Pedro the Water Dog Saves the Planet Peace Podcast

Gary Snyder: Poetry of the Wild Creative Vision and Mindful Craft continues. In this episode, we honor Gary Snyder—poet, ecologist, Buddhist practitioner—whose work calls us back into conversation with land. We reflect on speaking from place, on grounded wildness, and on how poetry can be humble care. Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: The Practice of the Wild by Gary Snyder Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Anni Albers: Threads of Quiet Resolve Creative Vision and Mindful Craft continues. In this episode, we honor Anni Albers, whose life in weaving taught us fidelity to material, restraint in design, and depth in simplicity. We reflect on letting what we hold teach us, rather than fashioning what we wish. Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: On Weaving by Anni Albers Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp:https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

George Nakashima: Wood & Soul Creative Vision and Mindful Craft continues. In this episode, we honor George Nakashima—architect, craftsman, and wood whisperer—who listened to trees and let design grow from them rather than impose upon them. We explore his philosophy, his time in internment, and his vision of Altars for Peace. Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: The Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworker's Reflections Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Virginia Woolf: A Room and a Voice Creative Vision and Mindful Craft continues. This episode looks at the life and work of Virginia Woolf, whose writing and essays transformed how we understand time, consciousness, and creative independence. We reflect on her insistence that women need money and space in order to write—and how that applies to all of us trying to think clearly in today's noisy world. Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Leonard Cohen: Song, Silence, and Shadow Creative Vision and Mindful Craft continues. We explore the life of Leonard Cohen—a poet, singer, and spiritual seeker—whose artistry emerged from stillness and whose words embraced brokenness. This episode reflects on his monastic years and how silence can become a keeper. Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Leonard Cohen: A Remarkable Life by Anthony Reynolds Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Frida Kahlo: The Art of Keeping Pain Creative Vision and Mindful Craft: Frida Kahlo didn't minimize or mask her pain. She turned it into art—and by doing so, left a legacy of radical honesty and emotional survival. In this episode, we reflect on the unflinching beauty of her life and work, and what it means to keep our hardest stories with care. Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Frida Kahlo: The Paintings by Hayden Herrera Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Albert Einstein: Thought in Motion Creative Vision and Mindful Craft: In this episode, we meet Albert Einstein—the physicist whose ideas reshaped the cosmos, and whose life showed ways to simplify without loss. We lean into his habits of clarity and how we might adopt simplicity today. Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Jane Addams: The Wisdom of the Neighborhood The Social & Systemic "Enough." We honor Jane Addams, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and founder of Hull House. She demonstrated that building peace and dismantling inequality is a local act—one block, one home, and one person at a time. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Twenty Years at Hull-House (1910) by Jane Addams Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp:https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Bill Cunningham: The Eye on the Street The Social & Systemic "Enough" continues. In this episode, we honor Bill Cunningham, whose lifelong devotion to street fashion gave dignity to everyday dressing. We reflect on how noticing detail, preserving integrity, and staying rooted in curiosity can be quiet acts of peace and resistance to commercial influence. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Bill Cunningham: On the Street (Five Decades of Iconic Photography) Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Bea Johnson: Waste Not, Want More The Social & Systemic "Enough" continues. In this episode, we meet Bea Johnson—mother, minimalist, and pioneer of the zero waste lifestyle. We explore her 5R philosophy, the in-home challenges, and how refusing can become a spiritual act that challenges consumer systems. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Zero Waste Home: The Ultimate Guide to Simplifying Your Life by Reducing Your Waste Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

