Gerard A. Vanderhaar agrees with Sam Keen who has written, "Mounting an expedition to actualize a compassionate commonwealth of all peoples . . . is the great spiritual challenge of our time." The author, who serves as a Pax Christi-USA Ambassador of Peace, believes that nonviolence is in the best interest of all human beings at the dawn of the new millennium. He salutes Jesus's ability to absorb violence in the name of love, and he lionizes Gandhi's liberating methods of active peacemaking.
Vanderhaar outlines some of the steps individuals can take to initiate a compassionate commonwealth, including everyday civility, keeping promises, using gender-inclusive language, and cooperating with others. The ethic of nonviolence is also an effective tool for settling differences between people, loving the natural world, and seeking justice for the poor and the oppressed. Hildegarde Goss-Mayr has observed, "The first essential characteristic of nonviolent action is that it must be creative." This paperback by Gerard Vanderhaar is that and more.