Table of Contents - The Work of Love 

To know peace, ask good questions — 1: The internally felt peace of those who do this work is radically subversive to our dominant culture.  

The merry-go-round of war — 4: The trauma of shame becomes an “armored” addiction to violent ways of thinking, speaking, and acting.

Relentless evolution — 8: The evolutionary process may be painful yet draws forth strengths we thought we lacked.

The way out is through — 14: The sequence of a recovery process that becomes an entirely new lifestyle of natural, fearless joy within a culture of violence.

Writing group guidelines — 21: Suggested structure of a small writing group for mutual support.

Challenge One — 24: Admit that our attempts to control other people has led us to conflict, separation, and misunderstanding.

Challenge Two — 27: Nurture the belief that a greater heart intelligence could restore our natural dignity, security, and vitality.

Challenge Three — 31: Make a decision to collaborate with the systemic networks within which we are an interdependent and integral part.

Challenge Four — 34: Make a searching and fearless inventory of our behaviors that contribute to separation or connection.

Challenge Five — 38: Admit to a trusted friend the detailed sequence of our feelings, thoughts, words, and behavior that contribute to connection or separation.

Challenge Six — 42: Surrender our perfectionism and accept ourselves just as we are.

Challenge Seven — 45: Discover the joy, wonder, and power of connection.

Challenge Eight — 47: Make a list of all persons we have harmed and become willing to make amends with them all.

Challenge Nine — 50: Create a new level by climbing up to reconciliation and service.

Challenge Ten — 53: Trust self-knowledge and self-care to enhance our vitality.

Challenge Eleven — 56: Practice self-management of our emotional serenity.

Challenge Twelve — 59: Patiently share the strength of peace.

The Twelve Challenges of Personal and Global Peace — 62

The 9 Laws of Love — 63: The hypotheses of the Love Operating System.

References — 72

Illustration Credits — 73

Gratitudes — 74

The Work of Love Survey — 77

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