Conflict Resolution (Also see Nonviolence)

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“A Nonviolent Society for the Common Good”

December 3, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

In recent years American society has experienced a serious upsurge of anti-government rhetoric, including threats of violence against members of Congress – and in January 2011 an actual shooting. We have seen a continuation of war, torture and human rights abuses by our government, cutbacks in vital social and health services, a mania for privatizing public services, intolerance of minority races and religions, and an overall breakdown in the sense of our common humanity. Are these interconnected?  Do they have common roots? Can we find solutions that will resolve these problems and restore our public ethics and our common humanity? […]

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“Stories of Working for Peace and Justice”

December 3, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

For a long time the world has been suffering depressing news about war, violence, eco-nomics, human rights, environment, climate, and other issues. As a result, people who care about these issues can feel depressed and demoralized. But – over the years – people who persist in grassroots movements for civil rights, peace, labor, environment, and so forth keep saying that what keeps moving these move-ments ahead is people sharing their stories. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s June 2011 TV program features personal experiences, stories and insights from six local people who have worked effectively for peace and social justice. The […]

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TV: “Nonviolence in the Real World”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

It’s typical to assume that danger requires a “fight or flight” response: Either use violence or run away. When applied to foreign policy this leads us to rely on militarism and war. Domestically we end up with people arming themselves, passing “stand your ground” gun laws, and getting into fights. Movies and much of popular culture (and our foreign policy) rely upon “the Myth of Redemptive Violence,” the notion that prob-lems can be solved only by an ultimate confrontation in which the “good” person uses violence to triumph over the “evil” one. Movies show this as a shootout on a […]

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TV: “ITTP Cracks the Cycle of Trauma in World Conflicts”

December 2, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Wars and violent conflict occur in many places throughout the world. Also, torture occurs more often and in more places than ordinary people might assume. Experiencing any of these can traumatize a person, so a great many persons around the world have been traumatized by torture, war, or violent conflicts. What do traumatized persons need in order to recover? How can we support practitioners who are providing treatment for this trauma? The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s February 2013 TV program explores these concerns. Our two guests have worked extensively in this field: • John Van Eenwyk is an Episcopal priest […]

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“Restorative Justice and Restorative Practices”

November 30, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

Everybody knows that our criminal justice system is dysfunctional in many ways. Despite paying lip service to victims, the current system does practically nothing for them and focuses almost entirely on punishing offenders. Despite paying lip service to – QUOTE “corrections” UNQUOTE, the current system does NOT correct behavior, but merely punishes it. Jails and prisons diminish the inmates’ ability to live civilly, brutalize them, and turn them into hardened criminals. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s April 2010 TV program explores “Restorative Justice” – a totally fresh alternative to our criminal justice system.  We also explore applying similar “Restorative Practices” […]

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TV: “How to Resolve Conflicts”

November 20, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

See the end of this short summary for links to a longer summary and a link for watching the interview. In a real democracy, people would empower themselves to solve problems – including interpersonal conflicts – in mutually respectful ways. This is actually quite possible, with some basic training and skills – and sometimes with help from skilled neutral facilitators. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s December 2013 TV program focuses on a methodology for helping people resolve conflicts. We also feature a local non-profit organ-ization that uses those methods to help people do that. Across the country and here in […]

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TV: Igniting a Grassroots Compassion Movement”

November 20, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

To watch this 1-hour interview, click HERE. To read the following summary in .pdf format, click Program Description — June 2014. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s June 2014 TV program explores the potential of applying compassion to a wide range of social problems. Our four guests (listed near the end of this article) are active in Compassionate Seattle, which began in 2008, when the Dalai Lama visited Seattle and promoted the Seeds of Compassion, which Archbishop Desmond Tutu also supported. Another boost came in late 2009 when Karen Armstrong won a TED award for her Charter of Compassion movement based […]

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TV: “How to Talk Politics with People Different from You”

November 17, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s September 2015 TV program deals constructively with our na-tion’s political polarization. We explore practical ways to communicate across the political divide, so we can all move forward. When Americans have such sharply different values and worldviews, we lack a common starting point about what is real and true. This makes it hard to have rational conversations about controversial issues – and hard to solve public policy problems. Are we stuck with escalating polarization? Or can we find better ways to respect the basic humanity even of people with whom we disagree? Of course, when we […]

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TV: “100 Years of FOR’s Bold Nonviolent Work for Peace and Justice”

November 17, 2017 GlenAnderson 0

The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s October 2015 TV program celebrates highlights about the FOR’s 100 years of accomplishments in the United States. The national FOR has accomplished much, but usually has been too modest about promoting itself. The FOR works well with other organizations and wants to accomplish good work, regardless of who gets the credit for doing it. As a result, although the FOR is not very well known, it has actually accomplished quite a lot during the past 100 years. This TV program highlights only a few of the fascinating pieces of the past 100 years, but we […]