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How can we prevent violence and war?

Preventing war can be a citizen activity! Read how you can participate in the growing anti-war movement.

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1. Educate yourself on the issues.

To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks: radical, violent fringe conservative Sunni Muslims, from an area that stretches geographically from Northwest Africa to Southeast Asia. It can only help if we learn more about the history, culture, religions and economies of those parts of the world; the West's historic and current religious, military, political and economic relationships with them and with Islam; and how those conditions, from colonialism through global economic changes and geopolitical rivalies, have contributed to poverty, desperation, hatred and, at times, religious fanaticism today. Part of how we've gotten here is the West's tendency to impose our own cultures, values and expectations on these regions without taking the time to understand where the people we're dealing with are coming from. People interested in stopping terror and avoiding war cannot afford to repeat that mistake.
2. Develop a closer, more respectful relationship to Muslims and the Islamic world.
As the world shrinks, this is actually something we should be doing with all cultures and religions, but for the purposes of our current War on Terrorism, it is particularly important that, much as Christianity and Judaism have learned to live in greater harmony after two millenia of tension, Western cultures and religions must find and develop our common interests with the Islamic world. Just as with any minority or "other," the more we each work with and understand people of the Islamic faith, the less they will seem strange and threatening and the more we will recognize each other as individuals and as human beings.
3. Communicate!
Don't be afraid to speak out, and to listen: talk with your neighbors, your friends, relatives, co-workers, classmates. Learn from the people you disagree with, but don't shy away from voicing your opinions in places where they're unpopular. Call in to radio and television talk shows. Write letters to the editor and opinion articles for your local community newspapers. Visit their editorial boards.
4. Take your case to the community.
Set up community forums, teach-ins and panels, to educate the public, to air out differing opinions and to force politicians to go on the record with their beliefs. Table at community events. Write and circulate flyers, with information on the issue, lobbying and contact information, publicizing events or putting out powerful graphic images. Circulate petitions that you can then use both to notify people of future events (and to recruit volunteers to help organize them!) and to lobby elected officials or other prominent community figures. Take out ads in your local newspapers. Make your advocacy visible, so people will think -- even if local media is hostile -- that your cause is popular and widespread. Set up and publicize your own web site or list-serve.
5. Raise money for the Third World.
Rather than collecting money for survivors' families or to rebuild the World Trade Center, send it where it's more desperately needed: to the countries whose crushing poverty helps spawn terrorism. A more economically just world will be one with less terror. Donate your own money, or organize events where your whole community can pitch in and help: benefits, readings, raffles, auctions, walk-a-thons and so forth. Consider working jointly with a local mosque or Third World community center.
6. Publicize and oppose racial profiling, the curbing of civil liberties and the backlash against immigrants.
This is both a local and a national issue, involving everything from new INS and Justice Department programs and regulations to local police behavior and cases of isolated bigotry. While this is in many ways a separate issue, bear in mind that it's easier for our government to pursue an irresponsible or counter-productive military-oriented solution if more of the public hates and fears people who look like the enemy. When civil liberties are taken away in an emergency, they're rarely restored afterwards; and when a precedent is set whereby constitutional rights can be denied to any one group, you could be next.
7. Lobby for Congress and the White House to pursue policies that minimize civilian deaths; rethink our national defense and foreign policy priorities; and change global economic institutions and trade agreements so that they create less, not more, poverty and death.
Send a letter (preferably handwritten) or card, make a phone call (faxes and emails are less effective, but better than nothing), go to the forums of public officials, visit their offices. Much of our ability to minimize future terrorist activity depends not just on better security at home, but policies abroad that work consistently to promote the ideals of freedom and democracy America stands for. Powerful special interests often keep the White House and Congress from doing the right thing; it's up to us, the public, to require that when they act in our name, they treat others the way we would want to be treated. We, the public, are the people whose lives are on the line in this conflict; we have a right to demand that the people acting for us make our safety a priority, and not put us in further jeopardy by making matters worse.
8. Participate in or create visible public events for the same goals.
It's not enough to send a letter. To create the public momentum to convince an elected official to do something s/he might think isn't in his personal best interest, s/he has to think it's the right thing to do and that a lot of people agree with them. Attend or organize vigils, rallies, marches, parades, art festivals, music events, nonviolent direct actions or civil disobedience. Be creative, have fun, be visible, get the word out.
9. Work the media, or be the media.
Send out press releases, talk with reporters and editors, make sure when you're doing public events that local media outlets know about it, and offer something they'll want to cover. Train yourself to give interviews and be articulate. Start your own newsletter or radio or cable access TV show, or contribute to others. Support independent media that's willing to provide critical information and alternative viewpoints not as easily available in big mainstream outlets.
10. Reclaim patriotism!
We all want the most effective possible course for stopping terrorism. Disagreeing with our government's proposed strategies isn't treason -- it's the highest form of citizenship in a participatory democracy. We're becoming activists on this issue because we love our country, as well as our community and the world. Don't let anybody claim that you're "blaming America" or "betraying the President." We're proud to live in a country where we have the right, and the obligation, to speak out when our government is wrong. We're speaking out because we care. Unthinking obedience is the point at which our democracy has broken down.

Geov Parrish is a political columnist for WorkingforChange.com and a longtime peace activist.

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1. Educate yourself on the issues. To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept.

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How can we stop world hunger ?

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how can we prevent racism ?

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How do we prevent war?

The website is how we can stop/prevent war.

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1. Educate yourself on the issues.

To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks: radical, violent fringe conservative Sunni Muslims, from an area that stretches geographically from Northwest Africa to Southeast Asia. It can only help if we learn more about the history, culture, religions and economies of those parts of the world; the West's historic and current religious, military, political and economic relationships with them and with Islam; and how those conditions, from colonialism through global economic changes and geopolitical rivalies, have contributed to poverty, desperation, hatred and, at times, religious fanaticism today. Part of how we've gotten here is the West's tendency to impose our own cultures, values and expectations on these regions without taking the time to understand where the people we're dealing with are coming from. People interested in stopping terror and avoiding war cannot afford to repeat that mistake.
2. Develop a closer, more respectful relationship to Muslims and the Islamic world.
As the world shrinks, this is actually something we should be doing with all cultures and religions, but for the purposes of our current War on Terrorism, it is particularly important that, much as Christianity and Judaism have learned to live in greater harmony after two millenia of tension, Western cultures and religions must find and develop our common interests with the Islamic world. Just as with any minority or "other," the more we each work with and understand people of the Islamic faith, the less they will seem strange and threatening and the more we will recognize each other as individuals and as human beings.
3. Communicate!
Don't be afraid to speak out, and to listen: talk with your neighbors, your friends, relatives, co-workers, classmates. Learn from the people you disagree with, but don't shy away from voicing your opinions in places where they're unpopular. Call in to radio and television talk shows. Write letters to the editor and opinion articles for your local community newspapers. Visit their editorial boards.
4. Take your case to the community.
Set up community forums, teach-ins and panels, to educate the public, to air out differing opinions and to force politicians to go on the record with their beliefs. Table at community events. Write and circulate flyers, with information on the issue, lobbying and contact information, publicizing events or putting out powerful graphic images. Circulate petitions that you can then use both to notify people of future events (and to recruit volunteers to help organize them!) and to lobby elected officials or other prominent community figures. Take out ads in your local newspapers. Make your advocacy visible, so people will think -- even if local media is hostile -- that your cause is popular and widespread. Set up and publicize your own web site or list-serve.
5. Raise money for the Third World.
Rather than collecting money for survivors' families or to rebuild the World Trade Center, send it where it's more desperately needed: to the countries whose crushing poverty helps spawn terrorism. A more economically just world will be one with less terror. Donate your own money, or organize events where your whole community can pitch in and help: benefits, readings, raffles, auctions, walk-a-thons and so forth. Consider working jointly with a local mosque or Third World community center.
6. Publicize and oppose racial profiling, the curbing of civil liberties and the backlash against immigrants.
This is both a local and a national issue, involving everything from new INS and Justice Department programs and regulations to local police behavior and cases of isolated bigotry. While this is in many ways a separate issue, bear in mind that it's easier for our government to pursue an irresponsible or counter-productive military-oriented solution if more of the public hates and fears people who look like the enemy. When civil liberties are taken away in an emergency, they're rarely restored afterwards; and when a precedent is set whereby constitutional rights can be denied to any one group, you could be next.
7. Lobby for Congress and the White House to pursue policies that minimize civilian deaths; rethink our national defense and foreign policy priorities; and change global economic institutions and trade agreements so that they create less, not more, poverty and death.
Send a letter (preferably handwritten) or card, make a phone call (faxes and emails are less effective, but better than nothing), go to the forums of public officials, visit their offices. Much of our ability to minimize future terrorist activity depends not just on better security at home, but policies abroad that work consistently to promote the ideals of freedom and democracy America stands for. Powerful special interests often keep the White House and Congress from doing the right thing; it's up to us, the public, to require that when they act in our name, they treat others the way we would want to be treated. We, the public, are the people whose lives are on the line in this conflict; we have a right to demand that the people acting for us make our safety a priority, and not put us in further jeopardy by making matters worse.
8. Participate in or create visible public events for the same goals.
It's not enough to send a letter. To create the public momentum to convince an elected official to do something s/he might think isn't in his personal best interest, s/he has to think it's the right thing to do and that a lot of people agree with them. Attend or organize vigils, rallies, marches, parades, art festivals, music events, nonviolent direct actions or civil disobedience. Be creative, have fun, be visible, get the word out.
9. Work the media, or be the media.
Send out press releases, talk with reporters and editors, make sure when you're doing public events that local media outlets know about it, and offer something they'll want to cover. Train yourself to give interviews and be articulate. Start your own newsletter or radio or cable access TV show, or contribute to others. Support independent media that's willing to provide critical information and alternative viewpoints not as easily available in big mainstream outlets.
10. Reclaim patriotism!
We all want the most effective possible course for stopping terrorism. Disagreeing with our government's proposed strategies isn't treason -- it's the highest form of citizenship in a participatory democracy. We're becoming activists on this issue because we love our country, as well as our community and the world. Don't let anybody claim that you're "blaming America" or "betraying the President." We're proud to live in a country where we have the right, and the obligation, to speak out when our government is wrong. We're speaking out because we care. Unthinking obedience is the point at which our democracy has broken down.

Geov Parrish is a political columnist for WorkingforChange.com and a longtime peace activist.

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1. Educate yourself on the issues. To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept.

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How can we prevent war?

Don't be scared to step up and follow these steps to prevent war

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1. Educate yourself on the issues.

To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks: radical, violent fringe conservative Sunni Muslims, from an area that stretches geographically from Northwest Africa to Southeast Asia. It can only help if we learn more about the history, culture, religions and economies of those parts of the world; the West's historic and current religious, military, political and economic relationships with them and with Islam; and how those conditions, from colonialism through global economic changes and geopolitical rivalies, have contributed to poverty, desperation, hatred and, at times, religious fanaticism today. Part of how we've gotten here is the West's tendency to impose our own cultures, values and expectations on these regions without taking the time to understand where the people we're dealing with are coming from. People interested in stopping terror and avoiding war cannot afford to repeat that mistake.
2. Develop a closer, more respectful relationship to Muslims and the Islamic world.
As the world shrinks, this is actually something we should be doing with all cultures and religions, but for the purposes of our current War on Terrorism, it is particularly important that, much as Christianity and Judaism have learned to live in greater harmony after two millenia of tension, Western cultures and religions must find and develop our common interests with the Islamic world. Just as with any minority or "other," the more we each work with and understand people of the Islamic faith, the less they will seem strange and threatening and the more we will recognize each other as individuals and as human beings.
3. Communicate!
Don't be afraid to speak out, and to listen: talk with your neighbors, your friends, relatives, co-workers, classmates. Learn from the people you disagree with, but don't shy away from voicing your opinions in places where they're unpopular. Call in to radio and television talk shows. Write letters to the editor and opinion articles for your local community newspapers. Visit their editorial boards.
4. Take your case to the community.
Set up community forums, teach-ins and panels, to educate the public, to air out differing opinions and to force politicians to go on the record with their beliefs. Table at community events. Write and circulate flyers, with information on the issue, lobbying and contact information, publicizing events or putting out powerful graphic images. Circulate petitions that you can then use both to notify people of future events (and to recruit volunteers to help organize them!) and to lobby elected officials or other prominent community figures. Take out ads in your local newspapers. Make your advocacy visible, so people will think -- even if local media is hostile -- that your cause is popular and widespread. Set up and publicize your own web site or list-serve.
5. Raise money for the Third World.
Rather than collecting money for survivors' families or to rebuild the World Trade Center, send it where it's more desperately needed: to the countries whose crushing poverty helps spawn terrorism. A more economically just world will be one with less terror. Donate your own money, or organize events where your whole community can pitch in and help: benefits, readings, raffles, auctions, walk-a-thons and so forth. Consider working jointly with a local mosque or Third World community center.
6. Publicize and oppose racial profiling, the curbing of civil liberties and the backlash against immigrants.
This is both a local and a national issue, involving everything from new INS and Justice Department programs and regulations to local police behavior and cases of isolated bigotry. While this is in many ways a separate issue, bear in mind that it's easier for our government to pursue an irresponsible or counter-productive military-oriented solution if more of the public hates and fears people who look like the enemy. When civil liberties are taken away in an emergency, they're rarely restored afterwards; and when a precedent is set whereby constitutional rights can be denied to any one group, you could be next.
7. Lobby for Congress and the White House to pursue policies that minimize civilian deaths; rethink our national defense and foreign policy priorities; and change global economic institutions and trade agreements so that they create less, not more, poverty and death.
Send a letter (preferably handwritten) or card, make a phone call (faxes and emails are less effective, but better than nothing), go to the forums of public officials, visit their offices. Much of our ability to minimize future terrorist activity depends not just on better security at home, but policies abroad that work consistently to promote the ideals of freedom and democracy America stands for. Powerful special interests often keep the White House and Congress from doing the right thing; it's up to us, the public, to require that when they act in our name, they treat others the way we would want to be treated. We, the public, are the people whose lives are on the line in this conflict; we have a right to demand that the people acting for us make our safety a priority, and not put us in further jeopardy by making matters worse.
8. Participate in or create visible public events for the same goals.
It's not enough to send a letter. To create the public momentum to convince an elected official to do something s/he might think isn't in his personal best interest, s/he has to think it's the right thing to do and that a lot of people agree with them. Attend or organize vigils, rallies, marches, parades, art festivals, music events, nonviolent direct actions or civil disobedience. Be creative, have fun, be visible, get the word out.
9. Work the media, or be the media.
Send out press releases, talk with reporters and editors, make sure when you're doing public events that local media outlets know about it, and offer something they'll want to cover. Train yourself to give interviews and be articulate. Start your own newsletter or radio or cable access TV show, or contribute to others. Support independent media that's willing to provide critical information and alternative viewpoints not as easily available in big mainstream outlets.
10. Reclaim patriotism!
We all want the most effective possible course for stopping terrorism. Disagreeing with our government's proposed strategies isn't treason -- it's the highest form of citizenship in a participatory democracy. We're becoming activists on this issue because we love our country, as well as our community and the world. Don't let anybody claim that you're "blaming America" or "betraying the President." We're proud to live in a country where we have the right, and the obligation, to speak out when our government is wrong. We're speaking out because we care. Unthinking obedience is the point at which our democracy has broken down.

Geov Parrish is a political columnist for WorkingforChange.com and a longtime peace activist.

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1. Educate yourself on the issues. To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept.

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Will we still have holidays in the future?

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For information about home equity, make sure to review our FAQs here. If you don't find your answer, call Regions today.

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What laws will we need to make?
This website explains how to make basic rules

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Rules make playing games, getting along with siblings, and even doing a job easier, since everyone is aware of what they can and cannot do. If you have a situation where there are no rules, and you need to make some, here are some steps to...

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What Kind of school/education will we have?

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Barbados Education and Educational Facilities

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Barbados education and educational facilities - primary, secondary, tertiary education, colleges, and university in Barbados.

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How do we divide weath?

This website describes how the government divides the wealth

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Wealth inequality in the United States - Wikipedia

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Wealth inequality in the United States (also known as the wealth gap) is the unequal distribution of assets among residents of the United States. Wealth includes the values of homes, automobiles, personal valuables, businesses, savings, and investments. The net worth of U.S.

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Question: how to stop addictions.

This website explain how to stop addiction.

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Jennifer has been fighting her parents, Anne and Charles, for custody of her 6-year-old daughter and claims they are "out to get her". They say Jennifer is irresponsible and incapable of being a good mother, and she needs help getting her life back on track. What advice does Dr. Phil give Jennifer?

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substance abuse warning signs and prevention

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a mother accused of being unfit and unstable: did jennifer pass the drug test?

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advice for a woman in a custody battle with her parents

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Dr. Phil's Advice for a Woman in a Custody Battle with Her Parents | Dr. Phil

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Jennifer has been fighting her parents, Anne and Charles, for custody of her 6-year-old daughter and claims they are "out to get her". They say Jennifer is irresponsible and incapable of being a good mother, and she needs help getting her life back on track. What advice does Dr. Phil give Jennifer?

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How do we divide wealth?

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We equate wealth with "net worth," the sum total of your assets minus liabilities. Assets can include everything from an owned personal residence and cash in savings accounts to investments in stocks and bonds, real estate, and retirement accounts. Liabilities cover what a household owes: a car loan, credit card balance, student loan, mortgage, or any other bill yet to be paid. In the United States, wealth inequality runs even more pronounced than income inequality.
The Forbes 400 Richest Americans Household Wealth The Racial Wealth Divide
The Forbes 400 Richest Americans

The most visible indicator of wealth inequality in America today may be the Forbes magazine list of the nation's 400 richest. In 2018, the three men at the top of that list - Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and investor Warren Buffett - held combined fortunes worth more than the total wealth of the poorest half of Americans. You can find more background on these numbers in our report, Billionaire Bonanza 2018

In 1982, the "poorest" American listed on the first annual Forbes magazine list of America's richest 400 had a net worth of $210 million in today's dollars. The average member of that first list had a net worth of $600 million. In 2019, rich Americans needed net worth of $2.1 billion to enter the Forbes 400, and the average member held a net $7.4 billion, over 12 times the 1982 average after adjusting for inflation.

Inequality is skyrocketing even within the Forbes 400 list of America's richest. In today's dollars, the net worth of the richest member of the . Since 1982, just seven men have held this spot: shipping magnate Daniel Ludwig (1982), oil executive Gordon Getty (1983-1984), Walmart founder Sam Walton (1985-1988), media company owner John Kluge (1989-1991), Microsoft founder Bill Gates (1992-2017, except 1993), investor Warren Buffett (1993), and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos (2018).

Household Wealth

Over the past three decades, America's most affluent families have added to their net worth, while those on the bottom have dipped into "negative wealth," meaning the value of their debts exceeds the value of their assets, according to National Bureau of Economic Research data.

Over the past century, the National Bureau of Economic Research has found that the share of America's wealth held by the nation's wealthiest has changed markedly. That share peaked in the late 1920s, right before the Great Depression, then fell by more than half over the next three decades. But the equalizing trends of the mid 20th century have now been almost completely undone. At the top of the American economic summit, the richest of the nation's rich now hold as large a wealth share as they did in the 1920s.

The rich don't just have more wealth than everyone else. The bulk of their wealth comes from different - and more lucrative - asset sources, as the Federal Reserve's Distributional Financial Accounts data shows. America's top 1 percent, for instance, holds more than half the national wealth invested in stocks and mutual funds. Most of the wealth of Americans in the bottom 90 percent comes from their homes - the asset category that took the biggest hit during the Great Recession. These Americans also hold more than three-quarters of America's debt.

The Racial Wealth Divide

The median Black family, with just over $3,500, owns just 2 percent of the wealth of the nearly $147,000 the median White family owns, according to our " Racial Wealth Divide " report. The median Latino family, with just over $6,500, owns just 4 percent of the wealth of the median White family. Put differently, the median White family has 41 times more wealth than the median Black family and 22 times more wealth than the median Latino family.

The Institute for Policy Studies " Racial Wealth Divide " report also shows that families that have zero or even "negative" wealth (meaning the value of their debts exceeds the value of their assets) live on the edge, just one minor economic setback away from tragedy. Black and Latino families are much more likely to be in this precarious situation. The proportion of Black families with zero or negative wealth rose by 8.5 percent to 37 percent between 1983 and 2016. The proportion of Latino families with zero or negative net worth declined by 19 percent over the past 30 years but is still more than twice as high as the rate for Whites.

As with total wealth, our report shows homeownership is heavily skewed towards White families. In 2016, 72 percent of White families owned their home, compared to just 44 percent of Black families. Between 1983 and 2016, Latino homeownership increased by a dramatic nearly 40 percent, but it remains far below the rate for Whites, at just 45 percent.

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We equate wealth with "net worth," the sum total of your assets minus liabilities. Assets can include everything from an owned personal residence and cash in savings accounts to investments in stocks and bonds, real estate, and retirement accounts.

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How do we divide the land?

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Should we have a currency in our utopia?

This web site explains based on what people want there to be currency

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How many children will we be able to have in a family?

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Average family size in the US 1960-2017 | Statista

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How many kids does the average American family have? This graph shows the average family size in the U.S. up to 2017. The average American family in 2017 consisted of 3.14 persons.

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Question:How could we eliminate hate?

This website gives you ten examples on how to eliminate hate from the world.

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My question is about how to stop war.

Don't be afraid to speak out, and to listen: talk with your neighbors, your friends, relatives, co-workers, classmates. Learn from the people you disagree with, but don't shy away from voicing your opinions in places where they're unpopular. I

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1. Educate yourself on the issues.

To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept. 11 attacks: radical, violent fringe conservative Sunni Muslims, from an area that stretches geographically from Northwest Africa to Southeast Asia. It can only help if we learn more about the history, culture, religions and economies of those parts of the world; the West's historic and current religious, military, political and economic relationships with them and with Islam; and how those conditions, from colonialism through global economic changes and geopolitical rivalies, have contributed to poverty, desperation, hatred and, at times, religious fanaticism today. Part of how we've gotten here is the West's tendency to impose our own cultures, values and expectations on these regions without taking the time to understand where the people we're dealing with are coming from. People interested in stopping terror and avoiding war cannot afford to repeat that mistake.
2. Develop a closer, more respectful relationship to Muslims and the Islamic world.
As the world shrinks, this is actually something we should be doing with all cultures and religions, but for the purposes of our current War on Terrorism, it is particularly important that, much as Christianity and Judaism have learned to live in greater harmony after two millenia of tension, Western cultures and religions must find and develop our common interests with the Islamic world. Just as with any minority or "other," the more we each work with and understand people of the Islamic faith, the less they will seem strange and threatening and the more we will recognize each other as individuals and as human beings.
3. Communicate!
Don't be afraid to speak out, and to listen: talk with your neighbors, your friends, relatives, co-workers, classmates. Learn from the people you disagree with, but don't shy away from voicing your opinions in places where they're unpopular. Call in to radio and television talk shows. Write letters to the editor and opinion articles for your local community newspapers. Visit their editorial boards.
4. Take your case to the community.
Set up community forums, teach-ins and panels, to educate the public, to air out differing opinions and to force politicians to go on the record with their beliefs. Table at community events. Write and circulate flyers, with information on the issue, lobbying and contact information, publicizing events or putting out powerful graphic images. Circulate petitions that you can then use both to notify people of future events (and to recruit volunteers to help organize them!) and to lobby elected officials or other prominent community figures. Take out ads in your local newspapers. Make your advocacy visible, so people will think -- even if local media is hostile -- that your cause is popular and widespread. Set up and publicize your own web site or list-serve.
5. Raise money for the Third World.
Rather than collecting money for survivors' families or to rebuild the World Trade Center, send it where it's more desperately needed: to the countries whose crushing poverty helps spawn terrorism. A more economically just world will be one with less terror. Donate your own money, or organize events where your whole community can pitch in and help: benefits, readings, raffles, auctions, walk-a-thons and so forth. Consider working jointly with a local mosque or Third World community center.
6. Publicize and oppose racial profiling, the curbing of civil liberties and the backlash against immigrants.
This is both a local and a national issue, involving everything from new INS and Justice Department programs and regulations to local police behavior and cases of isolated bigotry. While this is in many ways a separate issue, bear in mind that it's easier for our government to pursue an irresponsible or counter-productive military-oriented solution if more of the public hates and fears people who look like the enemy. When civil liberties are taken away in an emergency, they're rarely restored afterwards; and when a precedent is set whereby constitutional rights can be denied to any one group, you could be next.
7. Lobby for Congress and the White House to pursue policies that minimize civilian deaths; rethink our national defense and foreign policy priorities; and change global economic institutions and trade agreements so that they create less, not more, poverty and death.
Send a letter (preferably handwritten) or card, make a phone call (faxes and emails are less effective, but better than nothing), go to the forums of public officials, visit their offices. Much of our ability to minimize future terrorist activity depends not just on better security at home, but policies abroad that work consistently to promote the ideals of freedom and democracy America stands for. Powerful special interests often keep the White House and Congress from doing the right thing; it's up to us, the public, to require that when they act in our name, they treat others the way we would want to be treated. We, the public, are the people whose lives are on the line in this conflict; we have a right to demand that the people acting for us make our safety a priority, and not put us in further jeopardy by making matters worse.
8. Participate in or create visible public events for the same goals.
It's not enough to send a letter. To create the public momentum to convince an elected official to do something s/he might think isn't in his personal best interest, s/he has to think it's the right thing to do and that a lot of people agree with them. Attend or organize vigils, rallies, marches, parades, art festivals, music events, nonviolent direct actions or civil disobedience. Be creative, have fun, be visible, get the word out.
9. Work the media, or be the media.
Send out press releases, talk with reporters and editors, make sure when you're doing public events that local media outlets know about it, and offer something they'll want to cover. Train yourself to give interviews and be articulate. Start your own newsletter or radio or cable access TV show, or contribute to others. Support independent media that's willing to provide critical information and alternative viewpoints not as easily available in big mainstream outlets.
10. Reclaim patriotism!
We all want the most effective possible course for stopping terrorism. Disagreeing with our government's proposed strategies isn't treason -- it's the highest form of citizenship in a participatory democracy. We're becoming activists on this issue because we love our country, as well as our community and the world. Don't let anybody claim that you're "blaming America" or "betraying the President." We're proud to live in a country where we have the right, and the obligation, to speak out when our government is wrong. We're speaking out because we care. Unthinking obedience is the point at which our democracy has broken down.

Geov Parrish is a political columnist for WorkingforChange.com and a longtime peace activist.

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1. Educate yourself on the issues. To stop terror and avoid war, we must first understand what causes it, and what approaches have, and haven't, been successful in the past. So far, America's "War On Terrorism" seems to be focused exclusively on the movement that has apparently spawned the perpetrators of the Sept.

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How do we stop hunger?

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Community supported agriculture: growing food...and community (Research Brief #21)

Posted October 1996

Unlike conventional agriculture, in which farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace alone, in community supported agriculture the entire community shares both bounty and scarcity.

Community supported agriculture (CSA) is part of a growing social movement that encourages urban and rural citizens to share responsibility for the land where their food is grown as well as for how their food is produced. In simplest terms, CSA is a partnership between agricultural producers and consumers. Members or "shareholders" pay a fee at the beginning of the growing season to meet a farm's operating expenses for the upcoming season. In return, members receive a portion of the farm's produce each week throughout the growing season.

Such cooperation lets farmers and consumers share in the risks and benefits of farming. Unlike conventional agriculture, in which farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace alone, in community supported agriculture, the entire farm community shares both bounty and scarcity. This cooperation can provide farmers with a more equitable return for their labor and investment while relieving some of the burdens and uncertainties of conventional marketing.

Community supported agriculture also encourages ecologically sound farming practices such as organic or biodynamic growing methods. This type of farming also minimizes food waste by producing just the amount of food members need, with minimal unused surplus.

But CSA is perhaps best known for how it fosters connections between urban dwellers and the land and encourages cooperation among rural and urban communities. Members can visit their CSA farms and help plan and harvest crops. Many farms host field days, produce newsletters, and hold workshops that educate members about sustainable farming and healthy food choices.

These activities, in addition to festivals and potlucks, bring people together socially throughout the season. At the same time, consumers gain a new voice in how their food is grown, processed, and distributed and where their food dollars are going.

How CSA works

Early in the year, members of CSA farms pay a fee to cover anticipated costs of the upcoming season, including labor, seeds, and supplies. Membership fees vary but typically run between $300 and $500 per year for a household. In return, members receive a weekly portion of the farm's harvest throughout the growing season. The harvested food is divided into shares and distributed to members through centrally located drop-off sites (often a member's front porch) or picked up at the farm. Members and farmers often work together to harvest crops and distribute food.

Typically family-operated, CSA farms range from 3 to 300 acres and provide food for 10 to more than 200 households. CSA farms are highly diversified, usually growing more than 40 different vegetables, herbs, and fruits. Some farms also supply meat, eggs, honey, and other products. In Wisconsin, CSA farms provide food for up to eight months of the year by making successive plantings and using greenhouses and root cellars to extend the seasons.

CSA projects rely to varying degrees on member volunteers to work on the farm and help with various tasks. Many CSA farms could not survive without a "core group" of committed volunteers who help manage distribution sites, plan the harvest, and recruit new members. By assuming these responsibilities, core groups enable farmers to focus on producing food and caring for the land.

Community supported agriculture has diverse goals and forms. Some projects have incorporated innovative land use to help solve social problems in urban areas. In Santa Cruz, California, a 2.5-acre lot was turned into a CSA project that offers homeless people an opportunity to work and to serve the community. On the east coast, the Food Farm Bank in Amherst, Massachusetts, provides fresh vegetables for local food pantries in addition to providing CSA shares to those who can afford to be members.

CIAS research on CSA farms

Since 1990, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems at the University of Wisconsin-Madison has done research on the organizational structure of CSA farms and their impact on local communities. The research aims to identify components of successful CSA projects and to help educate people about the benefits and potential challenges of community supported agriculture.

The research, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Community Farm in Osceola, Wisconsin, is supported by a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant from USDA.

The study looks at CSA farms in the Madison and Twin Cities areas, including farms from the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC), a group of 16 community supported farms, and the Minnesota-Western Wisconsin Community Supported Farm Association, a group of 12 farms serving the Minneapolis-St. Paul area.

Researchers are examining the business dynamics of CSA farms and the characteristics of members and farmers. Much of the research design and objectives comes from input from CSA farmers and organizers.

Project objectives include:

gaining an understanding of the organization of CSA farms, their members and farmers,

developing strategies for strengthening members' involvement in CSA farms,

documenting the economic impact of CSA farms on local and nearby communities,

identifying potential challenges facing CSA farms, and
developing educational materials for farmers and the public about community supported agriculture.

Forthcoming research briefs will focus on challenges facing CSA and discuss how CSA farms are building social support for sustainable farming. A related brief will document the results of a price comparison study that includes the cost of fresh produce from CSA farms.

Facts about community supported agriculture

Community supported agriculture began in the early 1960s in Germany, Switzerland, and Japan as a response to concerns about food safety and the urbanization of agricultural land. Groups of consumers and farmers in Europe formed cooperative partnerships to fund farming and pay the full costs of ecologically sound, socially equitable agriculture. Other facts about community supported agriculture:

In 1965, mothers in Japan concerned about the rise of imported food and the loss of arable land started the first CSA projects, called teikei in Japanese.

Japan has more than 600 producer-consumer groups that supply food to more than 11 million people.

The largest cooperative network in Japan is called the Seikatsu Club. Local chapters of this club can involve thousands of people and support up to 15 farms. While distinct from CSA or teikei, Seikatsu members speak of "seeing the farmer's face on their vegetables."

Community supported agriculture began in the United States on two east coast farms in 1986. Since that time, community supported farms have been organized throughout North America, mainly in the Northeast, the Pacific coast, the Upper Midwest, and Canada.

North America now has an estimated 1,000 community supported farms.
In Wisconsin, the first CSA projects began near Milwaukee and the Twin Cities in 1988.

In 1996, more than 65 Wisconsin community supported farms are expected to grow food for an estimated 3,000 households.

Many CSA farms have formed associations or networks to exchange information and ideas, educate consumers, and support new or struggling farms.

For more information about CIAS work on community supported agriculture, contact:
CIAS
1450 Linden Drive
UW-Madison
Madison, WI 53706
E-mail: jhendric@wisc.edu

Published as Research Brief #21
October, 1996

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Community supported agriculture: growing food...and community (Research Brief #21) | Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems

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Posted October 1996 Unlike conventional agriculture, in which farmers bear the risks of weather, pests, and the marketplace alone, in community supported agriculture the entire community shares both bounty and scarcity. Community supported agriculture (CSA) is part of a growing social movement that encourages urban and rural citizens to share responsibility for the land where their food is grown as well as for how their food is produced.

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Will there be equal rights?

This website is about equal rights

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Equality before the law, also known as: equality under the law, equality in the eyes of the law, or legal equality, is the principle that each independent being must be treated equally by the law (principle of isonomy) and that all are subject to the same laws of justice ( due process).

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How do we control population?

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Question: How do we stop violence?

My website is easy to understand it tells how kids can stop violence at school and anywhere else.

http://www.lapdonline.org/crime_prevention/content_basic_view/1362

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How do we get rid of addictions?

This website explains how to get rid of addictions.

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Are you an addict? You may be tempted to answer "NO" but you don't necessarily have to be a drug or alcohol user to be an addict. You can get addicted to anything. It could be television, shopping, internet, relationships, the list is endless. Addictions can give a person the comfort and release their need when they feel stressed out with the demands of life. Unfortunately, addictions are dangerous. Too much of anything, even a good thing, can be dangerous.

If you feel that your addiction is taking control of your life, take heart. There is a lot you can do to get rid of that addition. You may have to make some sacrifices and adjust to certain changes in your lifestyle but the end result will be an addiction free life.

First, identify and acknowledge your addiction. If you are under the impression that you are strong and will not bend to addiction you may not notice the damage that your habit is causing your health, relationships and finances.

Next, resolve to quit being obsessed with whatever you are addicted to. The very decision to quit is a milestone as far as de-addiction is concerned.

Seek help from friends and family. Let them know of your decision to fight the addiction so that they can offer the help you need. For instance, if you are a smoker who wishes to quit, your friend or relative can prevent you from reaching out for a new pack of cigars by reminding you of your decision, advising you or by providing some other distraction. The support of a strong network of friends and family is a must for those who wish to deal with their addiction problems.

Be willing to make changes in your lifestyle. Take a look at your daily activities. What is it that tempts you to give in to your addiction? What can you do to stay away from it? For example, if you are addicted to shopping, consider whether that trip to the mall on the way back from work is really necessary. If the mall is a place where you catch up with friends, change the location. Go for a movie or plan a picnic so that you stay away from the root cause of your addiction.

Stay active. Don't let your mid stay idle. Remember the old saying "An idle mind is the devils workshop". Focus your attention on your work, family and things you have been neglecting on account of your addiction. Learn something new, make new friends, and find a hobby. Do anything to keep your mind occupied.

If you feel that you cannot quit your addiction by yourself, it is time to seek for a professional help. There are several therapies and treatment available for those who wish to break free of an addiction.

