EMPOWER YOURSELF- BY FIRST STOPPING TO THINK
After a lifetime of negotiating and attempting to implement peace treaties Uri Savir, a lead negotiator in the Oslo Accords, laments “few things are more archaic than today’s peacemaking strategies.” He observes that since “societies and governments act according to the dominant values and myths of the day”, peacemaking “must address a society’s beliefs and ideals at its roots.” He concludes “peace cannot simply be the domino effect of other processes – PEACE MUST COME FIRST.” Savir stresses “COMMON VALUES ARE KEY.” (cite)
For each of us, our core values guide our way through life. The most powerful values for building peace are those that elevate – that bring out the best in each of us – values that are variously referred to as wisdom, enlightenment, truth, or Divine or spiritual light. Such light and values that are shared in common (“Shared Light/Values”) also build social cohesion and unity within groups and between groups – within communities and between communities – within nations and between nations.
Embracing Shared Light/Values is foundational to a culture of peace and increases the peacebuilding power of embracing Shared Humanity. Both also strengthen communities economically as they bring out the best in people, foster cooperative action, and change the focus to respectfully working together for the common good. Together they are the greatest hope for humanity.
PEACE FIRST, A New Model to End War, Uri Savir, Introduction, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2008
WHAT CAN I DO?
Expand Your Power to Make a Difference by Adding Light to All 3Clicks
Expand Yourself
Start from a solid foundation. Peace begins within. Focus and hold on to your own peaceful center – to values that ring true to you and that lift, inspire, and expand you– values that light your life. Live intentionally. Don’t let things that matter most be obscured by things that matter less.
Increase your awareness of core values that lift and inspire others. Respectfully ask them. Pay particular attention to Shared Light/Values. Increasing awareness of and commitment to peaceful values that are shared in common expands you. Shared Light/Values also provide a Unifying Standard we can rally around to build the world we seek.
Focus more on what unites.
Expand Your World
Don’t live in a silo with only like-minded people. One of the great blessings of life is to come to know, respect, and love great people of other faiths, ethnicities, nationalities, viewpoints, persuasions, and cultures.
It is deeply enriching, uplifting, and soul-expanding to learn of their goodness, friendship, courage, perspectives, and wisdom and to work together for the common good.
Intergroup cohesion/friendship is also the top indicator of peace in a society.
Expand in Wisdom/Vision
Mother Earth and Father Sky, something similar, or simply as enlightenment.
Connect more with that Source. Connect more with life.
Most of the world’s population understand that power to be God. Many others describe it as the ultimate reality, an energy field or something similar – or as enlightenment. To be inclusive, we refer to it as “the source of goodness, love, and light” or simply as the “Source”.
LIVE YOUR PIECE
It’s a great tragedy when we let differences lead to division, polarization, incivility, contempt and/or violence and override the dignity of our own humanity, the human dignity of others, and/or the good we share in common. It’s a tragedy of epic proportions when we let differences, distractions, misunderstandings, or smallness of understanding override the invitation to harmony with the Source and deprive us of the soul-expanding growth, light, and peace that comes from moving closer to that harmony.
In that quest, we are each other’s “clinical material”. How we treat each other matters. Treating others with respect, friendship, and love moves us closer to harmony with the Source. Treating them with disrespect, hatred, and contempt moves us away (and cankers our own inner selves). Ultimately, there is likely nothing more important for individuals and humanity than moving closer. How we treat each other critically matters.
This is not to suggest there will not be disagreements, even strong and possibly intractable disagreements along the way. Disagreement is not necessarily a bad thing. (How so?) But it does matter how we treat each other as we disagree.
Building “peaceful cultural beliefs and norms” is a battle for hearts and minds.
Winning that battle is all about each of us living our piece of peace better and
engaging others in living theirs.
“Somehow the world is hungry for goodness and recognizes it when it sees it.
There’s something in all of us that hungers after the good and the true.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
WHAT CAN I DO?
Disagreement/conflict is not necessarily a bad thing. While most people do not seek to have conflict in their lives and would avoid it if they could, a certain measure of conflict seems to enter the lives of all. While it is important to try to minimize conflict, at least equally important is how conflict that does occur is managed and resolved. When resolved in positive ways it can even lead to growth, to more respectful relationships, and to more caring, connected community. When conflict or disagreement is resolved in positive ways, it can be a very positive thing.
We don’t have to agree on everything to be respectful – even to be friends.
Let “the Good and the True” Shine Through in You.