José Andrés: Building the Longer Table The Social & Systemic "Enough" continues! Chef and humanitarian José Andrés has redefined how we feed people in crisis. But at the heart of his mission is something simple: building longer tables, not higher walls. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: We Fed an Island by José Andrés Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Toni Cade Bambara: Story as Resistance The Social & Systemic "Enough" continues! In this episode, we honor Toni Cade Bambara, whose writing, activism, and teaching insisted that stories matter. We reflect on her commitment to language as a tool of justice, and on what it means for us to speak when silence feels safer. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Deep Sightings & Rescue Missions: Fiction, Essays & Conversations by Toni Cade Bambara Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Arundhati Roy: Voice Against Silence The Social & Systemic "Enough" continues! In this episode, we explore how Arundhati Roy has used literature and activism to speak truths often ignored. We reflect on how her small acts of witness challenge power, and how we might find our own voice of moral alignment. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: My Seditious Heart by Arundhati Roy Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Eleanor Roosevelt: Quiet Power, Public Heart Theme 3: The Social & Systemic "Enough" continues! In this episode, we explore how Eleanor Roosevelt expanded the role of public service through consistent advocacy, principled presence, and moral imagination. We consider how she kept her convictions alive and used her influence for universal dignity. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: This Is My Story by Eleanor Roosevelt Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Sojourner Truth: Walking Toward Freedom Theme 3: The Social & Systemic "Enough" continues! Sojourner Truth (born Isabella Baumfree) escaped slavery, recovered her child through the courts, and became a traveling preacher and abolitionist who challenged both racism and sexism. This episode looks at the power of her conviction and the importance of leaving no one behind. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Narrative of Sojourner Truth (1850) Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Maya Angelou: A Life That Didn't Need Much Theme 3: The Social & Systemic "Enough" begins! In this episode, we honor Maya Angelou, whose writing practice, poetic clarity, and pared-down rituals remind us that beauty doesn't come from abundance—it comes from presence. We explore the quiet power of a woman who kept what mattered and let the rest go. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Charles Darwin: The Sandwalk Thinker This episode concludes our theme: Stewards of the Earth. We honor Charles Darwin, whose life of patient observation and scientific humility offers lessons far beyond biology. We reflect on how his walks, notebooks, and quiet persistence helped reframe humanity's place in the world. Get the Book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Resource: Darwin: A Life in Science by John Gribbin & Michael White Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Yvon Chouinard: Climbing Light In this episode, we honor Yvon Chouinard—climber, craftsman, environmental innovator, and founder of Patagonia—who asked the question: how light can a life be? We trace his path from forging pitons to founding Patagonia and explore how choosing durability, repair, and purpose can reshape how we live, continuing our theme: Stewards of the Earth. Get the Book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman by Yvon Chouinard (Book) and here is a video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79e7fvfrMJ0 Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Greta Thunberg: The Voice of Tomorrow In this episode, we meet Greta Thunberg—young climate activist, moral clarion, and living challenge to complacency. We explore her school strikes, her public voice, and how urgency and care can coexist, continuing our theme: Stewards of the Earth. Get the Book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference by Greta Thunberg Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Wendell Berry: Cultivator of Place In this episode, we honor Wendell Berry, whose life combines farming, writing, and moral witness rooted in local land. We reflect on how staying close, resisting abstraction, and caring for our home ground may be radical acts of peace, continuing our theme: Stewards of the Earth. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: The Unsettling of America by Wendell Berry Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Jane Goodall: Witness Among the Wild In this episode, we explore how Jane Goodall's decades among chimpanzees turned quiet witnessing into global advocacy. We reflect on how she honored individuality in all beings and challenged us to see deeper than the veil of species. This episode concludes our theme: Stewards of the Earth. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Reason for Hope by Jane Goodall Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp:https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Rachel Carson: Voice of the Silent Spring In this episode, we honor Rachel Carson—the marine biologist turned environmental prophet—whose cautionary voice saved countless lives and ecosystems. We reflect on how she listened to nature's silence and urged us to do the same, carrying on our theme: Stewards of the Earth. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Silent Spring by Rachel Carson Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Vandana Shiva: The Freedom of the Seed In this episode, we meet Vandana Shiva—physicist, ecofeminist, and food sovereignty champion. We explore her journey from studying quantum theory to leading a global movement for Seed Freedom and Earth Democracy, carrying on our theme: Stewards of the Earth. Get Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Further Reading: Earth Democracy: Justice, Sustainability and Peace by Vandana Shiva Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp:https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

