Compassionate activism is activism that is rooted in an underlying compassion for all beings. It is an activism that resists the strong urge we all face to dehumanize our opponents, as they often do to us, and we often do to them. This collection of articles and videos highlight perspectives and voices of people who are striving to stay off the warpath - to not reproduce in our own activism the oppressive mentalities that we seek to change and transform in the wider world.
Compassionate activism contends that this philosophy is the most powerful way to create transformational change - beyond traditional left/right paradigms, beyond the traditional language and logic of war, which has historically influenced both left and right activism. We call this tendency of activists to use "the master's tools" ideological oppression - whereby people living in a culture predicated on the logic of domination ultimately strive to create change using methods, thought-patterns, and strategies that were learned and used against us growing up.
Shame, judgment, fear, insult, attack, punishment, othering, violent language and sometimes physical violence are all tools that have been used against us, or we have seen used on others, by virtue of living in this culture, and so we learn to use these tools on each other.
The left attacks the right, the right attacks the left, the left and right attack themselves, and many other labels for groups of humans have attacked each other and themselves in similar ways. We have been waging war against each other for a long time.
Compassionate activism is an activism that is ready for the war to end.
We're looking forward to the day we can put down all weapons, both physical and verbal, and embrace each other as the family that we truly are.
We're not perfect in our own practice of this ideal - we know we can do better - but that's the goal.
Our personal mission is to practice and promote not just physical non-violence, but also embody that in our communication, our thoughts and in our hearts - even when we may strongly disagree - to remember in a secret place in our hearts that we are still family and that beneath our disagreements we all share the same basic universal human needs. It's from that seed of compassion that we strive to speak and act.
If we fall short of this ideal, we ask you to help us remember, and (we hope! )... show us how to do better, through your own practice and example. May we strive for this ideal together!
May we all strive for the day when we can put down all weapons of war, and our children can play together without fear, where we can all embrace each other in the middle of the circle, and celebrate the beauty of 10,000 peaceful ways of life. - Films For Action
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Tim Hjersted ·
I have made a promise to this world that I will carry with me to my last days. It is my vow to lessen the suffering of the world while I am here - it is to ensure that every toxic legacy that I inherited from our culture ends with me ...
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Frances Lee ·
We are alienating each other with unrestrained callouts and unchecked self-righteousness. Here’s how that can stop.
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198 min ·
Buddhist Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh is one of the most respected and celebrated teachers in the world.
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Thich Nhat Hanh ·
I believe that true justice should have compassion in it. When someone does something harmful, destructive, the destruction is done not only to the person who is the victim, but it is also done to the person who has committed the...
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Asam Ahmad ·
Call-out culture refers to the tendency among progressives, radicals, activists, and community organizers to publicly name instances or patterns of oppressive behaviour and language use by others. People can be called out for statements...
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6 min ·
“We undermine how easy it is for us to become the people that we dislike” - Ayishat Akanbi
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Miki Kashtan ·
I have not found a word that captures the exact line that I am looking for. Commitment may be a bit too strong, and tends to connote “should,” thus invoking the non-choiceful energy of obligation and duty. “Intention” is not strong...
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Ricky Sherover-Marcuse ·
Liberation is both the undoing of the effects and the elimination of the causes of social oppression. The achievement of human liberation on a global scale will require far-reaching changes at the institutional level and at the level...
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275 min ·
The Basics of Nonviolent Communication with Marshall Rosenberg, Phd, is a recorded presentation of a 1-day workshop held in San Francisco, CA in April 2000. "The purpose of Nonviolent Communication is to help you learn what you already...
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Rivera Sun ·
“There is a place between passivity and violence. I’ll meet you there.” – Rivera Sun
Nonviolent struggle is on the rise globally. Neither passive, nor inaction, this powerful way of working for change is proving Gandhi’s audacious...
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73 min ·
Weaving together traditional stories, personal experiences and core concepts, Thich Nhat Hanh offers step-by-step practices that foster understanding and intimacy in any kind of relationship: between lovers, parents and children, even...
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5 min ·
Has wokeness replaced compassion with moral superiority?
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Charles Eisenstein ·
I am told by Native American friends active at Standing Rock that the elders are counseling the Water Protectors to undertake each action prayerfully and to stay off the warpath.
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Kazu Haga ·
“Bernard? Oh yeah, he’s great. He was always the principles guy.”
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Tim Hjersted ·
When every cultural force beckons us to hate, to harden our hearts and vilify the other, we must have the courage to look, deeply, with an intention to understand.
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Martin Doblmeier ·
Thich Nhat Hanh has published nearly 100 books and is one of the best-known teachers of Zen Buddhism in the world today.
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5 min ·
This is a short excerpt from Peacemaking.
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Kai Cheng Thom ·
In my first year of college, I stopped calling myself an activist.
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Teodrose Fikre ·
Not one person in this world has been able to escape the clutches of being hurt in life. I never really understood the truth of that statement until I spent two years sojourning from state to state. It was in my time of tribulation and...
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Tim Hjersted ·
No person or group of people is ever one thing. Inside each of us are a thousand diverse aspects - evolving dimensions.
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Tim Hjersted ·
A few years ago, Maria Popova wrote an article on how to criticize with kindness, based on the work of philosopher Daniel Dennett.
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Martin Luther King, Jr. ·
So I want to turn your attention to this subject: “Loving Your Enemies.” It’s so basic to me because it is a part of my basic philosophical and theological orientation: the whole idea of love, the whole philosophy of love. In the fifth...
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Teodrose Fikre ·
"If we pass on kindness to others in immediate circumference, we can accomplish infinitely more than we can by chanting political slogans in cordoned areas and marching in restricted protest zones."
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Tim Hjersted ·
With every new terrorist attack we hear about in the news, whether it be by ISIS, a white supremacist or military general of a powerful nation, I think back on this piece. The thoughts I wrote here continue to stay with me every time a...
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3 min ·
This is the incredible story of Daryl Davis.
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4 min ·
"Love is the felt experience of connection to another being. An economist says 'more for you is less for me.' But the lover knows that more of you is more for me too. If you love somebody their happiness is your happiness. Their pain is...
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Charles Eisenstein ·
Many people have little trouble confessing to being hard on themselves, to being “my own worst critic” or to being a perfectionist. They are, after all, merely confessing to something that our culture upholds as a virtue: the struggle...
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Charles Eisenstein ·
He who fights too long against dragons becomes a dragon himself; and if thou gaze too long into the abyss, the abyss will gaze into thee.
—Nietzsche
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John Dear ·
I've been reflecting on the principles of nonviolence that Martin Luther King Jr. learned during the historic yearlong bus boycott in Montgomery, Ala.
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Joe Brewer ·
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. There is no such thing as “the bad guy.” Every time we see an enemy it is because our minds have projected them onto the world. If we didn’t create them first in our thoughts and perceptions...
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Tai Amri Spann-Ryan ·
On #BlackLivesMatter, moral injury and activism
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Tim Hjersted ·
One "piece of the oppressor" that I have found in myself during my inner activist journeys is my use of shame as a method of engaging with the world's problems. Having learned that "shame" is a tool that has been used by the world's...
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J. Krishnamurti ·
FEAR, PLEASURE, SORROW, thought and violence are all interrelated. Most of us take pleasure in violence, in disliking somebody, hating a particular race or group of people, having antagonistic feelings towards others. But in a state of...
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Ejeris Dixon ·
This story is the second in Truthout's "Visions of 2018" series, in which activist leaders answer the question: "What would you like to see created, built, imagined or begun this year?" Each piece will focus on a bold idea for...
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Charles Eisenstein ·
This is how a war begins
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3 min ·
A New Story For Humanity presents a beautifully and sensitively woven tapestry of the rich diversity that is the human family. Featuring interviews on the essential topics of our time: from cosmology to ecology, from ancient wisdom to...
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Thich Nhat Hanh ·
HAPPINESS IS ONLY POSSIBLE WITH TRUE LOVE. True love has the power to heal and transform the situation around us and bring a deep meaning to our lives. There are people who understand the nature of true love and how to generate and...
