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"The earth is too small a star and we too brief a visitor upon it, for anything to matter more than the struggle for peace," wrote Coleman McCarthy. This fall, as Americans prepare to vote for a new President, is a good time for us to bear witness to this truth.

We live in an extremely violent world where revenge is often the only way individuals and societies deal with problems. Ethnic and tribal conflicts are a continuing obstacle to community. Wars between nations are becoming more dangerous every day, especially given the number of nuclear weapons still stockpiled by the major powers. Locally, we are faced with an increasingly adversarial culture where vehement argument is a way of life, and dialogue and cooperation are discarded. Culture wars dominate the headlines and the airwaves as conflicts over values, gender, race, and class show no signs of abating.

In "Practicing Spirituality with Peacemakers" we offer an alternative way of living that is built on the strong spiritual foundations of nonviolence, living together harmoniously, forgiving and being reconciled with others, and seeking common ground.

We start with the inner peace of contemplation and then move out to bringing peace to the family, neighborhood, and workplace. All this involves the practice of lovingkindness and compassion in the midst of the daily grind where tensions reign and tempers often flare. And then we'll take the personal and make it political as we study how peacemakers have resisted the formidable powers of war and destruction.

We will share the teachings and inspirational practices of peacemakers such as Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Thich Nhat Hanh, Desmond Tutu, Joan Chittister, Bernie Glassman, Daniel Berrigan, John Dear, and many others. The emails each include a short passage to contemplate and a related practice to try that day. Join us on the frontlines of peacemaking in our times.

This e-course is available on-demand. Once you click on the "subscribe" button, you will be taken through a sign-up process during which you can choose to pay the $19.95 fee by credit card or check. You'll be emailed a receipt with a link to your "account page" where you can choose when you'd like the e-course to begin and how frequently (daily, twice a week, three times a week, or weekly) you would like to receive it.