The Practical Peacemaker: How Simple Living Makes Peace Possible

by Kate Lawrence

The Practical Peacemaker shows how compassionate people concerned about violence, inequity, and environmental destruction can, by living simply, transform their lives into an effective statement for peace. Everyday choices, if arising from ethical intention, can make a substantial difference. Written especially for those who have despaired of being able to make any meaningful response, The Practical Peacemaker empowers as it outlines a broader vision than has been articulated by previous books on simple living. To become peacemakers, we need to pay as much attention to what is happening in our thinking as we do to downsizing our budget or clearing our clutter. The book examines such peace-destroying personal habits as careless eating and drinking, overbusy schedules, seeking instant gratification, and anger. It goes on to consider societal obstacles to peace, such as advertising, media saturation, rudeness, prejudice, environmental degradation, and overpopulation. At both the personal and societal levels, readers are shown specific positive actions they can take, without waiting for others to change, which will further the cause of peace in themselves and in the world.

128 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2009

About the author

Kate Lawrence is a writer, activist on vegan and environmental issues, and retired reference librarian. She is the author of The Practical Peacemaker: How Simple Living Makes Peace Possible, and has been consciously simplifying her life for over twenty years. She lives in Denver.

Reviews

[Bob Stocker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The “tragedy of the commons” can occur when multiple people draw from a common resource. Everyone recognizes that the resource is being used up, but people are unwilling to reduce their use of the resource because someone else will surely use whatever they don't. The tragedy continues until the resource is exhausted or everyone's behavior is changed either by the imposition of external controls or by changes in people's attitudes.

Though not cast is this way, Kate Lawrence's book The Practical Peacemaker is, at least in part, an attempt to save the commons that all of us on Planet Earth share by changing people's attitudes. Her suggestions are practical – things that each of us can do. Her hope that peace and goodness will catch on if we set good examples for our fellow humans may be less practical. Fortunately, striving to live a life that has less impact on our commons, the Earth, may have its own rewards. I'm planning to start taking some of Kate's advice. I don't see what it could hurt, and it might do some good for both me and the rest of the world.

[Keith Akers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best exposition of what "simple living" means in print. It takes you through the personal obstacles to peace (careless eating and drinking, anger, etc.,) and the social obstacles to peace (overpopulation, environmental degradation, war, etc.).

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Lawrence has written a great but short book on the important subject of becoming a peacemaker. She goes through some of the personal and societal obstacles to peace, and explains how living more simply makes peace possible.

I learned quite a bit from this book, and wish some of the subjects had been covered in more detail, such as the chapter on overpopulation. Definitely some good food for thought.

The final chapter of the book asks the question, "Does what I do make a difference?", and thankfully, the answer is a resounding "YES!" Every one of our actions sets and example for others and influences others in ways we may not expect. Some good examples were given.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Practical Peacemaker is a manual for enjoying a calmer inner life while making interpersonal, world and inter-species peace possible. The material in the book falls into three categories: attitudes and behaviors that impact one’s own peace, those that impact the peacefulness of others or one’s relationships with others; and those that impact the peacefulness of the larger society’s or international peace. Particularly this latter category considers national, institutional and corporate attitudes and behaviors as well as those of individuals. This is an impressively wide range of material to include in a 120 page book.

Rather than try to react to each category covered in the book, I shall mention one point that positively impressed me and another that bothered me. The positive example is first. The author’s analysis of advertising is the most accurate and succinct I have seen: “Advertising is designed to make us dissatisfied with our lives.” Of course, advertising is intended to encourage consumerism. Somehow its insidious impact on our view of our lives had not been so clear to me until I read this sentence.

A point that bothered me was the author’s report that tattoos and piercings disrupted her inner peace, so others should not indulge in these forms of body art. The part of her discomfort that I and many others resonate with is the obsessive use of tattoos and piercing by mentally ill people who are self-destructive and use these as a form of self-mutilation. It may be the blatant expression of such raw emotional pain that disturbs our peace. However, at a time when tattoos and piercings appear on apparently well adjusted people--teachers, firemen, people exercising at the Y, and even some younger business professionals--her reported discomfort may point out a need for internal reworking rather than changed behavior of the part of others.

The Practical Peacemaker is just that: practical. For some readers, many of the author’s suggestions will seem too great a leap to take at this time. But the book may start a thought process within these readers that leads to increasingly peaceful attitudes and behaviors over time. Other readers may have previously and independently adopted attitudes and behaviors the author sees as peace-promoting, and be ready for their next step. The book may inspire them. If you are open to the book’s message, there is much to be gained from it.