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Tim Hjersted ·
There is no one right way to be an activist.
There is no one right way to change the world.
There is no one right philosophy of leftist politics.
There is no one right solution to the massive problems we're facing.
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Djuan Wash ·
One cannot claim to be intersectional while at the same time being elitist and exclusionary. Everyone isn't hip to what heteronormativity, heterosexism, cisgendered, cissexism or many new-age terms mean. You can't write people off for...
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Thich Nhat Hanh ·
Without communication, no real understanding can be possible. But be sure that you can communicate with yourself first. If you cannot communicate with yourself, how do you expect to communicate with another person? Love is the same. If...
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Peter Joseph ·
I get a lot of emails as to why I do not bring up notions such as the “New World Order”, “Illuminati”, “Zionism”, “Secret Societies” and other popular occult/conspiracy concepts which are very topical in this day and age. While I, of...
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Tim Hjersted ·
One of the things I've been reflecting on a lot lately is the importance of holding simultaneous realities in our hearts and awareness at the same time. When it comes to ending the violence and divisions of racism, nationalism, and...
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Thich Nhat Hanh ·
An excerpt from his book "No Death, No Fear."
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Tim Hjersted ·
I often think about this quote from Malcolm X. It's a point that really can't be made too often.
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58 min ·
Can we really create peace in the world? Made for World Peace Day, join UPLIFT on a journey into peace in this inspiring new film.
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Mickey Z. ·
“The first step in the revolution is eye contact.” - Alicen Grey
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Araz Hachadourian ·
The story of a KKK leader’s transformation shows us that we need not live forever with the kind of violence we saw in Charleston this month.
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Pat McCabe ·
As I have been called to action, more from Earth and Spirit than from world events, I found myself drawn into a deep exploration of my own Nature as an integral part of finding a compass in these times.
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Bob Wentworth ·
Our way of being -- the intentions, attitudes, and quality of the energy that we bring to an interaction -- is more important than the particular words we choose to speak. The heart of Nonviolent Communication is not about speaking...
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Maria Popova ·
“So many people are frightened by the wonder of their own presence. They are dying to tie themselves into a system, a role, or to an image, or to a predetermined identity that other people have actually settled on for them.”
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Saddhamala ·
“When another person makes you suffer, it is because he suffers deeply within himself, and his suffering is spilling over.” - Thich Nhat Hanh
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Charles Eisenstein ·
My new home of West Asheville is in the news. A local coffee shop, Waking Life Espresso, closed its doors after its owners Jared Rutledge and Jacob Owens were outed for hosting a misogynistic blog. In addition to repulsive and degrading...
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Jacob Devaney ·
"At first I thought… The most powerful thing that you can do for your people, your future, your land, your air, your water is to fight and die for what you believe in. But it’s not true… you have to LIVE for what you believe in." ...
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Gene Sharp ·
Practitioners of nonviolent struggle have an entire arsenal of “nonviolent weapons” at their disposal. Far too often people struggling for democratic rights and justice are not aware of the full range of methods of nonviolent action.
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Thich Nhat Hanh ·
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches us how to relax the bonds of anger, attachment and delusion through mindfulness and kindness toward ourselves.
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Charles Eisenstein ·
Charles Eisenstein has a radical idea: instead of greeting violence with the threat of punishment and more violence, let's seek understanding instead. Rather than dehumanize our enemies, perhaps it is time to try compassion. The...
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Chris Hedges ·
The horrific pictures of the beheading of American reporter James Foley, the images of executions of alleged collaborators in Gaza and the bullet-ridden bodies left behind in Iraq by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant are the...
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David Cain ·
On Facebook I quietly unsubscribe from friends who regularly make angry issue-related posts, even if they’re right. I don’t want to be pummeled by “truth,” no matter how true it is.
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8 min ·
What can we do that honors and respects every human being on the planet?
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Laura Grace Weldon ·
Working in a retail job, you think you’ve become accustomed to bad behavior on the part of children as well as parents. But you are appalled to see a mother use an umbrella to spank a small boy. Will intervening threaten the child or...
