Frequently Asked Questions

Repeace is an online environment, focussed on giving back a voice to a silenced humanity, and find unity of purpose in a very fragmented crowd of “Activists.” Currently, these goals can’t be achieved by any existing form of Community Based Organisation (NGOs), any independent media, any petition, protest or public forms of political affiliation, because most forms of Activism have been either criminalised, silenced, weakened, or corrupted. While most traditional social action focuses on organising against the power structures (outward), repeace puts in question the whole approach and methods of social change itself, applying a pragmatic and unifying strategy.

  Imagining and inciting responsibility, sustainability, freedom of expression are much more realistic ways to promote peace than the traditional objection to war, that have failed to produce solutions, and fatigued activists for over 50 years.

If you haven't seen our latest Repeace video release, please take a few minutes to watch it:

here

As a tool for reorganizing dissent, and in the search for nonviolent alternative strategies to convey our grievances, we suggest the term “repeace.” It implies that all forms of activism, essentially, aim at relieving social, economic, environmental conflicts (Peace is the purpose of Activism), hence “Repeace.”

The term #Repeacer is also a strategic action. it implies that a person has taken 1, 2 or 3 commitments, and is, therefore a #Repeacer. Strategic benefits of identifying as a #Repeacer, and joining the 3 commitments, are several. First, the state and the MSM won’t be able to use slurs to disparage activists anymore, it will shift the action from confrontation and direct forms of expression of dissent to their positive equivalent (values), and offer a global definition, not tied to language, to unite those in need.

By sharing the term #repeace or #repeacer on social media, the 99% have a unique opportunity to create a different, cohesive form of action, and promote a coherent message, able to transcend all previous forms of activism.

What is a movement? A movement exists when a “tipping point” of people is reached. People who identify, associate with a different approach, a different idea, or a person, make a social movement happen. Adopting this idea offers them a way to feel solidarity and can inspire them with the possibility to achieve some real, formal social change. But an idea becomes a movement, when existing entities associate with, and echoe it (independent media, organizations, communities).

Repeace approach, idea, is that the entire institution of Activism is and always was "the peace movement," that peace is not simply the goal of Antiwar efforts-communities, but the inherent purpose of all causes (resolving conflicts).

According to our views, the concept of peace should be freed from the confinements of the flawed approach “peace is absence of wars” and should be defined as "absence of fear." Fear is considered as the one emotion, that is experienced by people, who don’t feel represented by the power structures, but neither can find an alternative outlet, that efficiently addresses their concerns. Existing “Community based organizations” are seen as a crowd of conflicting entities, filled with their own conflicts, and unable to deliver results.

Repeace gives to all human beings, sharing the value of Responsibility, a new environment to associate themselves. A movement will begin when a tipping point is reached and people will appreciate how growing the numbers of commitments will become consciousness/ a new reality.

The approach is different, in several ways:

Fixing the 99%, not the 1%.

The system of the 1% that can't be fixed. We can't expect a system that is corrupted from within to fix itself. It's the 99%, the system of resisting and its methods that need to be fixed. Activism that needs to be made more efficient, more cooperative... specifically it has be made cohesive, coherent.

The definition of Peace "Peace is the absence of fear" is a way more efficient approach for all Activism, because it allows all Activists to identify with it, and hence, feel connected by thought.

"Peace is the absence of war" only allow Antiwar Activists to identify, and excludes people who advocates for other causes to see themselves as people who try to relieve fears. The focus of peace on wars, is ill placed.

Shift the approach on how we frame our the grievances. Focus on the values, rally behind them in tens of millions.

It's not the thousands of protests that get the attention of the media or the governments, but the values that stand behind those grievances

widespread corruption means "lack of responsibility." It's not by calling politicians corrupted that we will fix the system. It's not corruption per se, that we shoud condemn, but responsibility that we should elevate and champion. Responsibility is something we can exercise at any time and before our corrupted governments act.

Demanding Responsibility from our governments and our media, implies that we need to commit to responsibility before we point the finger at our institutions. We should lead by example and begin to walk the talk ourselves, realize how very irresponsibly we often live and act, in respect to our consumption, our habits, our self centered needs

Shift the methods of protesting to truly non violent action.

