Pedro the Water Dog Saves the Planet Peace Podcast

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.

On her 63rd birthday, author and peace storyteller Avis Kalfsbeek takes a break between creative seasons to reflect on what peace really means—on Earth, in words, and in action. In this intimate episode, she reads Mark Twain's The War Prayer, a searing and ironic satire written during America's imperial turn but withheld during Twain's lifetime for fear it would be “not publishable.” Twain was Vice President of the Anti-Imperialist League (1901), opposing U.S. intervention in the Philippines. His peace work was fierce, critical, and clear-eyed. “O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells… help us to lay waste their humble homes with a hurricane of fire… We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him who is the source of Love…” Excerpt from Mark Twain's The War Prayer Alongside the reading, Avis shares a personal “knowing” about peace, a birthday poem, and a call to stop the killing of just about everything for profit. If you've ever wrestled with whether peace is possible—or wondered how satire can hold a spiritual truth—this is a quiet, powerful episode to return to. Musical credits: “Una Mañana” by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez (full track featured at the end) Links to Peke's music are in the show notes. The Great Disarmament is coming soon. Until then—peace is already here.

What happens when your granola comes with spin instead of oats? In this bonus satire bulletin from Peace Is Here, Kitty O'Compost reports on Syndown Industries' latest inventions: Gaslit Granola™ and Syndown Syrup™. With ads promising “freedom from inconvenient nutrition” and products boasting “pre-canceled fiber,” watchdogs warn breakfast may now contain 85% less reality than advertised. Each box comes with free Feel-Good Glasses™, rose tint only. Because in the world of Syndown, ignorance really is bliss. But after laughs (hopefully!), author Avis Kalfsbeek takes a moment to step away from the satire and share unscripted gratitude for the end of Mono Mutante's launch week. Why did this series begin? Why does it continue? In a heartfelt reflection, Avis speaks about her father and brother—third- and fourth-generation farmers to whom Mono Mutante is dedicated—about her AA sponsor and the daily practice of recovery, and about the spiritual heart of this work: If we see the God in a tomato, or in the eyes of a beautiful cow, and realize those eyes are no different from our dog's, then peace becomes possible. This bonus episode is both a wink and a bow: a thank-you to readers, listeners, and fellow travelers in the messy, hopeful pursuit of food justice, compassion, and joy.

When was the last time you heard joy described as a public health threat? In today's satirical bulletin, the Centers for Control of Happiness warn of dangerous “joy clusters” linked to Mono Mutante readings—and propose emergency bans on shared laughter in community gardens. Then, in our excerpt from Mono Mutante, we meet Lova Saskatoon, a Canadian farmer whose battle against a GMO giant became a legal precedent for seed sovereignty. Her story—rooted in courage, resilience, and loss—is a reminder that controlling the seed supply is just another form of controlling people. From absurd headlines to hard truths, this episode mixes comedy, conscience, and a deep respect for those who fight to keep our food free.

In today's War of the Worlds–style satire, the Department of Culinary Compliance issues a national security alert after “unpermitted lettuce” is detected in public school lunchrooms. We go live to the scene of a kale salad confiscation, before it can “radicalize the spinach.” Then, it's an excerpt from Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered, laugh-out-loud eco-satire about food, farming, and the fight for diversity. In this scene from Chapter 20, children take the stage at a farm conference to share staggering facts about monocropping… along with plant names so vivid they could start their own rock band. Expect both groans and giggles, with a few pesticide-free punchlines for good measure.

What happens when your novel gets outed for “tucking impossible optimism into every chapter”? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we bring you a breaking bulletin from the Bureau for Imaginative Compliance. A compostable thumb drive has been unearthed at the Decorum seed swap, carrying a handwritten confession: the author admits she wrote the book as a Trojan Horse of hope. Officials warn the manuscript could spark “direct action, vegetable planting, or worse—community.” Then, we turn to Mono Mutante itself. In today's excerpt, corporate lobbyists Bruno and Red square off at a plant-based restaurant in St. Louis, where jackfruit masquerades as pork and pesticide-free futures are debated like high-stakes poker. Between the bites of faux barbecue, questions rise: Who really controls our food? Can slow food and land-back movements rewrite the rules? From satirical seeds to serious struggles over pesticides, power, and land, this episode blends comedy, conscience, and the messy taste of resistance.