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85 min ·
Join acclaimed director Velcrow Ripper on a journey deep inside the global revolution of the heart that is erupting around the planet. Humanity is waking up to the fact that the dominant system of power is failing to provide us with...
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Tai Amri Spann-Ryan ·
Dear Youth,
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11 min ·
"The Empathic Civilization" is one of the biggest ideas of the 21st century. The arrival of this era will be monumental. Jeremy Rifkin explains.
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Charles Eisenstein ·
Looking out upon the horrid ruin we seem to have made of the planet, in spite of the kind hearts and good intentions of the vast majority of human beings, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that some nefarious force has hijacked...
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Tim Hjersted ·
Is mass media used to manipulate the public? Yes, undoubtedly so. Examples to illustrate this are so numerous and backed up by intellectuals like Noam Chomsky,
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Martin Winiecki ·
November 9th, the day after the U.S. election, will be a peculiar anniversary. On this day in 1938 more than 1000 synagogues and 7000 Jewish businesses were burning all over Germany, set ablaze by the Nazis. Going down in history as...
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Martin Winiecki ·
In the name of humaneness, we express our gratitude to the courageous water and land protectors at Standing Rock. This camp of Sioux and many other First Nation people, accompanied by activists from across all camps is a true light of...
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Frances Moore Lappé ·
Feelings of fear and powerlessness are driving the cycle of violence that surrounds us. To change that, we need to recognize that we need each other to thrive as individuals.
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Chelsea Rustrum ·
Allow me to share a few personal anecdotes…
My dear aunt recently passed away from bone cancer at just 60. To make sense of her passing, I went through a period of blaming the doctors, her Christian Science background (which doesn’t...
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Rabbi Michael Lerner and Vandana Shiva ·
And we're going to create that world together.
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5 min ·
Why we need to move empathy from personal emotion to collective moral concern -- Empathy comes in two distinct forms: affective empathy is our instinct for mirroring the emotions of others, while cognitive empathy is our conscious...
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Tim Hjersted ·
What can we do to create a culture where none of our children grow up to become killers?
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Audre Lorde ·
"Hopefully, we can learn from the 60s that we cannot afford to do our enemies' work by destroying each other."
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R.L. Stephens ·
Perhaps the most redeeming aspect of my father’s ministry was his tireless work to help people heal from guilt and shame. I saw the transformative impact that his efforts had on people’s lives as they built the strength to lay down...
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Kazu Haga ·
I admit, I laughed a little too. When I first saw videos of white nationalist Richard Spencer getting punched by a protester, I thought it was funny. And even now, I’m not exactly shedding a tear for him. I certainly pray that the...
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Arno Arr Michaelis IV ·
I see all sorts of well-meaning and otherwise intelligent and thoughtful people applauding neo-Nazi Richard Spencer being punched in the face. Here’s why this is not something to celebrate:
Punching this fool validates all of his...
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Jacob Devaney ·
‘Think of a world without war, a world of social justice,
a world of ecological sustainability.’
This is how Robin Grille starts his talk at TEDX Pittwater. Robin is a psychologist, author, educator and advocate for children who is...
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Mark Fisher ·
We need to learn, or re-learn, how to build comradeship and solidarity instead of doing capital’s work for it by condemning and abusing each other. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we must always agree – on the contrary, we must...
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Sarah Freeman-Woolpert ·
It’s been a roller coaster year for Sammy Rangel, the executive director of Life After Hate — a non-profit organization that encourages people to leave violent extremist groups by offering them support and a community of other...
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Shemsi Prinzivalli ·
There is an ancient and well-kept secret to happiness which the Great Ones have known for centuries. They rarely talk about it, but they use it all the time, and it is fundamental to good mental health. This secret is called The Fine...
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Paul Graham ·
The web is turning writing into a conversation. Twenty years ago, writers wrote and readers read. The web lets readers respond, and increasingly they do—in comment threads, on forums, and in their own blog posts.
Many who respond to...
