Would you believe at least 26!
The conflicts you see on CNN are just the tip of the iceberg. There are active military conflicts in almost every part of the world and most of them are under the radar of the news media.
Which brings me to an important question: Is it even possible for human beings to live in peace?
Or, when we climb out of our ivory towers, unbutton our Armani suits or slip off of Buddhist robes, are we just a bunch of well-dressed, Mercedes-driving, blue-chip-owning Neanderthals?
Now consider this.
All war starts within ourselves.
Yes, you heard me. All war starts within ourselves and from there it escalates into the infamous I’m Right/You’re Wrong argument for which some people are willing to die. (Or have others die in their place.)
If the truth be told, the reason we have so much conflict is that we have so few models of what real peacemaking looks and acts like.
My guest this week on Dov Baron’s Accidental Guru show is Doug Noll, a hard-core trial lawyer turned peacemaker, who specializes in difficult, complex, and intractable conflicts.
His third book, Elusive Peace: How Modern Diplomatic Strategies Could Better Resolve World Conflicts, won the 2011 book award from the International Institute of Conflict Prevention and Resolution. He has some very controversial opinions about the people who are supposed to be the official peacekeepers of the world.
Peace Ban
In this very edgy Accidental Guru interview, Doug reveals that he is a man on mission, and he and I will take a look at the dirty little secret that makes Peace Illegal ! (Yes, you did read that correctly.) And why if you cause it you can go to jail for 25 years! Doug will go on to point out that almost every leader you have been led to believe is a peacemaker is in fact anything but that.
We will also look at what he is doing inside the California prison system with some of the most violent criminals that’s turning murders into peacemakers. We’ll talk about why we must address the lack of peace in the homes in which our children, the leaders of tomorrow, are being brought up if we are ever to have real peace in our world. Finally,we’ll take a look at