The Daily Peacemaker : Recent Episodes
Frank Thacker
To encourage, inspire and support individuals to use their skills and talents, time and energy in however they see fit to help create a culture of peace.
The first step in living a non-dualistic life is to integrate your shadow self into your conscious personality.
Simply put, the more shadow work you do the better you become at creating a culture of peace.
If you befriend your shadow self, you will save yourself a lot of turmoil and have increased energy to help create a culture of peace.
It is wise to acknowledge and embrace your Shadow. If you don't it will cause you some unpleasant experiences
Evolution is the path to Unity Consciousness wherein we will find a better world for all creatures.
Four steps or activities that will help you move forward on your journey to the Oneness aka Unity Consciousness. Episode 52 ☮️ Daily Peacemaker
Unity Consciousness focuses on the reality that all creation is interrelated. It calls us to cooperate rather than compete
Even these dark times the process of evolution gives me hope that creation's journey to the Oneness will continue.
It is not that hard to find good news which will support and encourage you to let your light shine.
Learn more in episode 49 of Daily Peacemaker!
CREATING A CULTURE OF PEACE - Episode 46 ☮️ Daily Peacemaker
Interested. We need you. Some ideas on how to do this.
https://dailypeacemaker.com/2024/12/02/creating-a-culture-of-peace/
The quality of forgiveness is twice blessed. It blesses the one who gives and the one who receives.
The third principle of Kingian nonviolence, "Attack the behavior, not the person", calls on us to honor and respect the inherent worth and dignity of the person.
We need to avoid internal violence to our spirit and soul as well as external physical violence.
If we are to achieve the goal of creating a true culture of peace, we must learn to not seek revenge or retaliation when we are offended.
The Beloved Community will be constructed by ordinary people living nonviolently as they seek to create a culture in which the inherent worth and dignity of every being is honored and respected.
If you are going to walk the path of evolution and nonviolence, you are going to need a daily dose of
courage.
Nonviolence is a choice. In any given situation you can respond with violence or nonviolence. The choice is yours
It is okay to feel discouraged. Acknowledge it. Deal with it but don't get stuck in it.
If we want to create a culture of peace we need to become more skilled in living our daily lives in a nonviolent way.
Creating a culture of peace. Are we at the tipping point? If not, we're close. Help us out.
Is peace on earth possible. Yes, it is indeed very possible. Is it probable? That is up to you.
Humanity is in chaos. With your help we can move into a more harmonious way of living. Learn more in our latest episode of Daily Peacemaker!
Chaos is everywhere. Hold onto the hope that from this chaos will come a deeper more cohesive order. We can do this.
Learn what it really means to turn the other cheek. It is not a passive reaction to violence but a courageous nonviolent response to violence.
come not to bring peace but to bring a sword." What is the meaning of that statement? Listen to this episode for more information.
Always open to thoughts, comments, questions, and ideas.
Peace Frank Thacker
DailyPeacemaker.com
Let us work to create a culture of peace by seeking to live more nonviolently today than we did yesterday.
Marlies and George share their journey in the hope that it will inspire you to add your piece to the puzzle. Working together ordinary people can create a lasting culture of peace.
In working to create a culture of peace it is not uncommon to feel dismayed, disappointed and discouraged. That is pretty understandable and okay. Just don't get struck there. Accept and acknowledge your feelings and then move on. Hopefully this podcast will help you do that.
This episode looks at our shadow self. It is that part of us that we do not like or are ashamed of. Thus we attempt to keep it hidden, however it is always with us, following us like a shadow.
Because it is part of who we are it is always eager to show itself. It lurks in the shadow of psyche awaiting a chance to show its face. And when it does pop up, as if out of nowhere, we resort to explanations like “I misspoke”, or “that’s not really who I am.”
It would be far better if we would acknowledge those parts of us that we don’t like rather than seeking to deny them or hide them in the shadows of our soul.
Once we begin to accept our shadow self and even embrace it, it becomes less of a problem. Since we are aware of it, we are more able to keep it from making unexpected appearances.
Also, acceptance of our shadow self begins to soothe our soul and deepen our sense of inner peace. And the stronger our inner peace, the greater our ability to work towards creating a culture of peace.
