New Consciousness Review Summer 2015 | Page 62

OUR WORLD This book is about how to wage peace and eliminate the profit-driven and power-driven state of perpetual war that our weary world cannot sustain. This book should appeal to both liberals and conservatives. It is written not to demonize any particular view, but to provide a road map to finding the common ground. It is not a collection of dewey-eyed platitudes, but rather a reasoned and logical plea to focus on our common needs and aspirations and to build upon what binds us rather than magnifying what divides us. This book is about how to wage peace and eliminate the profit-driven and power-driven state of perpetual war that our weary world cannot sustain. AN IMPRESSIVE BOOK BY AN IMPRESSIVE YOUNG MAN. I URGE YOU TO READ IT AND JOIN THE PEACEFUL REVOLUTION. OUR FUTURE JUST MIGHT DEPEND UPON IT. Reviewed by Miriam Knight Today’s wars are ostensibly waged to bring about peace, or to pacify a population; they are, however, having little success and are creating more enemies and bankrupting our economies in the process. The only ones who seem to benefit from war are the big military contractors. Chappell suggests leaving the “war on terror” to those better able to find the terrorists – namely the police and intelligence organizations. If we used our armies to support countries and help their populations in times of disaster – truly turning swords into plowshares – we would gain friends and allies rather than creating terrorists and enemies. If we were to use our resources to provide health, education and infrastructure at home and aid and disaster relief abroad, we would improve the security and welfare of our people for a fraction of the cost of war, which only destroys countries and leaves no one better off. In the process of dealing with his own rage stemming from the traumas of war and childhood bullying and abuse, Paul has developed an understanding of the psychology of conflict and how to defuse it. In “The Art Of Waging Peace” he presents a methodology that is applicable at every level of human interaction. It begins with listening with respect and empathy to opposing views. One has only to listen to news pundits and politicians to appreciate how little of that is practiced. 62 | NEW CONSCIOUSNESS REVIEW About Paul Paul K. Chappell grew up in Alabama, the son of a Korean mother and a half-black and half-white father, who fought in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.  After Paul graduated from West Point he was deployed to Baghdad. He rose to the rank of captain and left active duty in November 2009. The author of four books, he lectures throughout the country and internationally, and teaches college courses and workshops on Peace Leadership. He serves as the peace leadership director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation whose mission is to educate and advocate for peace in a world free of nuclear weapons, and to empower peace leaders.  Paul he sees himself as living proof that nonviolent struggles such as the civil rights movement can create positive change, and he has dedicated his life to unlocking the full potential of strategic nonviolence. LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW