The Future of Peace: On the Front Lines with the World's Great Peacemakers

The Future of Peace: On the Front Lines with the World's Great Peacemakers

By: Scott A. Hunt  

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Average Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5

"From some of the most horrendous chapters in human history," writes Scott A. Hunt, "these great leaders have emerged to show us a different path, proving not only that the cessation of war is possible, but that the removal of hatred and violence from our hearts is possible as well . . . they show us that the promise of peace remains intact. It is to these people that we can turn in order to replenish our encouragement, hope, and inspiration."

What does it mean to fight for peace today? We all want lasting peace. But is it really possible, and how do we achieve it? Defying military intelligence officers in Burma, secret police in Vietnam, and combatants in the Occupied Territories of Palestine, Scott Hunt spent three years traveling across the globe -- often under arduous conditions -- to seek out the wisdom of the world's leading peacemakers.

In intimate conversations with these remarkable leaders, recounting histories that are not taught in school and uncovering important lessons that are often brushed aside, Hunt skillfully coaxes out staggering stories, including those of Burma's legendary pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, Tibet's moral authority the Dalai Lama, Vietnam's leading dissident Thich Quang Do, famed primate specialist and humanitarian Dr. Jane Goodall, Cambodia's Supreme Patriarch Maha Ghosananda, Costa Rica's Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias, and other great leaders who have battled to end the brutality against the people and causes they cherish. This extraordinary investigation offers far-ranging insights and invaluable lessons, changing the way we think about the world and our responsibility toward one another.

These heroic figures are unwilling to accept that our lives must consist of the tragedy of unremitting conflict and warfare. They explain not only the basis of the conflicts they are working to resolve, but what inspires them to stay resolute in their commitment to peace. Engaging, uplifting, and at times unexpectedly humorous, The Future of Peace conveys both a message of hope and a call to action, revealing what it means to hold an unwavering vision of compassion, to be a leader, and to preserve peace in our own day-to-day lives.

Publisher: HarperOne

Release Date: 2002-10-15

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
More Relevant Than Ever - The perfect antidote to a mindset of vengeance. In this incredibly sexy take on the human condition, writer Scott A. Hunt takes readers down the noble and seemingly enigmatic road to peace. Insightful anecdotes paired with brilliant insights make for a fascinating read. Equally as spiritual as it is documentary; a must read for every contemporary thinking man's library.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Beyond the power of imagination - Scott successfully took on a monumental task of understanding the view points of peace makers and people who are caught in today's wars. The book is a journey into the most challenging edges of 21st century human psyche. In this journey, there are seemingly real people who are actors compelled to living out scripts that they don't even know they are living them. But there are some people who are aware. These people come across clear and sound as Scott vividly presents his interactions in most captivating manners - simple but graceful. Scott's intentions come across pure. The information he gathered are eye-opening. The stories he tells are startling.

Scott outstandingly weaves the history of humanists' thoughts. His account of nations' events makes social and science fictions pale in novelty. Facts indeed beget fiction. Can super powers not be aware of their own action? Are peace makers and Nobel Peace laureates simply instruments of time - when the human spirit can no longer endure the incredible injustice?

If you have often asked yourself why people, businesses, and government today have drag the world into the lowest of any moral standards and darkest moments of the human race, this book will be useful to you. It doesn't offers academic answers. It shows you the conditions around the world in a continuity of thought I have not seen. The conversation with the Dalai Lama on non-violence is both amazingly clear and inspiring. It is an account of risk management and decision analysis with enormous grace and solemnity. Expect a team consisting of a journalist, a philosopher, a historian, and a humanist to accomplish anything close to this book. As I put the book down in the stillness of the nights, I am moved beyond the power of my imaginations. - Tom Tuduc

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Thought-Provoking and Compassionate - Scott Hunt has written a very moving and almost lyrical book in the way in which he blends some of the the worst horrors committed by humans against fellow beings with the compassion and kindliness of the peacemakers. It gives you a deep sense of hope and conviction that the spirit of humanity will tirumph eventually and inspires you to try hard as it may be to embrace the vices of those who still believe in commiting these violent acts.
Marvelouslly,it is also a political eye-opener into the true motivation of the actions taken in the name of peace by the political leaders...

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
Excellent book - This book is excellent in so many ways. Scott Hunt has given us an inspiring book. I learned so much in historical background and in the work of heroic people of our time.
I would urge anyone who wants an understanding of the problems in the world today to buy this book. Once you open it, you will be compelled to read it from cover to cover.
If you believe that the answer to all the issues of the world are simple, and that all the world except the US is bad, than I ask you to open your mind and take a look at the world described in these pages. If you believe that killing only creates more killing and there must be a better way, than allow these stories to provoke your mind.
The most compelling part of this book to me was the discussion of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge. I ask you to please try and understand how it can be that such a monstrous people can be created, and how such horrible things can be done to human beings. This chapter will leave you wondering how you can ever again accept on the surface the "information" we are given. You will realize the consequences of violence. You will search your mind for answers that are not on the news.

This book is not perfect. I was left wondering more about the history of Costa Rica than I was given, for example. And there are times when Scott explains things more than I would like. I think he could leave his conclusions to the people he interviews. Others may find that that part of the book helps tie things together.
Still, overall the book was outstanding and deserves every bit of 5 stars.

Customer Review: 5 out of 5
A HUNDRED STAR RATING - The "Future of Peace" is perhaps the most compelling book I have ever read. I was very deeply moved by it. Scott A. Hunt is an outstanding writer and interviewer. He asks insightful questions of prominent peacemakers and receives soul searching, thought provoking answers, with overall themes of hope, forgiveness and perseverance. The interviews are more like informal discussions and I almost felt I was right there. He also gives excellent background information on the various areas of conflict where the peacemakers reside, with facts one doesn't learn in school or read/see often in mainstream news. I kept trying to put it down, so as to absorb each chapter, but had to continue to the end, almost nonstop. It is definately a book to read again and again. If all students, political leaders and citizens of the world read it and took the messages to heart, perhaps we could obtain a more peaceful world. In these troubled and treacherous times, Mr. Hunt and the peacemakers give a message that should be spread throughout the world, both heartbreaking and soul inspiring at the same time. If you are wondering whether to buy "The Future of Peace", just do it! You will be so glad you did!

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