As always, questions, insights and ideas are always welcome.
Peace
Frank Thacker
This episode looks at our shadow self. It is that part of us that we do not like or are ashamed of. Thus we attempt to keep it hidden, however it is always with us, following us like a shadow.
Because it is part of who we are it is always eager to show itself. It lurks in the shadow of psyche awaiting a chance to show its face. And when it does pop up, as if out of nowhere, we resort to explanations like “I misspoke”, or “that’s not really who I am.”
It would be far better if we would acknowledge those parts of us that we don’t like rather than seeking to deny them or hide them in the shadows of our soul.
Once we begin to accept our shadow self and even embrace it, it becomes less of a problem. Since we are aware of it, we are more able to keep it from making unexpected appearances.
Also, acceptance of our shadow self begins to soothe our soul and deepen our sense of inner peace. And the stronger our inner peace, the greater our ability to work towards creating a culture of peace.
As always, questions, insights and ideas are always welcome.
Peace
Frank Thacker
What’s your end game was the way a friend of mine would find out what my intention was in having a discussion with him.
This podcast looks at our intentions from three different levels.
- Everyday activities. “What’s my intention in daily brushing my teeth”
- Ordinary, but not everyday events. “What’s my intention in going to this party?”
- Life purpose. “What’s my intention in living how I do?”
Simply put the more mindful or aware of my intention in any given situation the less likely will I find myself in an uncomfortable situation. The more comfortable I am the more I can act from my true self. The more I act from my true self the more I will contribute to creating a culture of peace.
Comments, ideas, question always welcome.
Peace
Frank Thacker
This podcast explores the nature of hope and its importance.
What is hope?
Is it a virtue, as in he is a hopeful person? Is it a prayer when you tell someone you are hoping they get that new job? Or when you work hard at a task you hope to accomplish, is hope the energy that enables to work so hard
It seems hope has many facets to it. In terms of creating a culture of peace hope is important because it gives us the energy to keep working at this task and it also helps us when we get discouraged and want to give up.
As Martin Luther King, Jr. said “We must accept finite disappointment but never lose infinite hope.”
We HOPE you find this podcast helps you understand hope and its importance in your efforts to do your part in creating a culture of peace.
We welcome any insights, ideas or questions.
Peace
Frank Thacker
I am so angry I could…….. How often do we hear that? It seems everyone is angry about something right now. In this episode we address this issue of anger and what we can do about it. So yes there are a lot of angry people walking around. Actually that is ok because anger is neither a good thing nor a bad thing. It is simply a human feeling we all experience.
The main issue is what are you going to do with that anger, that ball of energy that you are carrying around. For that is what anger is. It is energy. It is a source of energy that you can use to do something constructive or let it use you to do something destructive. People like Martin Luther King, Jr., or Gandhi or Candace Lightner where tremendously angry people but they used their anger to do something good.
You may say well yeah they were great people. I’m not able to do something like that. Well maybe you are and maybe you’re not. That is not the issue here. The issue is what are you doing to do with your anger.
First thing is to able to became aware of being angry. Once you are aware of your anger you can then chose to use it in a positive way. Angry about how we are destroying the environment, join a local environment group. Upset with your current senator or representative, start working for a candidate that is running against them. The possibilities are endless. It is also important to not let your anger build up because at some point it might just explode and you find yourself doing something or saying something you will regret later. So find ways to discharge it on a regular basis. Work out, write poems, beat up a pillow. Again the ways to discharge your anger are endless.
So bottom line. It’s your choice to use your anger to do something constructive or let your anger use you to something destructive.
Peace
Frank Thacker
In the previous episode we talked about the importance of listening to the other if we are to create unity where there is diversity. In this episode we talk about the importance of nonviolence in bringing about unity where there is a difference of opinion. By unity we don’t mean agreement on an issue but rather the creation of a sense of connection
In this podcast talk about an recent encounter I had with an person with a different perspective from me on a couple of issues and how I attempted to create a sense of connection with him by using some of the principles of nonviolence.
While all six of the Kingian principles of nonviolence played a part in my endeavor there were three that stood out.
