Eupan - Good for All - www.eupan.net

Toward eupan ~ ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

Act with Kindness.  Love Justice.  Do Good.  “However many holy words you speak however many you read, what good will they do you if you do not act on them?” - the gist of a longer quote from the Buddha ( read longer explanation here ). Toward eupan ~ ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

A study in physics shows in yet another system that "very small interactions can add up and in the end synchronize very large systems."  Let's each engage small interactions of kindness, love, and generosity and sync human interactions worldwide toward peace! Link to scientific study news release. Toward eupan ~ ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

What helps when you are living with loss, grief, and great change?  (From  Kate Tucker, UU Minister) "It helps to expect that you will be surprised.  No one exactly like you has ever experienced a loss just like yours. Your inner clock, your inner landscape, your intimate story, is yours and no one else's. It helps to understand that this will take you on an unpredictable journey.  And that this change is a thing that happens in your body, not just in your soul. It helps to know that your feelings can be complex and multiple. Sorrow and relief, love and anger, despair and hope can live together and yo-yo in astonishing ways. It helps when you can welcome all the feelings, show hospitality, ask them all to tea. It helps to give sorrow words - to tell your heart to those who know how to listen and love you--the ones who don't mind at all when you repeat yourself. It helps to recognize that though your loved one dies, your ...

This powerful 7 minute video from the Templeton Foundation is compelling. Toward eupan ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

We're new to our neighborhood (less than 6 months). I engaged in a brief conversation with a neighbor I've met one other time. Our conversation was very close to this: Me:  Hello Richard!  I see you've got your dogs again! Richard:  Yes!  A nice day for a walk.  You're clearly working on something here with all this lumber? Me:  [Explain my 2x4 and 1x4 wood project.] Richard:  Now tell me, what is it that you do again? Me:  My area of professional interest is in solving the most tragic problems of the world? Richard: Oh? Me:  Yes, I'm a University Professor and  I work to understand how and why people willingly engage in violence and specifically how religion plays a role in perpetuating that violence. Richard:  Well, I don't think we'll ever see and end to violence, what with the Islamic people and all that they do. Me:  I have to remain hopeful that we can change the world to become a better place. ...

Excerpted from:   bethechange2012 blog . What would happen if one day we all suddenly started to feel fully empathetic with the victims of violence—and not just gun violence, or military violence, but also rape, domestic violence, violence against animals, violence against the forests and the waters of our planet? . . .   What if I, and other Americans like me, started to actively fight the conditioning that has made us believe that the healthiest, sanest response to ubiquitous violence is to turn our gaze away and keep moving? What if we began to lean in to the deep wellsprings of compassion and empathy that are our birthright as human beings, and act out of the power we find there?   What if instead of accepting the constant static of violence as a given of modern existence, we began to actively tune in to it, in order to serve—each one of us—as antennae capable of picking up the signal and disrupting it, transforming it from cacophony to an entirely different...

What if Global Forgiveness went viral!?!? FC from Forgiveness Challenge on Vimeo . More here:   Forgivenesschallenge.com Toward eupan ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

The U.N. International Peace Day. As I gathered with at least one Rabbi, an Imam, Pastors, and persons from various international locations, including local Native American Indians, I wished for more times when more persons of diverse traditions could be together. In a few weeks, the local chapter of the U.N. will meet to engage issues about refugees.   The luncheon on Saturday, October 18th is open to anyone.  Read more about the blogs various posts:  http://una-okc.blogspot.com/ Toward eupan ~ ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

The following five stages for discerning conflict are explained in detail here: Conflict, in general, builds through five stages - Discomfort , Incident , Misunderstanding , Tension and Crisis , although it can begin at any one of the first three stages. The earlier a conflict is identified and deal t with, the easier it is to resolve This is the html version of the file http://www.amfanational.org/images/pdf_docs/ps_training2_understanding_conflict.ppt.  ( Google automatically generates html versions of documents as we crawl the web. )  Conflict Resolution & Understanding Conflict  Understanding Conflict     Conflict is all around us.  It is not something that we can choose to have or not have.  It just is.     It may center on something as seemingly trivial as who leaves their dirty cups in the sink, where to go eat lunch, or whether or not to buy that new piece of stereo equipment.     Or it may be mo...

I learned more about Michelle LeBaron today. She has insightful ideas about the need to understand the depth of cultural issues that shape conflicts among persons. I could share more, but these links provide great summary details for your learning. Summary of Bridging Cultural Conflicts: A New Approach for a Changing World with summary written by Brett Reeder, Conflict Research Consortium - Citation: LeBaron, Michelle, 2003,Bridging Cultural Conflicts: A New Approach for a Changing World, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA. Summary of LeBaron, Michelle.”Culture and Conflict.” Beyond Intractability. Eds- Guy Burgess and Heidi Burgess. Conflict Research Consortium, University of Colorado, Boulder. Posted: July 2003 Toward eupan  ~ ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

When people are engaged in projects, there is potential for conflict. The United Methodist Church has been working to insure that congregations are places of peace, even while they recognize that conflict may take place within congregations. Toward that end, JustPeaceUMC.org  reflects the intentional efforts of the United Methodist Church to provide resources and tools for faith communities toward the transformation of conflict to peace. Great resource links at the JustPeaceUMC blog and at the JustPeaceUMC resources page ! Toward eupan ~ ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

"The biggest dis-service we do to peacemaking is to make it an abstraction.  When we say things like, 'This is what the Bible says about peace," or 'This is what the Koran says about peace" we deal with abstractions. Our issues need to be, how do we actually negotiate peace-making?"  - not an exact quote, but captured as quoted idea from Najeeba Sayeed-Miller.   (At DUKE Divinity Center for Reconciliation Summer Institute 2014) Learning more about Elise Boulding in these days - and my life is better as a result.   More here on Elise . Leonard Fein has pointed out that the number one power in peacemaking is the power to convene.  More works by Leonard Fein here. Toward eupan ~ marty alan michelson, ph.d.

I've been thinking recently about the term "practitioner." The term is used for persons who have developed an expertise, as for Medical Doctors who are Medical practitioners. And yet, the term is also used among Eastern Religions/Culture for persons who engage in certain practices as a routine in their life, for example, persons who are practitioners of yoga. We don't commonly use the term "practitioner" for persons who are practicing for a sport (baseball, football, basketball, tennis, etc), though it is certainly true that persons practice the sport in order to develop their skill to perform on the playing field/court. This week I'm spending some time with Rick Love and getting to know Peace Catalyst International while I'm at DUKE University's Center for Reconciliation . For many years now I've used the label for myself as a Peacemaker.  I like the term and think it is important for many reasons.  We work to make peace. I won...

Persons in Oklahoma, please note for your calendar: The Interfaith Alliance Foundation of Oklahoma will hold its 11 th Annual Day of Reflection on Thursday, May 1, at 7:00 pm at the First Christian Church, 3700 N. Walker, OKC. The event coincides with the National Day of Prayer. The Interfaith event stresses the constructive contributions to society of diverse religious traditions in Oklahoma and America. This year's theme will be "Violence in Society: A Matter of Faith." "Too often, violence in the name of religion is common place, so we want to stress violence prevention in the name of religion," said Rev Jeff Hamilton, Legislative Chair of the Interfaith Alliance Foundation of Oklahoma. The keynote speaker for the event will be Janet L Peery, CEO, YWCA, Oklahoma City. Peery is well known for her leadership for the prevention of domestic violence and sexual assault. Jan's advocacy work has brought her numerous recognitions and awards, inclu...