Nurture and grow both. Let them Shine. We hope the simple statements of good in this website ring true to you and help. To be respectful of your time we’ve tried to use as few words as possible. We’ve jammed a lot of content into a little space – too much to absorb all at once. Use what seems doable in your life now. Return from time to time to re-stimulate your thinking and action. (You’ll get more out of this website if you thoughtfully review it again soon.)
Respect Resonance
Different people resonate with different approaches (some faith-based, some humanist-based, some nature-based, and so forth.). Failure to recognize and respect that fact can lead to quibbling and division – even among would-be positive voices. Encourage people to arrive at principles of Embracing the Dignity of One’s Own Humanity, Embracing the Human Dignity/Shared Humanity of Others, Embracing Spiritual Light and Constructive Shared Values – and other principles of peace by whatever path resonates the most with them and brings them to the principles most quickly and powerfully. For peace to prevail, people of goodwill of all stripes need to band together.
Step up. Speak out. Sign on.
Step up. Accept full responsibility for your piece of piece. Always be working on living it better. Speak out. Let your voice be heard. Be an advocate for respect, civility, and peace. Require it of the news sources, candidates, and leaders you support. Help turn the focus of all more toward the common good. Sign on. If you haven’t signed on, multiply your impact by signing on here. Be part of this growing global brotherhood/sisterhood/siblinghood of people of goodwill of all races, faiths, cultures, and nations intent on working together to build a better and more peaceful world for all.
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I pledge to live my piece of peace every day!
TAKE PEACE TO THE NEXT LEVEL.
In building peaceful cultural beliefs and norms (peace mindsets), the standards mentioned in Click #2 Part 3, are a great start. But peace is more complete and enduring when it includes a condition of mutual concern, goodwill, and love in which members of a community actively and constantly promote one another’s good. (Daniel Philpott). At its best, peace includes conditions that allow for full development of human potential and harmony with the source of wisdom/light.
Shared Light/Values encompasses all of that. (Example) Make them part of your local peacebuilding initiative and part of engaging others. Start with the basic shared values listed. Fine-tune them to fit your community.
Peace is a journey. It moves towards wholeness, completeness, and fulness of life – toward harmony with the Source of wisdom, love, and light, the ultimate in peaceful beliefs and norms. The further we go in that journey, the more peace we will experience, individually and collectively.
(1) individual responsibility for civility and peace, (2) respect for the human dignity and freedom of opinion of others, and (3) intergroup friendship and cohesion.
WHAT CAN I DO TO ENGAGE OTHERS MORE POWERFULLY?
Keep things in perspective. It’s not just about you.
When engaging others, remember together (i) the Source values and beckons all, (ii) none of us come close to comprehending the magnificent immensity of the light of the Source, (iii) each of us has (or can have) a portion of that light and can get more, (iv) but not everything we individually believe is light from the Source and (v) even if it is, it may not be a complete picture. Remember humility. We can learn and grow together. We won’t always get it right but the world will be better because we tried – and so will we.
But it is about You. Stay on target. Keep the light on.
In the best of all possible worlds, everyone would embrace the dignity of their own humanity, the human dignity of others, and Shared Light/Values. Leaders in business, government, and all areas of society would seek those standards and the common good continually. Participants in deliberative bodies (legislative bodies, boards, councils, executive and other committees, etc.) would do the same. All would “stay on-target” Let those standards be yours as you engage others and engage with others. Don’t lose sight of them. When events, circumstances, or atrocities pull people off-target, don’t lose site of the target. Collectively seek to get on-target as soon as possible. Life and the quality of life depend on it. Keep the light on.
Live Your Piece.
Possibly the best way to engage others is to simply live your piece of peace better – to Love Them, Lift Them, and Link Them.
Love Them
Lift them.
At its core, peacebuilding is about providing “lift” – it’s about building people and community. Watch for and create opportunities to do both. Use the principles in this website. They help bring out the best in humanity and in each of us. They “lift, expand, and unite” while respecting differences.
Link them in.
Engage others by helping them feel a sense of belonging – that they’re valued and part of something good – part of a coalition of individuals and organizations in your community seeking the good and working together for the common good. Make your local movement part of something bigger. (Like what?)
Join with similar movements in other communities in your district, zone, area, province, or state to be a more impactful force for good in your part of the world.
3ClicksToPeace is tailormade for international service, humanitarian, faith, interfaith, education, business, and other organizations whose missions include building a better and more peace- filled world – tailormade for work within their own organizations and for working cooperatively together between organizations for the good of each and all.
Local movements woven together are key to creating shared global values and global peace.
People who seek the good and work together for the common good build special bonds of
friendship between them. Help build those bonds. Be part of them.
Embrace Light.
Be a participant, a tool, and part of a movement in answering the great beckoning call to harmony with the Source and each other.
Join Hundreds of Others Who Have Committed to Make a Difference in Their Piece of Peace.
Help Turn Hundreds to Thousands – Then Millions.
Be Part of a Great Global Movement of People of Goodwill
Of All Races, Religions & Beliefs, Cultures, and Nations
That Together Can Change the World!
Two ways to join – both free, no strings attached.
Coming Soon!
I commit to myself, to the others who sign on, to the young and rising generations, and to all of humanity that I will be more aware of my piece of peace and more fully live it each day.
Thank you so much for committing, and welcome to the movement!
Together we’ll change the world!
Download a Free Certificate
The Free Resource section at the end of this website, details of forming a global coalition, creation of social media options, etc. are still being completed. If you’d like to be part of it and receive updates (and we hope you do) please leave the optional contact information below. We value the privacy of your personal information. It will be used only for the purposes of this initiative and will not be sold or shared with others.
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3ClicksToPeace is tailormade for international service, humanitarian, faith, interfaith, education, business, and other organizations whose missions include building a better and more peace-filled world – tailormade for work within their own organizations and for working cooperatively together between organizations for the good of each and all.
We’re working on such a global coalition you and your local initiative will want to be part of. Information will be added to this website as that takes shape. (If you’ve left contact information at the “Take the Pledge” link, we’ll notify you directly.)
What’s “The Ask”?
3ClicksToPeace is a volunteer effort powered by the website’s vision for a better world and by volunteers working individually and with faith, interfaith, humanitarian, service, education, business, and other organizations and institutions. The only “ask” made in this website is to more impactfully put the simple website principles into action in your life – to make a commitment to yourself to be more aware of your piece of peace, more fully live it, and encourage others to do the same.
To that end, there is an invitation at the end of the website to join with others who have also made that commitment, help turn hundreds to thousands – then millions, and be part of a great global movement of people of goodwill of all races, religions and beliefs, cultures and nations that together can change the world.
3ClicksToPeace is:
- A source of empowerment and plan of action to address the plague of division and polarization that infects so much of the world.
- A repository of core foundational principles of peace – a potential anchor and connecting point for peacebuilding initiatives advanced by a variety of humanitarian and service groups, faith and interfaith organizations, businesses and foundations, women’s organizations, youth and young adult organizations, and others – an invitation to magnify success exponentially in the great cause of peace by working together under a unifying standard as each organization and individual advances their unique piece of peace.
- A tool for community-building, organizational team-building activities, and corporate social responsibility – a positive approach to DEI – a mindset for both inner and world peace – a mindset we hope you embrace and are building on.
- A call to action for each one of us to step up and live our piece of peace more fully, make our own little world better, together move the world closer to the world we all yearn to see, and find more richness and meaning along the way.
Governance is individual, organizational, and community based. A global center will foster support of local initiatives and enhance collegiality and impact.
Our Action Resource Library is currently under construction, and will be back online soon.
An astronaut’s account of first looking down at the magnificent beauty of the earth:
I was awestruck. My breath left me. I felt my heart and lungs were going to stop. It dwarfed everything in my experience.
It radiated with light and the colors were brilliant. I knew that the earth is alive, and everything on it is kindred, everything related.
No national boundaries are visible, no lines across the continents, no large stars where national capitals should be. From 300 miles above the earth it looks perfect, absolutely peaceful.
We gradually orbited the entire planet. I knew this was the work of sacred creation. We are all brothers and sisters dwelling on the same planet. We are all family – and from my view, I saw just how close that family ought to be.
Your Life Here Is Precious and Short – a Brief Moment in the Eternities
Don’t Waste It in Negativity.
Look Within. Be true to the best that is in you.
Look Outside Yourself. Help bring out the best in others.
Look to the Source. Light from the Source brings out the best in both.
More impactfully live and link your piece of peace.
It will bless your life, make your piece of the world better,
be a blessing to all within your influence, and help lift all of humanity.
Help the sun rise for all – but especially for the young and rising generations.
Thanks for visiting!
Come back from time to time to re-stimulate your thinking.
[And stay tuned. We’re working on a global coalition you and your local initiative will want to be part of. Information will be added to this website as that takes shape. If you’ve left contact information at the “Take the Pledge” link, we’ll notify you directly.]