John Muir: The Forest Is the Door In this episode, we explore the life and legacy of John Muir—writer, wanderer, and early environmental advocate. We reflect on his long walks, the trees he loved, and the complicated truths of his era, as we launch our new theme: Stewards of the Earth. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: My First Summer in the Sierra by John Muir https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32540 Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Mary Tuthill Lindheim: Credo in Clay In this episode Avis Kalfsbeek honors Mary Tuthill Lindheim, whose ceramics, sculpture, and activism manifested a life lived by creed. We explore how her moral compass intertwined with material, land, and service. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here:AvisKalfsbeek.com Mary Tuthill Lindheim Recommended References:  Crocker Art Museum: https://www.crockerart.org/blog/post/mary-tuthill-lindheim-kindred-responses-to-life Mary Tuthill Lindheim: Art and Inspiration: https://abbywasserman.net/book-mary-tuthill-lindheim#:~:text=Publication%20details:,purchase%20from%20Publisher And see her Credo below. Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow   Mary Tuthil Lindheim's Credo: To greet each day as a gift. To find richness in a simple way of living. To be inventive, self-reliant, curious, searching. To find ways to do the most with the least. To never make money the goal. To share what I have with those who have less. To value ideals. To always try to live up to them and never count the cost of standing up for convictions. To value the friendship of shared commitments. To be in awe of the incredible intricacies and order of the universe… the rhythms of the sun and the moon and the seasons, the blossoming earth, the waters and the mountains and deserts and stars, the marvel of a human body or the architecture of a flower. To find the divine in the profoundness of the cosmos and in the struggles and joys of the human heart. To be responsible for my part to preserve our planet—the earth, the plants, the animals, air, water. To fight for the rights of people to be free of terror… To take part in this responsibility even when I feel afraid, or inadequate or in jeopardy. To feel richness in each stage of life and to always search for beauty. To feel the flow of music in every creative act. To never be afraid of emotion, to use it richly, responsibly and creatively. To value above all the love that is shared in its fullness. To treasure memories of shared love and respect and to never be afraid if there is pain as well as joy in reliving them.

Cheryl Strayed: A Pack Called Grief In this episode, we reflect on the life and writings of Cheryl Strayed—memoirist, advice-giver, and seeker of emotional truth. Her walk along the Pacific Crest Trail, made famous in Wild, became a public reckoning with private loss. We explore what it means to carry grief with honesty, to return to our truest self, and to walk toward peace—even with a heavy pack. Get the new book Peace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Fred Rogers: The Gentle Neighbor In this episode, we meet Fred Rogers—minister, musician, public television pioneer—who used quiet words, ritual, and consistency to honor the inner lives of children. We explore how kindness in speech, consistency in care, and everyday integrity can be radical acts of peace. Get the new bookPeace Stuff: Enough (Kickstarter) Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Music: "Dalai Llama Riding a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Tom of Holland: Threads of Repair In this episode, we honor Tom of Holland (Tom van Deijnen)—textile artist, mender, and teacher of visible repair. We explore his journey from fiber craft to founding the Visible Mending Programme, his philosophy of repair, and how we might rethink the story in our worn things. Get the book Peace Stuff: Enough: https://aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter  Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com  @TomofHolland Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Agnes Martin: Quiet Grids of Spirit In this episode, we honor Agnes Martin—a painter of silence, repetition, and inward vision. We explore her life, artistic philosophy, spiritual leanings, and how empty space can be full of meaning. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Agnes Martin: Writings Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Fumio Sasaki: Minimalism in Practice In this episode, we explore Fumio Sasaki's journey toward minimalism: how he pared possessions, redefined identity, and reclaimed space. We reflect on letting lightness become not absence, but invitation. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Ikkyu Sojun: Wild Mind, Clear Heart This episode explores the bold life of Ikkyu Sojun, the 15th-century Zen monk who defied convention and insisted that spiritual clarity could not be faked. From temple reform to sake-soaked poems, Ikkyu lived with piercing honesty and unforgettable style. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here:AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: Crow with No Mouth translated by Stephen Berg Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp:https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Satish Kumar: Pilgrim of Peace and Soil Satish Kumar walked across continents without money to bear witness against nuclear arms. In this episode, we trace how that pilgrimage shaped a life devoted to ecology, justice, and spiritual humility. His journey reminds us that trust and simplicity may be the deepest form of richness. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: No Destination: An Autobiography of a Pilgrim by Satish Kumar Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Mahatma Gandhi: Ashes, Talisman, and the Poorest Face In this episode, we explore Gandhi's choice to scatter his ashes rather than preserve them, and his guiding Talisman—a moral test rooted in care for the poorest. We prepare to turn toward new frontiers, carrying Gandhi's test forward into new discussions of commons, power, and humility. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com More on Gandhi's Talisman: Read Gandhi's Talisman text: MKGandhi.org Recommended reading:The Story of My Experiments with Truth by Gandhi Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp:https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Thich Nhat Hanh: Breaths of Peace In this episode, we celebrate the life of Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay)—Zen monk, poet, peace activist, and pioneer of Engaged Buddhism. We reflect on how mindfulness and action can be the same gesture, how every step can carry peace, and how breath can anchor us when the world is loud. Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com Recommended Reading: The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=uszJs37sTFyPbXK4AeQvow