Don't let an addiction get the better of you. Fight it in any way you can and you will find that life become less complicated and easier to enjoy.

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Are you an addict? You may be tempted to answer "NO" but you don't necessarily have to be a drug or alcohol user to be an addict. You can get addicted to anything. It could be television, shopping, internet, relationships, the list is endless.

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How to prevent terrorism?

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By now you've heard it a thousand times: "If you see something, say something." But what does that mean, precisely? Most citizens have no idea what they're supposed to be looking out for, beyond the generic "anything that seems suspicious."

The FBI states that it is on high alert for domestic terror attacks during the Fourth of July holiday.

Here are 10 things authorities say to look out for:

1. Suspicious activity related to fireworks.

Federal authorities have advised local law enforcement to take notice of anyone asking questions about fireworks "that go beyond mere curiosity about the potential damage fireworks could cause."

Authorities are worried an extremist or lone wolf could repackage the explosives in fireworks as an improvised explosive device. The recent death of a 47-year-old Michigan man when a large mortar fireworks shell he was holding detonated served as a tragic reminder of just how dangerous fireworks can be.

So if you see someone behaving strangely at your neighborhood fireworks stand - perhaps asking questions suggesting another use in mind beyond casual entertainment - that might be a good time to say something to police.

2. Probing or testing the perimeter of a fence, facility, or its security systems.

Most attacks involve some form of reconnaissance. Sometimes this is as cursory as snapping a few cellphone images for later review and planning. Other perpetrators will devote time to mapping out their routes, even studying the timing of traffic lights and commuter patterns. They may event embark on a rehearsal prior to the actual attack.

If you see someone loitering or behaving in a suspicious way - say checking out an employee-only entrance at a shopping mall, or examining the integrity of a fence along a regional airport - don't try to approach them yourself to get their explanation. Instead, let local law enforcement know that you see something that looks strange. Police receive inquiries like that all the time, and as long as the call is sincere and genuine, they are happy to dispatch a patrol officer to check out the suspicious activity.

3. Anyone setting a backpack or bag down in a crowd and walking away.

This should trigger immediate concern. While the behavior could be completely harmless, it is certainly suspicious and could be a prelude to a devastating attack along the lines of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.

In the wake of that incident, authorities have grown more careful about inspecting bags and purses being toted into major events. But security at local venues may be less rigorous. Police say informing them of suspicious unattended bags, briefcases, or luggage could be a real lifesaver.

4. Suspicious use of social media or the Internet.

Federal officials say the Islamic State (ISIS) and other extremist groups are currently engaged on a daily basis in trying to use social media and the Internet to recruit and radicalize disaffected citizens. When police earlier this year got a tip that a young man in Ohio was engaging in suspicious activity on social media, it apparently helped thwart an ISIS-inspired attack on the Capitol. According to government documents, an informant notified the FBI that the suspect, 20-year-old Christopher Lee Cornell of Green Township, Ohio, was using an alias on Twitter accounts to express support for violent jihad.

The FBI says Cornell planned to detonate pipe bombs at the busy Capitol, then open fire on bystanders and responders during the ensuing chaos. Immediately after making that arrest the FBI issued a bulletin to local law enforcement that read: "Terrorist group members and supporters will almost certainly continue to use social media platforms to disseminate English-language violent extremist messages."

5. Purchases of suspicious supplies.

There can be a fine line between purchasing materials for ordinary use and stockpiling dangerous or suspicious items - explosives, weapons, and ammunition. Actual planning of an attack can involve more subtle purchases: Maps, uniforms, body armor, flight manuals, how-to books, materials needed to make passes or badges, or the equipment used to manufacture identity-related documents. Whether a purchase rises to the level of saying something to law enforcement probably depends on context, and intuition regarding the individual involved.

6. Attempts at impersonation.

It should go without saying that people trying to pass themselves off as someone they're not are inherently suspicious. Beyond a masquerade ball, perhaps, it is difficult to imagine why any legitimate person would want to look like a law officers, military member, or company employee when they clearly aren't.

Again, if you see someone who seems suspiciously out of place, notify someone in authority - don't try to resolve things on your own.

7. Unusually large or heavy bags.

If someone has difficulty hefting a backpack, that could be unusual. According to SecureTransit.org, a website funded by the Department of Homeland Security, you should be mindful whenever people appear to be commuting with an unusually heavy or large backpack, gym bag, or other luggage. This would especially be a concern if the bag were to be abandoned.

Also suspicious: Any attempt to store a bag in a compartment other than the one the owner is riding in.

It's probably better to be safe than sorry when it comes to transportation. If your intuition tells you something is suspicious while traveling, you should advise someone of your concerns.

8. Unusually bulky, loose-fitting apparel worn in hot weather.

In countries like Israel where security is paramount, officers are trained to spot people whose clothing seems out of place or disproportionate to their body type. Increasingly, that's a concern U.S. officials are talking about as well, because thick or baggy clothing can be used to conceal weapons. Could someone sporting a large sweatshirt, vest, or jacket on a blazing day be suffering from a head cold or just be fashion-challenged? Of course. Sure.

According to SecureTransit.org, seeing something out of place like that is also a reason to take notice.

9. Any sign of tampering.

It might not be a person you need to report, but a situation. Exposed wiring, strange smells, leaks, or any sign of potential tampering, especially on a bus or train, is something you should consider reporting. And authorities definitely want you to let them know if anyone appears to be tampering with safety systems, electronics, surveillance cameras, or other equipment.

10. Suspicious or abandoned vehicles.

Remember New York's Times Square bombing attempt in May 2010? A street vendor spotted smoke coming from a parked SUV, and alerted the NYPD. It turned out the vehicle contained an improvised pipe bomb, gunpowder, gasoline, and three 20-gallon tanks of propane. Authorities later said the bomb would have caused a massive fireball, intense shrapnel, and many casualties had it gone off.

It can be difficult to know whether a car is simply parked, or has been abandoned. The important thing is to be cognizant of the potential danger, and to let police know immediately if you see something unusual.

One last bit of advice from the experts: Trust your instincts. No one is better equipped than you to know what does or does not belong in your immediate environment. Odds are you'll sense when something's just not right.

Of course, you also don't want to be so hyper-vigilant you see a bad guy around every corner. Deciding when you need to speak up can involve a delicate balance.

One Department of Homeland Security video describes the act of "seeing something" this way: "It's when you experience a moment of uncertainty. Something you know shouldn't be there. Or someone's behavior that doesn't seem quite right. These are the moments to take a pause. Because if something doesn't feel right, it's probably not."

When trying to decide whether an activity is truly suspicious, the best advice anyone can give you, and the advice promulgated by DHS, is to trust your own instincts.

For everyone's sake, remember: Authorities have a much better chance of keeping the public safe when you "see something, say something."

Sources: DHS.gov See-Something-Say-Something Campaign; SecureTransit.org; University of Tennessee at Knoxville UTK.edu "8 Signs of Terrorism."

© 2018 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

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10 Warning Signs Terrorists May Be Active in Your Community

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By now you've heard it a thousand times: "If you see something, say something." But what does that mean, precisely? Most citizens have no idea what they're supposed to be looking out for, beyond the generic "anything that seems suspicious." The FBI states that it is on high alert for domestic terror attacks during the Fourth of July holiday.

