I've been thinking a lot lately about our mission at Action for a Peaceful World and what it means to me. In order to create a community of people dedicated to taking action in service of a shared vision, we first need to define the vision for which we are going to act.

The issue we care most about is world peace. This would look like every inhabitant of this planet being afforded the basic rights of humanity as defined by the United Nations in the Declaration of Human Rights.

We believe the reason world peace has not been attained yet is misallocation and depletion of resources. While we usually talk about these issues in general terms, the reality is that behind every statistic are actual humans.

As individuals, we face personal issues similar to those seen in the wider world. Since we can't wave a wand and create world peace, it seems that the next best thing is to focus on creating peace within our own worlds.

We all have limited resources, there is no question about that. This is why it's important to analyze where those resources are being dedicated. If they are being misallocated or overused, it's time to take action!

If you take time to analyze your own system, prioritize your areas of needed improvement, and dedicate your limited resources to only those things for which you have the resources, you will more effectively and efficiently produce positive change.

Our hypothesis is that once a majority of people have, and consistently use, the skills necessary to create peace in their own worlds, the entire world, and all its inhabitants will be more likely to be at peace.

The skills include effective communication, collaborative problem solving, and values-based action.  When applied to high priority issues, these will support the creation of a peaceful world for yourself, your family, and your community.

More importantly, though, we are creating a community of passionate behavioral scientists who are dedicated to creating peace in the world through effective and efficient dissemination of the science of behavior and learning.

Let all take action to create a more peaceful world for ourselves, our families, our communities, and all inhabitants of planet Earth!!