Peace Pilgrim: The Walker with No Belongings In this episode, we kick off The Architects of Enough series with the Peace Pilgrim (Mildred Lisette Norman), a woman who gave up everything she owned to walk over 25,000 miles for peace. We reflect on the Inner Path to Enough: what it means to walk without material burden, speak without anger, and live without excess. Includes a powerful reflection prompt and a small pop-in from Pedro the Water Dog! Find the Books, Podcast & Kickstarter: Everything you need to follow the Peace Stuff: Enough journey is here: AvisKalfsbeek.com More on Peace Pilgrim: Find the free booklet Steps Toward Inner Peace and more about her life:https://www.peacepilgrim.org/fopp-quickstart Music: "Dalai Llama Rides a Bike" by Javier "Peke" Rodriguez Bandcamp:https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW?si=oI0QIypvT3uulj0XxTKcWg 

Avis Kalfsbeek takes a pause between series for a meditation on grief, war, and liberative compassion. She shares that she does a monthly creative project in her mini, free Shakespeare Sherpa Club (link below). As part of my monthly Shakespeare Sherpa project, I turn toward poetry and performance as a quiet ritual of peace. Today, that takes the form of two voices in deep lament: Constance, from King John by William Shakespeare (Act 3, Scene 4), a mother devastated by the imprisonment of her son. Edna St. Vincent Millay, in her haunting poem Dirge Without Music, refusing to soften the sorrow of death. In this episode, I also briefly reflect on a teaching from Ram Dass (Ep. 283 of Be Here Now) and the difference between righteous helping and liberative helping. Can we mourn and still be spiritually free? Can we serve peace while holding the full weight of what we feel? Awkward Alert: I read Shakespeare not because I am a Shakespearean actor, or ever plan to be, but because this is my podcast and I can. As such, I remind listeners of the fast forward button. Peace and love, Avis Texts Featured: King John, Act 3, Scene 4 – William Shakespeare Dirge Without Music – Edna St. Vincent Millay Shakespeare Sherpa Club (free): AvisKalfsbeek.com/ShakespeareSherpa Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez • Bandcamp: javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com • Spotify: Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

The Great Disarmament Part 14: A Future Retold. What Comes Next? In the final episode of The Great Disarmament – The Great Disfarmament, peace storyteller Avis Kalfsbeek invites listeners to reflect on the journey so far—and to imagine what comes next. From ancient farming to nuclear warfare, from compost to chemical weapons, this 14-part podcast series traces the parallel histories of agricultural violence and militarized conflict—and the courageous movements working to undo them. A Future Retold offers a poetic, historical, and deeply human recap of the series. It revisits the voices that have shaped this work—Rachel Carson, Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi, adrienne maree brown, and many more—and names the everyday actions that make peace not just possible, but already underway. We explore the symbolism of the Doomsday Clock, the myth of perpetual war, and the dream of a Peace Clock that points to something new: a world where disarmament becomes part of daily life. If you care about climate justice, nuclear disarmament, regenerative agriculture, nonviolent resistance, or simply the possibility of a livable future—this episode is for you. Because peace is not a gimmick. It's a choice. A story. A path. This is #TheGreatDisarmament. Download the Peace Resource Guide: AvisKalfsbeek.com/PeaceGuide Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com Music: “Dalai Llama Rides a Bike” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez • Bandcamp: javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com • Spotify: Javier “Peke” Rodriguez

The Great Disarmament Part 13: Seeds of Peace. What does disarmament look like today? It may not be on the news. But it is happening—everywhere. In this final episode of the historical timeline, we trace disarmament from the early 2000s to the present. From gang-intervention programs to post-conflict organic farms, from library circles to peace walkers, we explore how peace is being built—not by treaties alone, but by people. Quietly, daily, defiantly. Weapons still exist. Wars are still waged. But in homes, classrooms, gardens, and songs The Great Disarmament is already underway. Featuring the voices of Malala Yousafzai, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Father Gregory Boyle, adrienne maree brown, and Arundhati Roy. Inspired by Emergent Strategy by adrienne maree brown, we reflect on how small acts—like composting, listening, or holding a moment of peace—are not peripheral. They are the strategy. Download the Peace Resource Guide: AvisKalfsbeek.com/PeaceGuide Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com  

The Great Disarmament Part 12: Arms & Arguments – When Peace Learned to Speak Up. In an era dominated by Cold War brinkmanship, something remarkable happened. Peace became public. From the Nuclear Freeze movement to televised debates, this 100th episode of the Peace is Here Podcast tracks how citizens learned to speak up, protest, and challenge the very premise of global militarism. We explore the 1980s and '90s not as a triumph of treaties, but as the moment peace gained fluency—in arguments, in law, and in imagination. We also remind ourselves: disarmament is not a speedy process, and it is never guaranteed. But it happens. And we are still part of it. Featuring historian Howard Zinn and James Baldwin's The Fire Next Time. Download the Peace Resource Guide: AvisKalfsbeek.com/PeaceGuide Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com  

