“Stories of Peace” Many of us are inundated with a seemingly unending torrent of negative images and ideas that spout forth from the digital devices that are our gateway to nearly all public discourse. Why? Because it works. It gets our attention. We are hardwired to prioritize and react to danger, real and perceived. People bent on fame, money or political power know this. They are hijacking our attention, not for a good cause but for a click, a like, or a quick buck. There is, and always has been, an answer to this attack. It is called Story. A well-told story can bypass the primitive parts of our brain and evoke emotions and ideas that unify us, empower us, allow us to share dreams of a better day. This is a story of a remarkable organization embarking on a global effort to use the power of story as an instrument of unity and peace. It is called URI or United Religions Initiative. It is a kind of United Nations of people of all beliefs, including atheists and agnostics. This is how it works. At least seven people come together to tackle a cause. The only requirement is that they represent at least three different religions or belief systems. This is called a cooperation circle. They do something together. Build a school, expose an injustice, fight poverty...rally against hate and violence. There are now a thousand of these cooperation circles in more than a hundred countries...creating life-changing stories. Come with us now and see the power of story.
