Moving On: Restorative Justice and the Use of the Law as an Instrument in Healing... Sound Crazy?

National Violence Monitoring System (NVMS) is Used in Indonesia to Actualize Their Policy of Sharing Commitment to Reducing Violence

Change the Stigma Against People with Mental Illness- Let the Change Begin with Each of Us..

Children Full of Life: Documentary About a Wise Teacher & His Fourth Grade Class

"This movie is not about Japan, Japanese schools, nor a remarkable Japanese teacher. The location/language is not the point. What makes this film so compelling is its innate human-ness. Listening. Sharing. Empathizing. Bonding. This is a movie about a wise elder human encouraging younger humans to be Great, to listen to their hearts, to listen to others, to reflect and be honest, to make a community for the benefit of all. Start from our heart. Goal is happiness. For everyone. 人間の心は一

U.S. Peace Index Map: Changes Between 1991-2011

The Exponential Impact of Alienation

Andrew Schepard's Interview on Challenges Within Family Mediation- Excellent!

The Value of an Apology: Insufficient? Relevant?

Does This Look Familiar? Yikes!

Okay, so these Grizzly Bears could be our clients, our parents, our colleagues, our best-intentioned judicial system... Fortunately, there is an alternative approach, which is modeled in the form of Restorative Justice. Check it out, look it up, google it, watch some videos of some of the Peace Circles, the "Oasis of Peace" with the folks in the middle east and consider the cost of violence- no matter what the form. "Blessed shall be the peacemaker..." No matter what faith we observe, there is truth in that mantra.

Silobreaker Tool

My Happy New Year Wishes

Best Wishes to all, for a healthy and blessed new year. In the honor of the new decade (does it start with 2010 or 2011?) I have attached this photo as a symbol of my image of "hurling oneself into the fray." Fray negotiation is not for the faint of heart... Rather than avoid it, we must GREET it, RISE to the occasion, EMBRACE the difficult conversation... while avoiding any and all temptation to escalate, retaliate or lose our focus on our greatest value... that of moving the discussion forward and maintain the connection...

Atlantis: Rise Above, Be Bold and Abhor Bad Acts

I was having a conversation with one of my teenagers this week, we came across the light topic of "So, Is Man Basically Good or Bad?" Her argument was "They are bad."

I protested, she politely listened and then made the following speech: "No... we are basically bad and we have to be taught to be good. Then, it takes effort and energy and care to behave well.... Think about it. It is easier to blow someone off than to strive to reach them... It is easier to be rude than to be considerate... It is easier to eat with our hands than use a fork... It is easier to wipe our mouth with the back of our hand than to use our napkin..." I am deeply moved by these last several arguments... Maybe this child is seeing something which I have ceased to appreciate... Then she absolutely floored me by saying "I see how you are polite, you are kind, you insist on teaching us manners, grammar and taking the high road... I see you are disappointed when you see other people act like that... They just don't know any better... See? So, do I win the argument now?"... Wow...

San Patrignano- An Amazing Treatment Center