Books like Thomas Merton on peace by Thomas Merton

Thomas Merton’s classic guide blends Western mysticism and Eastern monastic traditions to show how contemplative prayer brings inner peace that can transform contemporary life.

"Strategic nonviolent action has reasserted itself as a potent force in shaping public debate and forcing political change. Whether it is an explosive surge of protest calling for racial justice in the United States, a demand for democratic reform in Hong Kong or Mexico, a wave of uprisings against dictatorship in the Middle East, or a tent city on Wall Street that spreads throughout the country, when mass movements erupt onto our television screens, the media portrays them as being as spontaneous and unpredictable. In [this book], political analysts Mark and Paul Engler uncover the organization and well-planned strategies behind such outbursts of protest, examining core principles that have been used to spark and guide moments of transformative unrest. [This book] traces the evolution of civil resistance, providing new insights into the contributions of early experimenters such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., groundbreaking theorists such as Gene Sharp and Frances Fox Piven, and contemporary practitioners who have toppled repressive regimes in countries such as South Africa, Serbia, and Egypt. Drawing from discussions with activists now working to defend human rights, challenge corporate corruption, and combat climate change, the Englers show how people with few resources and little influence in conventional politics can nevertheless engineer momentous upheavals"--

This comprehensive volume contains Thomas Merton's principal writings on non-violence, war, and racism. Much of what he wrote between 1961 and 1968 is prophetic and speaks penetratingly to our time. Wars and rumors of war are still with us. Justice and love remain a dream. In most of these articles, it's as if Merton is actually writing in the 1990s. He is speaking to us - reminding us of the essential oneness that roots the equal dignity of all peoples. Merton's writings on social issues flowed from a deep contemplative vision. Editor William Shannon puts each essay in context and reveals how this vision developed. We see a side of Merton's character that does not come through in his other books: his passion for peace and the ardor with which he pleaded for it in a world where people so desperately yearn for it. Passion for Peace is a book of testament, vision, and hope.

Thomas Merton’s final volume of journals (1960‑1963) reveals his inner struggle between solitary monastic life and growing social engagement, addressing civil rights, nonviolence, and the Church’s societal role.