The Great Disarmament Part 11: Fallout & Flower Powers. As nuclear fire darkened the sky, a global peace movement took root. This episode explores the cultural birth of The Great Disarmament—from Hiroshima to Haight-Ashbury, from anti-war protests to international arms control treaties, from monks on fire to flowers in rifles. We mark the year 1963—the year of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty—as the beginning of The Great Disarmament. Not the beginning of bombs. But the beginning of refusal. This turning point in Cold War history reminds us that resistance is not the opposite of despair. It is the antidote. Featuring the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the voice of Kurt Vonnegut through Slaughterhouse-Five, we trace how conscience, courage, and creative protest began to build a counterweight to destruction—and a new peace culture began to rise. Download the Peace Resource Guide: AvisKalfsbeek.com/PeaceGuide Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com

The Great Disarmament: Gas & Conscience – When the World Said Never Again World War I ushered in the age of mechanized killing—from mustard gas to machine guns. But amid the devastation came something new: organized resistance, international treaties, and the first serious conversations about disarmament. In this episode, we mark the moment when the world's conscience awoke—and disarmament began. Download the Peace Resource Guide: AvisKalfsbeek.com/PeaceGuide Follow my Kickstarter: AvisKalfsbeek.com/Kickstarter Get the books: aviskalfsbeek.com  

The Great Disarmament: Powder & Principles – When Conscience First Spoke As gunpowder redefined the global balance of power, another force quietly emerged—conscience. This episode explores the 1600s to 1800s, when the rise of modern empires was met by the first organized refusals to fight. From the Quaker Peace Testimony and early abolitionist resistance to Enlightenment philosophers imagining peace as policy, we follow the voices who rejected war, empire, and extraction as the price of civilization. We trace the moral origins of nonviolence through: The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and their refusal to bear arms The philosophical foundations of Utopia and early social contract theory William Penn's peaceful treaties and anti-militarist governance The link between war, slavery, and the moral awakening that would influence Tolstoy, Gandhi, and King Through these stories, we ask: When did peace stop being passive? And how did disobedience become a sacred act? This episode is part of The Great Disarmament – The Great Disfarmament, a 14-part podcast series on the deep history of war, agriculture, and the movements to end them.

Spears & Surrender – When Peace Was Older Than Progress Before nations, before bombs, before “progress,” there was another kind of peace—one rooted in ritual, kinship, and restraint. In this episode, we trace the earliest forms of disarmament: warriors who buried weapons before councils, spiritual leaders who practiced nonviolence, and poetic traditions that chose mercy over might. With voices from The Bhagavad Gita, the Rig Veda, and Zulu proverbs, we rediscover surrender as sacred wisdom.

This episode marks the turning point between The Great Disfarmament (Parts 1 - 6) and The Great Disarmament (Parts 8 - 13). We look back across centuries of agricultural violence—fertilizer bombs, chemical dependency, and genetic control—and begin to see a new story taking root. We recap key voices: the ecological grief of The Epic of Gilgamesh, the defiant poetry of William Blake, the wartime witness of Erich Maria Remarque, the prophetic science of Rachel Carson, the double-edged legacy of Norman Borlaug, and the braided wisdom of Robin Wall Kimmerer. The Great Disarmament didn't begin with a summit or a ceasefire. It began when people said no. When they composted control. When they made peace in the soil. Next episode, we follow that thread—into Spears & Surrender.

In this episode, Avis Kalfsbeek marks the final chapter of The Great Disfarmament—and the quiet rise of a different kind of power. As war tactics evolved from Cold War standoffs to post-9/11 surveillance and global contracting, the logic of control continued to infiltrate the land. Seeds were genetically modified, patented, and, in some cases, designed never to reproduce. Farmers were no longer growers but users—dependent on licensing, chemicals, and contracts. The soil was stripped. Sovereignty was sold. And the disfarmament, it seemed, was complete. Yet even as these systems tightened their grip, something ancient stirred beneath the surface. This episode honors the seed savers, the land listeners, and the quiet movements that began to push back. We meet Indigenous leader Winona LaDuke, whose work on food sovereignty and cultural memory reminds us that “food is medicine—not only for the body, but for the soul.” We also reflect through the lens of Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer, who teaches that reciprocity, not ownership, defines our relationship with the earth. In a time of mechanized control, these voices call us to remember the seed not as a product, but as a promise. This is the story of regeneration and resistance— Of choosing ceremony over commodity, memory over monopoly, and kinship over control. Next, we begin Part II: The Great Disarmament.

