"This is one of the most important and profound books of our time. In luminous prose, the great visionary activist James O’Dea communicates the ideals and practices of peace in ways that summon a spiritual and social evolution. At once both tough and tender, this masterpiece is the finest map I know to the transformation of self and civilization. If you read only one book this year, this is it!”
“This marvelous book has the potential to grow peacebuilding to the point that every school, every business, and every community incorporates these principles. James O’Dea's life experience and skillful writing make peacebuilding personal and accessible. He shows us that ‘cultivating peace’ is not just what UN diplomats or professional mediators do. It’s a vital part of each of our lives.”
“O’Dea liberates our imagination about peace; his insights enrich the field of conflict transformation.”
“This brilliant manifesto weaves science, spirituality, and social healing into a practical peace roadmap for us all.”
“The peace movement, and what Kenneth Boulding called the much broader ‘movement toward peace’ in human consciousness, has long been fragmented, without a compelling and unifying narrative—and therefore is much less effective as a cause than is implied by the power of the truths it contains. James O’Dea’s book is an important contribution toward the articulation of that narrative, especially bringing out the many inner components of peacebuilding—the only place from which peace can really come.”
“James O'Dea is a modern-day prophet who has journeyed further than anyone I know in search of the ways of peace. He is both a consummate scholar and an unwavering activist whose lifework has been in service of a peaceful world. In his brilliant new book, Cultivating Peace, he tells the real and deep truth about what peace really is and what it takes to bring it forth in today’s troubled world. This book is O’Dea’s long-awaited magnum opus, a wise and unprecedented guide to the social healing that our world urgently needs now.”
“This superbly written and seminal guide to peacemaking by the brilliant and visionary James O’Dea reveals a profound truth: peacemaking is a two-way, transformational process that begins in our own hearts. Cultivating Peace is so packed full of nuggets of wisdom for both self-transformation and spiritual activism that it should come with a warning: read this book only when you’re prepared to heal yourself and everyone around you.”
“James O’Dea is indubitably one of the most evolved souls on this planet. He can advise others on how to become a global peace ambassador because he is one himself. The spread of his message worldwide is one of the key preconditions of creating a peaceful transformation worldwide—and in time.”
“Don’t dismiss James O’Dea as a simple zealot for peace. Instead, he is a sophisticated ambassador for a new humanity and world system. Cultivating Peace is a wise and warmhearted book that is seasoned by years of firsthand experience in the reality of human conflict. O’Dea invites us to change our collective story, awaken to a global consciousness, and envision the great work of deep reconciliation as the foundation for a promising future.”
“James O’Dea penetrates to the soul level where the source of love lives. By recognizing and loving that universal essence of being within us, no matter who we are, he reveals and heals the violence. He provides us with a path that each of us can follow to heal ourselves and the world. I find that every moment I spend with him is precious and brings peace to my soul.”
“James O'Dea has a uniquely kind and peaceful presence, and now he shares how we can find that for ourselves. This book delivers the medicine for our times.”
“Every word of James O’Dea’s fabulous exploration into creative stress is an opening to our maturation and indeed fulfillment as a species. His book touched the very essence of my being; he radiates his presence, a loving and profound friend who really knows what he is talking about because he has been there! I felt him with us...warm and wise, intimately encouraging, challenging and illuminating our lives. He is a companion who guides us through the most difficult challenges as the actual energy to help us realize our ever emergent potential as cocreative humans. A great gift.”
“James O'Dea makes a major contribution: Creative Stress covers the ground everyone should 'get' right away.”
"It is a well-known truism that it takes a deep commitment to change; it takes an even deeper commitment to grow. In this brilliant and evocative book, the author makes the stunning if surprising case for creative stress as a major force behind growth and transformation. As readers we experience a mythic turnabout as we are lured into a state of being larger than our sorrows and more complex and satisfying than all our dreams. Truly, a wildly original and critically important work for our time and the unique challenges we face.”