What happens when meat leaves the dinner table and enters the stock exchange? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we cut to a breaking bulletin from the Council on Consumable Compliance. The charge? Corporations have launched BeefCoin™—the world's first meat-backed cryptocurrency—and are marketing Freedom Cuts™, beef you can finance like a new pickup. A whistleblower even warns of “synthetic nostalgia,” bottled to make your backyard smell like burgers, long after the cows are gone. From absurd speculation to the politics of appetite, this episode skewers the future of food with wit, worry, and a side of satire. Then, we dive into Chapter 13 of Mono Mutante, where Tilly and Camas share a glass of starlight, a conversation about meat bans, and a strangely tender thought experiment about the last steak on Earth.

What happens when your novel gets dragged before the Council on Narrative Morality for “uplifting satire in zones of regulated despair”? In this launch-week special for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we interrupt our regularly scheduled program for a War of the Worlds–style bulletin on the dangers of “dangerous inspiration.” First up: a breaking news alert about fiction accused of reducing productivity by making people… hopeful. Then, an excerpt from Mono Mutante's Chapter 11, where Camas and Tilly return to Camas's childhood home—and discover the pink envelope containing a letter from her mom, later included in the book as a short story. From satirical headlines to intimate moments of grief and memory, this episode mixes comedy with conscience—and maybe inspires a little “dangerous” hope of your own.

What happens when your dog gets accused of “carrying genetic traces of historical dissenters”? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we break in with a bulletin from the Baesamen Institute for Genetic Purity, demanding a DNA test on Pedro. The charge? He's allegedly “up to 12% revolutionary.” The evidence? Tail wags at peace rallies and suspicious eye contact with farmworkers. Then, we dive into Chapter 10, where Camas and Tilly's mountain biking break leads to a wild idea: turning survivalist preppers into allies of the slow food movement. From MAGA victory gardens to “community sufficiency,” it's satire, strategy, and unlikely alliances—served cold with a side of peaches.

What happens when your imagination gets flagged for “unsanctioned acts of hope”? In this launch-week episode for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we break in with a Bureau for Imaginative Compliance bulletin, charging the author with “uplifting satire in zones of regulated despair” and “inciting optimism without a license.” Then, we dive into an excerpt from Mono Mutante, where Camas tests out her festival jokes, Tilly counters with a pesticide-poisoning story, and the line between humor and heartbreak gets deliciously blurry. From absurd regulations to the politics of who gets to tell hopeful stories, this episode blends comedy, conscience, and just the right amount of mischief.

Potatoes, Pedals, and the Great Grocery Crackdown (Books Banned Due to Excessive Potato Worship and Unauthorized Bike Conversions) – Mono Mutante Excerpt CH 1 What happens when your novel gets accused of promoting “an unlicensed faith in root vegetables and other soil-based ideologies”? In this launch-week kickoff for Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered eco-satire through the monoculture Midwest—we interrupt our regularly scheduled program for a War of the Worlds-style bulletin you won't forget. First up: a breaking news alert about books banned for “excessive potato worship” and suspiciously wholesome eating habits. Then, an excerpt from Mono Mutante—a dirt-splattered, laugh-out-loud road trip through the monoculture Midwest, where Camas and Tilly debate beer, steak, and the politics of food deserts… or as they decide to call them, “food f----d.” From absurd headlines to serious questions about who controls our food supply, this episode serves up equal parts comedy, conscience, and crunchy resistance.

Final episode of the Wolff Peace Series (Episodes 45–77): A tribute to Robert Paul Wolff (1933–2025). In this closing episode, Avis reflects on the life and legacy of Robert Paul Wolff, whose 1966 anthology Political Man and Social Man framed a rich, 33-episode journey through thinkers, peace warriors, and the struggle to live a life of principle. We explore what Wolff might have been seeing and feeling when he published the book in a time of protest and upheaval—and what he continued to offer as a teacher, blogger, and lifelong radical thinker. If you're new to the Wolff Peace series, we invite you to begin with Episode 45.

