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The Work of Love: Setting Our Hearts on Fire for Peace


The Work of Love contains a practical, tangible, do-able and easily understood self-examination process. 

  • This is totally a "do-it-ourselves" project to uncover the strengths we never knew we had within us, the strengths waiting for this time, to be embodied, made real, made practical.
  • Although this work may be done in solitude, the mutual support of a group provides encouragement and accountability. 

The Work of Love is one of the most direct, practical channels available for learning and practicing truly nonviolent relationships without dogma or hierarchy. Through open and honest sharing of common struggles with toxic shame and wounds, slowing down to deeply hear and reflect on the self-harm of emotional armor, and venturing to replace it with humble, vulnerable, and non‑coercive ways of relating, it is as if participants simply walk away from the culture of control, domination and fear. 


In just 12 group sessions (or more), participants writing their answers to the questions in The Work of Love are immersed in a space and structure for people to tell their own stories without the pressure of “saving the world” or “doing justice” in a big‑event way. Each chapter is an invitation to notice, reflect, and try something concrete in a safe container. As a result, they obtain relational skills rather than ideology.  Hazen believes that many individuals working on self-observation is the strongest option for moving an entire society in the direction of peace.


Two groups who piloted this work recently reported an average of 17% improvement in a survey for hope, self-confidence, self-approval, self-esteem, dignity, self-care, empowerment, spirituality and feeling beloved.  






David Hazen is a Notable Alumnus of Achievement from the University of Minnesota and earned his Master’s degree in whole-system design-planning at Ohio State University. He participated in The Peace Alliance's advocacy for a U.S. Department of Peace, is the recipient of two PeaceBuilder Awards, and is an advisor to International Cities of Peace. He is also the founder of the Emerald Compassionate Action Network in Eugene, Oregon. He authored "Love Always Wins: Hope for Healing the Epidemic of Violence” (2012).


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