Principle 2, The Beloved Community is the framework for the future. This is basically about winning the person over rather than winning over the person. It is not about winning the conflict or discussion but rather getting the person to engage in building a culture of peace.
Principle 4. To accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal, One needs to be able to endure being made fun of, being castigated or even dealing with physical violence without seeking to get back at the other in order for a culture of peace to grow.
Principle 5. To avoid internal violence of the spirit as well as external physical violence. Not only do we need to refrain from any physical violence we must also not harden our hearts toward the other. And we need to be gentle and kind to ourselves also.
It is good to keep these principles in mind in our daily dealings with others who may see things differently from us.
We hope this episode has been helpful in your endeavors to build a culture of peace.
Peace
Frank Thacker
If we are to achieve Unity in Diversity we must be able to listen to the other. There are many aspects to good learning. In this podcast we touch on three important elements of what is often called deep listening.
- When you listen to someone you need to be able to not only listen to the words they are saying but also be able to tune into what they are feeling.
This is often referred to as listening with the third ear. You hear their words but also capture their feelings, the intensity of their belief or the power of their values.
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You need to keep an open and empty mind. Most of the time when we listen to someone express an opposing believe or value we interrupt them or half of our mind is listening while the other have is working on producing a good response that will show them how wrong they are.
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You need to learn how to ask good questions in order to deepen your understanding of how the other person has arrived at the values, beliefs and opinion they are expressing.
As a daily peacemaker you can be about creating a culture of peace and build unity in diversity by listening to the other.
Listening is indeed an art and a skill. We hope this podcast helps you to develop your listening ability as this is a powerful way that you can use in your everyday life to create a culture of peace.
Peace Frank Thacker
In this episode we talk about unity in diversity in terms of large groups. Thus the catchy title Unity in Diversity Expanded.
We talk about four groups or four categories. These are Climate Crisis Believers, Climate Crisis Deniers, Gun Control Advocates and anti-Gun Control Advocates.
In each of these four categories there are large numbers of diverse groups working on different aspects of the issue they are concerned about. The question is, can they unite. Yes if they find and articulate a common goal. In order to do this all the groups have to listen to each other and treat each other nonviolently.
Can groups that are on opposite sides of an issue like gun control/no gun control find unity? Definitely possible. For example I would suspect that both gun control and no gun control groups want to stop the senseless killings happening around the world. But again for two opposing groups to achieve some sort of unity will take a lot of listening and treating each other nonviolently.
And what about us as daily peacemakers. What can we do? Well pretty much the same on a smaller level whether it is a friend who has an opposing or you are part of a group working with other groups or even engaged with groups opposing your groups on a particular issue.
Seek a common goal, a place where you can go together. I believe one can do this through listening and treating each other nonviolently.
As Rumi said “Out beyond the ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.
Questions, insights and observation are always welcomed.
Peace
Frank Thacker
What I usually did is find a topic, reflect on it for a few days, create a podcast, review the podcast and write an introduction.
When I reviewed this podcast I became aware of how complex this issue of unity in diversity is and how the podcast, while it is an ok starting point, needs to go a deeper into this topic of achieving unity in diversity.
That being said there are a couple of important points that the podcast touches upon:
- unity is not conformity or sameness
- diversity is not divisiveness
- each diverse individual, group, organization needs to be respected and listened to.
- for diverse individuals, groups, etc. there needs to be a common goal if they are to achieve unity.
- the smaller the group the easier it is to achieve unity and vice versa.
As we mention in the podcast there are many large diverse groups in the world that are moving toward divisiveness rather unity and that seems to be what the mass media focuses upon.
Yet at the same time there are more diversity groups in the culture that are moving toward and actually creating unity.
So given the above I find myself reflecting on:
- why do some groups move toward unity and others toward divisiveness
- what can you, as a daily peacemaker, do to create more unity.
As always we ask that you share your thoughts, feelings, insights and questions with us.
Peace
Frank Thacker
The New Story Stories are important because they can tell us a lot about who were are. It seems there are many people who are saying we humans need a new story because the old story is causing us divisiveness, disharmony, destruction, and disappointment.
