When his son Joshua acquired an uncontrolled seizure disorder at five months of age, Ted Kuntz entered one of the darkest periods of his life. After years of anger, despair and fear, Ted Kuntz had a life-transforming encounter with his son. This encounter changed the way he saw both his son and himself. Kuntz began an intensive journey of self inquiry to discover what pointed him in the direction of peace, joy and happiness, and what pointed him in the direction of anger, sadness and despair.Peace Begins With Me is an inspiring summary of the wisdom Kuntz acquired on this journey. Kuntz reminds us we can experience peace, joy and happiness through the practice of simple, yet powerful practices. Kuntz takes the wisdom of ancient masters and incorporates this wisdom into day-to-day language and action.You will discover:• Six ways of thinking that feed your negativity• Twelve strategies to increase your peace, joy and happiness• The difference between stress and distress• How to create Peace within.

Explains, in simple terms, the concept of peace, why conflicts occur, how they can be resolved in positive ways, and how to protect peace.

Illustrates the award-winning song about each person's responsibility to help bring about world peace. Includes a history of the song and biographical notes on the husband and wife songwriting team.

"Peace Begins with You and Me" unfolds into an inspiring story about children from all backgrounds who learn how to respect themselves and each other. As they become more aware of the positive power of their words, actions, feelings and thoughts, they create innovative ideas for bringing a unified vision of "being peace" into every school, home and neighborhood throughout the whole world. The script is user-friendly and flexible, and inspires diversity celebration, inclusion, anti-bullying, self-esteem, respect, nonviolent conflict-resolution, friendship, earth preservation, the power to change, empathy, kindness, love, peace and hope. This teaching tool is designed to help students, teachers and parents address challenging problems and serves as a seed that leads to values-oriented discussions and activities. The goal is to teach children how to work together in a cooperative and respectful environment. At the same time, they begin to understand the true meaning of every word written in the script and how each word applies to their lives. For added reinforcement, creative writing, discussion, journal writing, "Peace Promises," and Peace Begins with You and Me" Clubs can also be integrated into the curriculum. The play can be performed with minimal cost, and can be edited and interpreted freely. All songs are composed by Cheryl Melody, and the music is written in easy keys, with every word containing positive character-building messages. All song lyrics, bonus raps and poems, and seven notated songs for voice and piano are also included. In addition, the author adds information on where to locate, listen and download each song. Appropriate for ages eight through 17, and characters and themes can be added, deleted or modified according to the needs and issues of the school. Although optional, adults are often included in the play, and there is a unique opportunity for audience interaction, too. "Peace Begins with You and Me" can be performed in schools, service organizations, places of worship, and in any place that seeks to encourage a world of hope, peace and love.

In this highly anticipated Buddhist perspective on resolving conflict, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Thich Nhat Hanh demonstrates how a real peace process is based on spiritual,not political strength. Inspired by an ongoing Buddhist retreat project for Israelis and Palestinians, this book offers practical ways to handle our strong emotions and misperceptions and provides a possible way out of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Peace Begins Here is rich with stories from individual Israelis and Palestinians, as well as examples from Thich Nhat Hanh’s life, including his experience with nonviolent action during the war in Vietnam and its aftermath. Highlights include personal stories from participants in the peace retreats and Thich Nhat Hanh’s collected practices for peace, including deep listening, deep relaxation, mindful walking, mindful eating, and loving speech.