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Colin Beavan ·
If you want to sustain yourself for the work ahead, here’s some advice: It doesn’t matter whether the other side “deserves” anger.
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Maria Popova ·
“Just how charitable are you supposed to be when criticizing the views of an opponent?”
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Miki Kashtan ·
“I want to kiss you all over your smile.”
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Joanna Macy ·
When you know where to look, you begin to see an unprecedented phenomenon now happening in this world of ours. Be they teachers in favelas, forest defenders, urban farmers, occupiers of Wall Street, designers of windmills, military...
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2 min ·
So you want to fight prejudice and change people’s minds? Step 1: Don’t insult them. Step 2: Have a real conversation.
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Tim Hjersted ·
Depending on where you start on this journey it can take many many years to unlearn what we are conditioned to believe by our toxic culture.
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Tim Hjersted ·
"Influence is NOT about convincing people to want different things than they already want. It's about showing them that the way to get what they already want, is by following you." - Charlie Houpert
Lately, I've been interested in...
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Prefigurology ·
For many marginalized people, social justice communities are an essential form of social and emotional support. They can bring the oppressed and isolated together and help keep them afloat in a world that is at turns indifferent and...
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Sofo Archon ·
Forgiveness – not revenge – is the answer. Here’s why.
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Tai Amri Spann-Ryan ·
What is this world we’ve created for our youth? 7,000 dead to gun violence since 2012?! What is that? The weight that we are leaving for our youth is unbearable to bear witness to, but if we don’t… what kind of world will we have created?
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Kazu Haga ·
What’s next? That is the big question facing this country after the election of Trump. And many people have been sharing their thoughts on that over social and traditional media, over dinner conversations, at the office and on the bus...
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31 min ·
If everyone watched this it could transform the world.
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56 min ·
Robert Sapolsky is an American neuroendocrinologist and author. He is currently a professor of biology, and professor of neurology and neurological sciences and, by courtesy, neurosurgery, at Stanford University. Recorded: May 2017
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Miki Kashtan ·
"So what can I do, as an individual?"
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Miki Kashtan ·
In response to my recent newsletter, which I named “Tenderness, Vulnerability, and Mourning as a Response to Patriarchy”, I received two comments from men that led me to choose to write this piece. In two very different ways they...
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Eric Bowers ·
Two of the most supportive things parents can do for their children are healing their own attachment trauma (thereby further developing their own neural pathways for emotional regulation and secure attachment) and reclaiming disowned parts.
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Ricky Sherover-Marcuse ·
Since, under present world conditions, everyone either is now, or has been, or will be at some time a target of social oppression, and since everyone is now, or has been, or will be in a non-target group in relation to some other...
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Tim Hjersted ·
Privilege discourse has noble intentions but it seems that it is used far too often in practice to guilt and shame others for things they don't have control over. If education and empathy (and not shame) is the goal, it might be better...
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Vu Le ·
Hi everyone. This might be another one of those serious posts, so please take a few deep breaths and eat some dark chocolate. While perusing an online group, I witnessed a conversation between several colleagues, and it was...
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Charles Eisenstein ·
Over the past decade I’ve watched with alarm the widening polarization of the body politic across Western societies (and to some extent globally). As commonly recognized, the public is split into irreconcilable political factions who...
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16 min ·
How do you deal with a bully without becoming a thug in return? In this wise and soulful talk, peace activist Scilla Elworthy maps out the skills we need -- as nations and individuals -- to fight extreme force without using force in...
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Prof. Michael Nagler ·
Joanna Macy talks about three tasks needed to bring in a world of spiritual progress: create new institutions, change the culture, and stop the worst of the damage. At Metta we feel that the worst of the damage has been to the human...
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Hardy Merriman ·
Three attributes can make the difference between success and failure for nonviolent movements around the world: unity, planning, and nonviolent discipline.
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Book Recommendations:
A Compassionate Civilization: The Urgency of Sustainable Development and Mindful Activism - Reflections and Recommendations
Choosing Peace: New Ways to Communicate to Reduce Stress, Create Connection, and Resolve Conflict
Tim Hjersted is the director of Films For Action.