Although the Old Story has many manifestations it is basically encapsulated in the phrase” us against them”. As mention in this podcast and in the excellent children’s book Cory and the Seventh Story some of these manifestations are:
. Us ruling over them, . Us overthrowing them, . Us getting away from them, . Us bullying and rejecting them, . Us feeling sorry for ourselves because of them, . Us having more material goods than them.
The New Story, simply and straightforwardly, points out that there is no them. There is only us and we are all interconnected. The new story is about learning how to live in right relationship with each other, how to learn from each other rather than fight each other, how to respect each other rather than castigate one other and how to work together to create a lasting culture of peace not only for ourselves but more importantly for our children and their children and on unto the Seventh Generation.
The Daily Peacemaker is about creating and spreading this New Story from the bottom up and grounded in nonviolence. And the New Story needs people like you to spread this good news.
Your questions, insights, and suggestions are always welcomed.
Peace
Frank Thacker
This episode contains ( Part 1-4 of episode 6 )
The Beloved Community is about creating a culture of peace. It is our belief here at the Daily Peacemaker that if we are to create a culture of peace aka The Beloved Community it has to come from the bottom up and its foundation is nonviolence. In order to walk the road of nonviolence we have found it helpful to have a school of thought, a philosophy, or a model of nonviolence to guide us on this journey. We have found Kingian Nonviolence, based on Martin Luther King, Jr.’s experiences, wisdom and insights to be most helpful in our desire to lead our lives in a less violent way today than we did yesterday. This approach to nonviolence is encapsulated in the six principles (The Will) and six steps (The Skill) of Kingian Nonviolence. Given that reality Pam McDonald, Madeline Labriola and myself, all certified level II Kingian nonviolence trainers, have created four videos, focused on these principles and steps, in which we seek to broaden and deepen the understanding and practice of living nonviolently.
Peace
Frank Thacker
This episode seeks to deepen our understanding of what nonviolence is. It explains the relationship between anger and nonviolence and how nonviolence is not passive. It also discusses nonviolence as a science, an art and a skill.
We hope you enjoy this episode and that it does deepen your understanding of nonviolence. We would love to hear your ideas on what you think nonviolence is and how it can be used in everyday life. Feel free to contact us with any questions or comments at DailyPeacemaker.com
Peace
Frank Thacker
Daily Peacemaker or Daily Peacemakers? That is the question. Actually a number of people have asked us why we chose Daily Peacemaker rather than Daily Peacemakers. Obviously you know what we chose. Ah, but do you know why. Check out this short episode and find out why. Let us know what you think of our choice.
If we can listen and keep our minds and hearts open, conflicts can be good things because they can lead us to new understandings, views and knowledge. However they can also easily intensify, escalate and lead to violence. Thus the better able we are to mange conflict the more likely it will lead to something good.
This 20 minute episode has a short introduction followed by a video in which myself and two friends, both Level II Certified Nonviolence Trainers, discuss the escalating levels of conflict, how to assess them and how to manage them.
There are two technological issues with the video. One is the screen gets small. The other is a play video icon that appears on the screen for a few minutes. We apologize for these. The video has its place but the content is far more important. We hope you enjoy this episode and that it helps you become better able to manage any conflicts you encounter.
So come join us on this journey towards understanding levels of conflict. Also please visit us at DailyPeacemaker.com
Peace
Frank Thacker
Most of us are familiar with the phrase:
"Let there be peace on earth and let it began with me."
This episode explores the notion of inner peace and the necessity of developing a sense of inner peace before one can fruitfully move into the outer realm of working to create a lasting culture of peace. We also explore the three practices of meditation, gratitude and forgiveness that we hope you find helpful in developing a strong sense of inner peace. As always we welcome any questions, insights, and observations.
So come join us on this journey towards Inner Peace. Also please visit us at DailyPeacemaker.com
Peace
Frank Thacker
This short introduction to the Daily Peacemaker touches on the three main elements of our philosophy which are:
- we believe we can create a culture of peace
- we believe that a lasting culture of peace must come from the bottom up
- we believe that nonviolence is the foundation on which to build a culture of peace
The Daily Peacemaker is about you. It is about me. It is about all the ordinary everyday people around the planet. Individually, by doing what we each can, and collectively by working together we can get this done.
So hop aboard and join us on this journey to the Beloved Community.