In this episode, host Avis Kalfsbeek examines the Cold War's eerie balance between restraint and escalation. While world powers held their fire through Mutually Assured Destruction, another kind of battle intensified in the fields. The Green Revolution promised to end hunger, but often delivered dependency. With hybrid seeds, fossil-fuel fertilizers, and pesticides drawn from wartime chemistry, agriculture became a new theater of control. Countries in the Global South were offered technological salvation—at the cost of local knowledge, biodiversity, and sovereignty. Our featured voice is Rachel Carson, whose 1962 book Silent Spring revealed the hidden cost of domination disguised as innovation. Her quiet courage helped spark a global movement for environmental awareness and restraint. We also reflect on Norman Borlaug's legacy through The Man Who Fed the World—a reminder that even well-intentioned interventions can carry unintended consequences. Control, scale, and speed defined the era. But memory, humility, and care may yet define the future.

What happens when chemical warfare doesn't end at the battlefield—but follows us home? In this episode of The Great Disfarmament – The Great Disarmament, we travel from the trenches of World War I to the poisoned fields of mid-century agriculture. We explore how the same compounds used for mustard gas and explosives were rebranded as fertilizers and pesticides—and how the Green Revolution masked a deeper ecological unraveling. We meet Sir Albert Howard, a botanist who saw soil not as a battleground but as a living system, and we revisit the literary trauma of All Quiet on the Western Front, where war clings to lungs and lingers in the land. If disfarmament began with conquest, this is the moment it became chemical. Listen in as we unearth the roots of modern agriculture—and how healing may begin by remembering what we've tried to forget.

What happens when the hunger for yield becomes an imperial mission? In this episode, we travel to the 18th and 19th centuries to explore two seemingly unrelated substances—gunpowder and guano. One shaped the battlefield. The other reshaped the farm. But both emerged from a growing belief that nature could be extracted, measured, and conquered. We trace the rise of nitrogen obsession, colonial fertilizer wars, and the passing of the Guano Islands Act—all moments that reveal how food systems were drafted into the logic of empire. Poet William Blake reminds us that even rivers and soil were being claimed, chartered, and commodified. His words—drawn from The Chimney Sweeper and London—anchor this episode in the moral undercurrent of ecological-industrial harm. This isn't just a history of weapons or fertilizer. It's a warning about what we begin to forget when we turn living systems into engines—and when we trade birdshit for blood.

What if we remembered the wisdom buried in the soil? In this second episode of The Great Disfarmament – The Great Disarmament, we go back—before fertilizers, before bullets, before the conquest of land and people. We trace the quiet origins of farming and war, when both were bound by ritual, proximity, and care. We explore ancient practices of composting, communal stewardship, and restraint—methods rooted in renewal, not extraction. We meet a voice from the Sumerian world—Shuruppak—whose 4,000-year-old instructions remind us that farming was once a moral act. And we revisit The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest ecological warnings in literature. Together, these ancient texts ask: What if agriculture had never become a tool of conquest? This is a story of what we knew before we knew what we'd lose. A mirror held up to the beginnings of disarmament—not in politics, but in the ground itself.

What if I told you The Great Disarmament has already begun? Not as a headline, or a treaty, or a dream—but as something quiet. Ongoing. Something you might not have noticed. In this opening episode, we trace the overlapping histories of agriculture and war—and ask what it means to disarm a system built to dominate. We start with a simple truth: for most of human history, farming and war were opposites. One fed. One destroyed. But in the last century, their paths began to merge—military chemicals were recast as fertilizers and pesticides, and the language of conquest entered our relationship with land. We end with the voice of Rachel Carson, whose 1962 book Silent Spring challenged the chemical mindset reshaping our world, and offered, instead, a way of seeing nature as something we belong to, not something we conquer. This is not a series about easy answers. It's a listening project. A way of seeing what was built—and what is being unbuilt. —

Welcome to The Great Disarmament – The Great Disfarmament. Host Avis Kalfsbeek, peace storyteller, ecofiction author, leads us in this 14-part nonfiction podcast tracing how violence became embedded in agriculture, policy, and culture—and how people across history have resisted it. From soil to soul, this series blends history, science, activism, and hope.