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Question:  Do we keep all emotions?

I used this website for my question.  It is easy to understand emotions.

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Creation and Modification
by Dr. Dean Van Leuven

2012 Conference Paper

Whether our response to an arousal stimulus results in a negative emotion or a positive emotion is determined by our perception of the event.

We have positive, love-based responses, such as joy and happiness. They feel good to us. Our primary emotional experience is the need for love. We feel good when we experience it. When we are experiencing fear or anger, we are out of love and we feel bad.

Fear and anger are feelings not acts. They are not the act that we carry out in what we do or say. They are the creator of the thought that motivates us to act. They are our mental reaction to what we perceive to have happened to us. For example how another has treated us. We feel fear or anger when our belief system tells us that something is not the way we think it should be, or is dangerous to us in some way.

Biological research has shown us that there is no such thing as pure anger untouched by our culture, our conditioning, and our perception of the event. Anger is a signal that something is wrong and that something must be done to change things. Our idea of what is wrong is created from all of our past experience and learning. The physiological symptoms are the same for the love-based emotions as they are for the fear-based emotions. Our mind just interprets them in a different way. The arousal response, both positive and negative, comes from adrenaline. Physiologically our body re-acts exactly the same to fear and anger as it does to love.

If the body produces the same physiological symptoms for love, joy, excitement, anxiety, fear, shame and anger, then we know that the emotional responses to being aroused are acquired ones that we have developed in our own mind.

Once we know that our undesired negative responses are not determined by the event but are only our chosen way of responding to the event, we know that we are not bound to suffer because of them. Changing to a more positive emotional response is always an available option. Since we chose our emotional response in the first place we are capable of choosing a new and more effective one to replace it.

Many are trained how to respond without fear or anger when something goes wrong on the job or in our profession. We do it because that is what we are taught to do. We can also learn to train ourselves to react without negative emotion to the situations that arise in our daily life and in our relationships with other people.

Airplane pilots, firefighters, store clerks, attorneys and others are trained to be problem solvers so that their normal routine is to respond rationally rather than to react emotionally - at least to those things which they are trained to deal with in this way.

For those of us who lack such training, fear and anger often results from our feeling of inadequacy in how to deal with the situation. The answer can be as simple as learning how to solve a problem using rational rathe r than emotional skills.
Why We Get Fearful or Angry
Our fear and anger depends mostly on our particular beliefs about the world and how we ought to experience it. Our beliefs about ourselves and other people, about the world and how things should be, and about how life should be lived, come mainly from our experiences growing up. What we learn from those experiences helps us to develop our unique pattern or response to life in the way that we do.

We learn about fear and anger from our parents, our friends and our society. We are usually taught that anger and/or fear are appropriate in certain circumstances. If fact almost every book I have ever read on the subject has suggested that they are the normal way to react - that we express them at certain times - and that such expression is healthy. This is because we live in a fear/anger based society. This is the way our society has learned to think and react.

We are taught that we must protect ourselves from others. We are taught to expect that things be a certain way. We are taught that the world is a dangerous place and that it might hurt us in some way. And we are also taught to be angry when things are not what we want or think they should be.

Our society often teaches us to repress our upset feelings and to be polite. When we do this we are left with an underlying fear or anger that drains our physical, mental, and spiritual energy. Rather than confronting and solving problems with loved ones or colleagues, we ignore the problems and the feelings. But the upset remains under the surface and often is expressed in an indirect way.

Sometimes we use anger because it works, and this strengthens our belief that anger is positive. For example a child will try different techniques - some anger based and some not - and if anger works, he or she will continue to use it. If temper tantrums produce the sought after result, then the child will make sure to have one when he or she wants to change something that is not going the way they want it to at the moment. If temper tantrums don't work the child will eventually realize that and try something else.

Both negative and positive responses are available in any stage of life. Until we find out what works best we keep trying what is available.

Once we grow up we have the capacity to identify what is not working and to experiment with new ideas and actions until we find what works best in any particular situation.

Another reason that anger seems to work is because anger is the active form of fear. It is a much stronger emotion than fear. When you are fearful, being able to shift to anger is a positive and a helpful step. Anger is a step up from fear and can seem helpful, but when you accept anger as a method to resolve a problem you are accepting a very inferior and unsatisfying solution as compared to what is potentially available to you.

The biases of our mind survive because they seem to work for us. They prevent us from losing confidence in ourselves. Our ego seeks only information that agrees with itself. We need to believe in our biases in order to have a basis for our very existence.

It is possible to have a belief system that is open to examination and change. Such openness comes about when we recognize and accept that there always may be a better way of looking at and responding to our world, and to our life.

Fear depends on our perception of an event as somehow dangerous to our existence, or to our well being; or a threat to someone or something that we care about. Fear gets our attention but it tends to immobilize our thinking and our actions. If we haven't already developed a way to respond to a particular situation it causes difficulty because our strong emotional response will get in the way of our minds ability to solve this problem; and to develop the best possible response for the particular situation.

We can learn to look at an event just as something that needs our utmost attention rather than as a negative and dangerous thing that threatens our existence and freezes our thinking process. When we do this we are more effective in dealing with the situation. Our reasoning remains unimpaired and we will find more appropriate responses.
How Our Emotions and Beliefs Interpret an Event
Our emotional response to a particular event is primarily determined by our preconditioning and by our general way of looking at things - our beliefs. But we can also learn to question our beliefs and change our response.

We have many fear and anger producing beliefs that hinder our progress in life. Such beliefs are the ones that create negative feelings. They make us upset and depressed and don't help us to deal with life as it really is.

The difficulty is that if we see these beliefs as the appropriate way of dealing with things, then we think of our anger as appropriate or justified. Whether we like anger or not, we think that we must have it because we believe it helps us do what we are supposed to do.

Our fear or anger results from our appraisal of a particular situation, which in turn depends on the beliefs we hold, the thought processes we use, the attitudes we practice, and the way we look at things.

We upset ourselves by making demands instead of having preferences about how things must be. Once we think things must be a certain way, we tend to use anger-inducing thoughts to increase our anger. Our ego likes to make the situation appear worse than it really is because this justifies our anger.

We look at things the way we do because of the basic beliefs we have developed. These beliefs affect our thoughts, our decisions and our behavior. If we keep our belief system open to review and change we can correct the ones that create problems for us.
Is Fear or Anger Helpful?
We develop habit patterns for most of the things we do in life, and they are often difficult to change or break. We break one by putting a new habit pattern in its place. And we do this by practicing the new response over and over, until it becomes a new habit.

We are all born with a strong tendency to be creative and constructive and to solve problems that naturally arise in our daily lives. It is a matter of training ourselves to respond in the way we want to respond.

If we are aware of the beliefs and thought processes that feed our fear or anger, and if we know why we tend to get fearful or angry, then we can change our response in those situations when fear or anger is likely to flare up. We can reprogram ourselves to behave in a different way.

We use anger to show other people they are out of order, but there are other ways to show people that we are unhappy with them. We don't have to use anger as a substitute for our lack of assertiveness. We can learn to be assertive without being angry. We will be much more effective and much happier when we do. We don't have to use anger as a substitute for our lack of assertiveness.
The Things That Make Us Fearful or Angry
It is helpful to have a good idea of the things that cause our fear and anger. If we know the causes, then we can learn to either remove them or to change the way we respond to them.

