nepal

John Paul’s involvement in peacebuilding in Nepal began with a phone call and unfolded through a foundation’s acceptance of his long-offered suggestion that peacebuilding and sustainable social change are only effectively imagined and possible in decades. John Paul accompanied the McConnell Foundation’s pledge to support peacebuilding in Nepal stretched from ten years, to twelve, and beyond. The primary locus of this work was supporting local Nepali communities focused on natural resource conflicts, rural women’s empowerment, and community mediation. He helped facilitate the work of Nepal Transition To Peace and their efforts to support national political dialogue and the implementation of the Nepali peace agreement. The insights he shares from his experience offer a unique glimpse into the dilemmas and lessons from sustained peacebuilding engagement across all scales of society.

presentation

Teacher Spider and the Golden Thread

A dharma talk shared with the Upaya Zen Center community in March 2020 for the Socially Engaged Buddhist Training.

2021

presentation

A Sauntering Field Trip: The Extraordinary Arc of a Thousand Conversations…Plus a Few Side Notes on the Way to a Peace Conference

A keynote address delivered for the University Notre Dame Student Peace Conference in April 2021.

2021

video recording

A Pathway to Peace: Ideas for Advancing Climate-Resilient Futures

The second episode in "The Day After Tomorrow: A Virtual Talk Story Series," hosted by the Institute for Climate and Peace.

2020

presentation

Dispatches from Nowhere Near the Promise Land: How a Peacebuilder Unlearned His Trade

A lecture delivered on the occasion of being awarded the Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize at Brandeis University.

2019

presentation

Narratives of Care: The Social Echo of Community Transformation

A lecture presented at the conference, "Conversations on Attachment: Integrating the Science of Love and Spirituality," in which John Paul explores the nexus of conflict transformation, reconciliation, and attachment theory through the metaphors of sound and circularity.

2012

podcast

The Art of Peace

A conversation with Krista Tippett exploring themes of the moral imagination, arts-inspired peacebuilding, and music and poetry in healing and reconciliation.

2010