.
b) Creating compassion and kindness for all parties involved.
c) The desired outcome of harmony can not solve the problem at the expense of justice. The fire will merely smolder and re-ignite later.
d) Creating understanding and comprehesion of what it means to create / sustain peace.
e) Living with Peace, Happiness, Liberty, Compassion and Joy!

WHAT IS PEACE AND HOW CAN WE ACHIEVE IT?

* Peace is not merely the absence of war and hatred (negative peace / cold war) but also the presence of cooperation, compassion and worldwide justice (positive peace / hot peace).

* Freedom and Peace. What is the relationship between these two conditions? Can you have one without the other?

* "Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and under a just God, can not long retain it." - Abraham Lincoln

* "It is more difficult to organize peace than to win a war; but the fruits of victory will be lost if the peace is not well organized." - Aristotle

* "Those who love peace must learn to organize as well as those who love war." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

* "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." - Margaret Mead

* "We people of the world need to find ways to get to know one another - for then we will recognize that our likenesses are so much grater than our differences, however great our differences may seem. Every cell, every human being, is of equal importance and has work to do in this world" - Peace Pilgrim

* "If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner." - Nelson Mandela

* "It is not possible to be in favor of justice for some people and not be in favor of justice for all people." - Martin Luther King, Jr.

* The means we use to reach our ends are extremely important. Hopefully your "means" are kindness-centered and non-destructive. Often (maybe always) being kind is more important than proving you are right. When it is critical that you prove your point, remember to intertwine wisdom with kindness.

* What is war? It is a state of hostility between nations (or within nations; or within individuals) characterized by fighting, destruction and bloodshed. Wars are often caused by real/perceived injustice, hatred, poverty, and the desire for power.

* What is perhaps the best way to prevent war? Conflict prevention and Conflict resolution/transformation requires that we eliminate the nature of the hostilities and attempt to create harmony and equality between the various parties. Restorative justice implies that the perceived injustices must be resolved through either negotiation, mediation, arbitration, community conferencing, community meditation, negotiated rule making, collaborative/international law, or as a last resort, military action. Trauma recovery / Identity renewal can help prevent war torn areas from falling back into further fighting. Youth development strategies can help our future adults from repeating the mistakes we have made that have lead us to war. Philosophy suggests that nations that have found peace should help less peaceful nations by sharing knowledge, food and other resources. Our conscience tells us that we should treat others the way we want to be treated, with dignity and respect.

* How can we achieve Peace on Earth? First and utmost, we must find it within ourselves. By sharing our inner peace with others, peace will spread. By raising our children properly and teaching them to respect and love their neighbors (didn't someone say this before? :) they will learn the joy of peace. The peace process should be a predominantly preventative measure. A gram of prevention is worth a kilogram of cure. (See conflict prevention & resolution in previous paragraph).

Peace should likely start as a grassroots movement, thereby creating a "trickle-up" process. Not only can we teach others about peace but we can suggest alternatives to governments and political candidates that continue to advocate war as the main solution to civil and international conflict. Along the way, some form of world "Planning and Lawmaking" committee probably needs to be established that includes all nations. One nation's problems are problems for all of us. We must learn to see ourselves as one small planet and not be so concerned with our nationality, race or religion. When it comes right down to it we are all human, and we should work together for human rights and justice for all. Shouldn't we?!
Think what we could accomplish if we all worked together to create a true world economy. We could end starvation, reduce poverty, create jobs and work towards common goals such as worldwide justice, peace education, pollution control and planet management.

The 7 Stages of Grief

1. SHOCK & DENIAL-
You will probably react to learning of the loss with numbed disbelief. You may deny the reality of the loss at some level, in order to avoid the pain. Shock provides emotional protection from being overwhelmed all at once. This may last for weeks.

2. PAIN & GUILT-
As the shock wears off, it is replaced with the suffering of unbelievable pain. Although excruciating and almost unbearable, it is important that you experience the pain fully, and not hide it, avoid it or escape from it with alcohol or drugs. You may have guilty feelings or remorse over things you did or didn't do with your loved one. Life feels chaotic and scary during this phase.

3. ANGER & BARGAINING-
Frustration gives way to anger, and you may lash out and lay unwarranted blame for the death on someone else. Please try to control this, as permanent damage to your relationships may result. This is a time for the release of bottled up emotion. You may rail against fate, questioning "Why me?" You may also try to bargain in vain with the powers that be for a way out of your despair ("I will never drink again if you just bring him back")

4. "DEPRESSION", REFLECTION, LONELINESS-
Just when your friends may think you should be getting on with your life, a long period of sad reflection will likely overtake you. This is a normal stage of grief, so do not be "talked out of it" by well-meaning outsiders. Encouragement from others is not helpful to you during this stage of grieving. During this time, you finally realize the true magnitude of your loss, and it depresses you. You may isolate yourself on purpose, reflect on things you did with your lost one, and focus on memories of the past. You may sense feelings of emptiness or despair.

5. THE UPWARD TURN-
As you start to adjust to life without your dear one, your life becomes a little calmer and more organized. Your physical symptoms lessen, and your "depression" begins to lift slightly.

6. RECONSTRUCTION & WORKING THROUGH-
As you become more functional, your mind starts working again, and you will find yourself seeking realistic solutions to problems posed by life without your loved one. You will start to work on practical and financial problems and reconstructing yourself and your life without him or her.

7. ACCEPTANCE & HOPE-
During this, the last of the seven stages in this grief model, you learn to accept and deal with the reality of your situation. Acceptance does not necessarily mean instant happiness. Given the pain and turmoil you have experienced, you might never return to the carefree, untroubled YOU that existed before this tragedy. But you will find a way forward.

Eventually, you will start to look forward and actually plan things for the future. You will be able to think about your lost loved one without pain; sadness, yes, but the wrenching pain will be gone. You will once again anticipate some good times to come, and yes, even find joy again in the experience of living. The main thing to realize is that you are not alone in feeling grief, sadness and pain. Almost everyone of us will experience grief, some more than others, but grief is as much a part of the human experience as love and happiness are.

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. ~From a headstone in Ireland

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

A human life is a story told by God. ~Hans Christian Andersen

To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die. ~Thomas Campbell, "Hallowed Ground"

While we are mourning the loss of our friend, others are rejoicing to meet him behind the veil. ~John Taylor

Tears are God’s gift to us. Our holy water. They heal us as they flow. ~Rita Schiano, Sweet Bitter Love, 1997, published by The Reed Edwards Company

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. ~Author Unknown

Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy. ~Author Unknown

Peace be with you!

We encourage you to send us your comments, ideas and suggestions. Please email them to worldpeacenewsletter@gmail.com - Thank you for caring about peace!

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