Most of our fear is caused because we see the possibility of something dangerous or something that we cannot control. We have learned that the way to keep ourselves safe is to be fearful. So when we perceive something as threatening in any way we become fearful.

Most of our anger is caused because the outside world does not live up to our expectation or our dreams. We keep insisting that the outside world be a certain way. When it isn't we get angry. For example, you are in a nice restaurant having dinner and small children who are part of the family at the next table are being loud and disruptive, and that upsets you. You have an ideal view of how these children should act. You keep demanding that children act that way even though you have no power to control them. And you get angry when they don't do it your way.

We get angry when others in our culture - or outside of it - don't follow the cultural rules. A major role of anger in our culture is its policing function. For example, you expect people to stay in line and take their turn. Our society demands this behavior because if people don't follow these rules the less aggressive of us will have to wait much longer to purchase our goods and go home. When someone doesn't follow the rules and crowds to the front of the line, others often react by getting angry and shouting at them to get to the back of the line.

Although every culture's rules are subjective, and different segments of our society may have conflicting rules, anger is often employed against those who go against the rules, in order to coerce them into conforming. We have learned to use anger as a method of controlling other people. It seems natural and necessary to use anger simply because this is how we have learned to control other people. And because many of us refuse to accept cultural differences as natural and desirable we live in a very angry world. The government and the media use anger to shape our opinions about other people and other ways of doing things.

Sometimes we get angry because expressing anger is a common and acceptable attribute to our family of origin. One's family has a huge effect on how one reacts to conflict. In some families, fighting is seen as bad. In others, you don't even count for much unless you can stand up and fight for yourself. We not only learn our emotional style from our family, we also acquire the unique set of values our family holds. How our anger gets triggered - and how we express it - are closely tied to the lessons we learned as we were growing up.

We develop a belief system and then get angry when things don't go according to our beliefs. Our ingrained beliefs lead to disappointment, frustration and anger when things don't go the way we think they should.

"Other people" are a major source of our anger. When we don't trust others, we think, "I am going to get them before they get me," and we view everything they do with mistrust, it's as if our brain is out to lunch. We are programmed to mistrust and we automatically respond from our emotions. We don't view the behavior of another person as a new problem to solve. Instead we deal with the situation as one that we already have the answer to. We deal with this new person just as we have already dealt with all of the un-trusted people of our past.

Not being fearful or angry doesn't reduce our ability to feel emotion. In fact it intensifies it. Studies on addiction show that the reason we are addicted to something is that negative emotions mask our ability to fully experience our natural state; which is our positive emotions. We become addicted to something because it allows us to temporarily get past the mask of our negative feelings and feel our pleasure. We feel extremely good during the time the addictive substance suppresses our negative emotions. This is the only way the addicted person knows how to feel good. They want to feel good so much that it doesn't matter that their addiction has serious side effects. When we learn how to experience pleasure naturally the addictive substance is no longer necessary in our life. When we remove our negative emotions so that we can experience pleasure naturally we no longer need our addictions.
What Negative Emotions Do To Us
Feeling the emotion associated with anger is our first awareness of its presence. But beneath our anger lies a primary emotional pain, such as pride, shame, hurt, frustration, sadness, terror, worry, or fear. Anger is just the way we have chosen to respond to something that has come to our attention that has a negative effect on our state of being.

When we get angry we experience a host of physical changes to our body. Anger interferes with efficient thinking, problem solving, planning, and success in school. When we are angry, our bodies get hot, our muscles tense, our hearts pound, and our thoughts race out of control. When we're in the midst of such physical reactions we need to stop and pay attention to what has triggered the angry reaction and why it has done so. Until we are able to relax and think clearly again, we will not be able to act effectively, or communicate clearly. Instead, we'll be in danger of choosing angry responses that our reflective reasoning would tell us are ineffective or inappropriate.

Anger can actually get to the point where it makes us physically and/or mentally ill. It causes us difficulty with our school work. It can even cause marital instability, conflict, and divorce. It may limit our educational achievement and occupational success. It makes us poor parents. It stands in the way of intimacy. It can cost us lots of money and economic achievements. It can even shorten our life expectancy.
The Costs of Negative Emotions
Now as you are learning to apply these new skills I challenge you to further develop these skills in order to achieve emotional wisdom in your own life and in our society, so that we all able to live and work together in greater harmony and ever greater personal peace. By this I mean learn to recognize and establish beliefs that produce inner peace for yourself that also produce both harmony and well being in our world society.

Because we believe something is going to cure us it does. We refer to this as the placebo effect or wellness thinking. It is such a strong effect that all research on medicines is done without letting the patient know whether he is taking the real medicine or just a sugar pill. The opposite also applies. When we think we are going to get sick we most generally do. If we want to be happy and well it is extremely important to believe that we are. Studies have consistently shown that people with positive mental attitudes live much longer on average than those with a negative mental attitude.
The chain of events in making a choice
How we perceive what the world offers.

We react to particular circumstances and events according to our own particular beliefs.
How we accept what the world offers.
Our beliefs about what happens and what should happen in the world affect how we respond emotionally.
How we chose to experience our life.
What we choose to do in the world will change not only ourselves but also the world and the way we feel about it.
How we respond to what the world offers.
How we respond affects everything that happens after that.
By the choices we make.
The things that happen in our lives come into being as the consequences of our choices.
Steps to Developing Emotional Intelligence

1. Understand how your mind works.

2. Create your goal.

3. Create new beliefs to support your goal.

4. Learn how to recognize and locate problems.

5. Learn how to make changes

6. Do the Work!

Checklist for finding a belief that is troubling you Ask yourself:
1. Exactly what you are upset about

2. What belief you have that is causing this feeling

3. What related or sub-beliefs you have that are supporting this

belief.

4. What memories you have that are causing or supporting this

belief.

5. Why you believe this belief is true.

6. Is this belief absolutely true?

7. Do you want to change the belief, or keep it?

8. If you decide to keep the belief are you willing to give up being upset?

about it?
Additional questions to consider if you have difficulty identifying the upsetting belief.

1. Do I have a belief that I should be upset about this?
2. Do I have a belief that I am "less than" in some way?
3. Do I have a belief that I should have my own way about this?
4. Do I have a belief that others should do it my way?
5. Do I allow myself to do things I don't want to do?
6. Do I have a belief that my existing beliefs are absolutely true?
7. Do I dislike changing beliefs?
8. Do I truly want to get over being upset about what is happening?

9. Do I believe I can find a positive solution if I keep looking?
References
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success: Paper presented to the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Society,

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Graphics, 1990

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: Deerfield Beach, FL, Health Communications, Inc, 2004

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Sunlight Publication, 2007

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World Emotional Literacy League - The Nature of Emotions

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Creation and Modification by Dr. Dean Van Leuven 2012 Conference Paper Whether our response to an arousal stimulus results in a negative emotion or a positive emotion is determined by our perception of the event. We have positive, love-based responses, such as joy and happiness. They feel good to us.

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Question: How do I start planning for my perfect community?

This easy to understand PDF file explains the basic steps to take to plan your community.