In this final recap before our closing tribute, we explore Section VI of Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man, where the focus shifts to conscience, control, and the institutions that shape us. From workplace studies to prison systems, moral philosophy to haunting parable, this section asks: How do we remain fully human within structures built to constrain us? Featuring reflections on George Homans, Erving Goffman, John Stuart Mill, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky—alongside peace pairings with Sophie Delaunay, Eleanor Rathbone, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela—this episode honors those who dared to defend dignity from the inside out. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW   Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

Is freedom too heavy for the human heart—or the only path to peace? In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek pairs Dostoevsky's philosophical parable The Grand Inquisitor with the life of Nelson Mandela, whose forgiveness and leadership transformed a nation. Dostoevsky doubted humanity's ability to handle freedom. Mandela embodied what it looks like when we rise to the challenge. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

Why does society so often punish difference—and how can we defend conscience in the face of pressure? In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores John Stuart Mill's classic argument against social conformity and Eleanor Roosevelt's life of compassion-driven defiance. She stood for human dignity, no matter how unpopular; he wrote that liberty demands protection from popular tyranny. Together, they remind us that peace is not only the absence of war, but the assurance that every individual may live—and dissent—with integrity. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

What happens when institutions replace identity with obedience? Sociologist Erving Goffman explores how total institutions—like prisons or asylums—reshape human behavior. British MP Eleanor Rathbone responds with a lifetime of advocacy for human dignity, social reform, and women's autonomy. Together, they ask: can peace survive bureaucracy? Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

When do people stand up—and when do they go along? In this episode of Peace Is Here, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the insights of sociologist George Homans and humanitarian leader Sophie Delaunay. From factory floors to war zones, we examine how human behavior is shaped by groups—and how peacebuilders can model new forms of belonging. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

In this special recap episode of the Wolff Peace Series, we explore Section V of Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man—a powerful turn from systems to souls. What kind of people make a society? And what kind of society shapes a person? We revisit four key thinkers—Plato, Durkheim, Riesman, and Erikson—who each reveal how politics lives inside us, not just around us. Paired with peace warriors like bell hooks, Jean Vanier, Etty Hillesum, and Nimco Ali, this episode invites us to reflect on what it means to build peace not only through policy, but through personality, presence, and care. The political is personal—and that might be where transformation begins. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

In this episode of the Wolff Peace series, host Avis Kalfsbeek explores the psychological terrain of identity and violence. Through Erik Erikson's The Legend of Hitler's Youth, we confront how early emotional wounds, when left unaddressed, can become the foundation for radical, destructive movements. Paired with the activism of Nimko Ali—a survivor, feminist, and political changemaker—we see how reclaiming identity can become an act of peace. Her fight to end FGM and empower girls challenges systems of control at their core. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please: https://www.aviskalfsbeek.com/kickstarter Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

What happens when we lose our inner compass? In this episode, host Avis Kalfsbeek pairs the sociological insight of David Riesman with the spiritual brilliance of Etty Hillesum. While Riesman outlines the emergence of the “other-directed” self—shaped by peers and media—Hillesum offers a luminous example of peace found in the quiet center of the soul, even in the darkest of times. Together, they ask what it means to be fully human in an age of distraction and despair. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please:Follow here Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)

Host Avis Kalfsbeek explores Émile Durkheim's groundbreaking essay Three Types of Suicide—a sociological diagnosis of disconnection—and pairs it with the gentle, revolutionary work of Jean Vanier, who created inclusive communities of belonging for the intellectually disabled. Together, they reveal the profound relationship between society, suffering, and the peace that comes from being held. Robert Paul Wolff's Political Man and Social Man is available on Amazon (I'm not an affiliate) Learn more about the series and my books at aviskalfsbeek.com Follow my Kickstarter please:Follow here Music: Dalai Llama Rides a Bike by Javier “Peke” Rodriguez. Bandcamp: https://javierpekerodriguez.bandcamp.com. Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3QuyqfXEKzrpUl6b12I3KW Try my voice clone “Amaya Calm” on Eleven Labs for your audio book or other creative project: https://try.elevenlabs.io/peace (If you use this link, I earn a small commission)