Any significant change, be it on an individual or a collective level begins with a commitment or two. We don't lose weight or better our health unless we commit to the gym or to a healthier diet. There is no other option. Our corrupted governments and the media won't commit to accountability or transparency on their own. It's obvious that the conditions for change and the commitments to be made need to happen inside progressive activism.

The 3 Repeace commitments on the front page are aimed at all Activists and NGOs (Organizations). Either we are willing to make commitments to the unity we seek, in one form or another, or keep piling up hundreds of names of divided organizations at organized marches and campaigns, expecting different results. Not going to happen

Dissent has been stigmatized and honest journalism brutally attacked.

A cloud of negativity has been created around dissent. Activism is seen as a moral imperative from insiders and leading intellectuals, but is widely stigmatized and violently opposed by the power structures. With the help of the main press and corrupted, militarized police departments, a war has been waged on political dissent and almost every form of resistance. These factors contribute to a lack of impact of the entire idea of Activism and intimidate potential agents to form efficient forms of organizing.

Those who raise awareness for serious issues, like institutionalized corruption, climate change, staggering economic inequality, etc. are ignored, dismissed, vilified. So are those who expose evidence of high level crimes inside our governments and corporations. Activism is only okay, as long as it’s not too confrontational. Even top journalists have long admitted that their work is perceived as "Activism" hence as "Terrorism."

The desire to act and impact social change is a very noble cause. But the power structures don’t like dissent. They don’t want their privileges and wealth to be challenged by anybody. When famous people champion causes like human rights, equality, women’s rights, poverty, get revered by the press. However, the true nature of deep rooted disdain of the elites for Activism is clearly visible during any large scale movements.

When groups of workers, citizens, women, consumers, try to move in mass to demand the redress of unjust policies, the establishment ignores them. Freedom to assemble gets rescinded, protesters get intimidated, arrested, jailed, even killed.

All these facts force us to create complementary, synergistic forms of resistance, inspired by non violence, and capable to break the wall of concrete of those in control of every aspect of our lives.

We're pointing out the limitations of the limited methods of Activism and the rationale upon which it's organized. We're providing constructive criticism, because we suggest an alaternative.

It’s time to stop finding excuses for our lack of impact. Even a sports team stops blaming the adversaries when it doesn’t score. We sound like a team blaming the coach, the other team, the wheather, the heat, everything but our inability to function as one cohesive team. In the meantime, the 1% keeps rigging the rules of the game and looks at how we quarrel with each other. Left vs. Right, men vs. women, Straight vs. Gays.

The options are two. Either you keep criticising the 1% ad nauseam, support only communities that keep raising awareness, always pointing the finger at corrupted establishments and the Oligarchs, splitting the dialog in the usual dualities, or you shift methods of resistance.

Repeace takes the revolution inside the 99%.

The advantage of criticising our own team and reorganising the resistance behind the 3 commitments takes away the fight from the 1% and their ability to silence us.

There’s enough of us, if we can find a method to agree on something beyond contempt. The 3 commitments can be that method. How many of you can agree on the values implied by those agreements?

Every Occupy member would. We’re certain about that. You can Occupy the web this way and let Repeace show what can be done with consensus. You have nothing to lose.

Repeace stands for Realize peace. It approaches peace through the lens of fear and not through the widespread dogma of War & Peace, which has been inefficient for almost 60 years.

A Repeacer is any and all compassionate, human beings, passionately engaged in social change, equipped with a natural (or acquired) sense of responsibility. The identification is a strategy of empowerment, that is not dictated by our arbitrary desire to make this word popular, but to make social change cohesive, better its image, and have a coherent message for reaching unprecedented solidarity. Identification with a new word is seen in any emerging new collective (movement)*. This is plain applied social psychology. You can call a new collective "Reformers or Resisters," as long as you have a practical plan of empowerment.

* See also "Organic" movement, "Exercise and Dieting," "Occupy," "Hip Hop," "Vegetarians, or Vegans," etc.

Thousands of petitions, specific causes, minorities’ campaigns and calls to resist aren’t working properly. While our main institutions don’t just ignore society’s grievances, but actively silence dissent, the life of an activist is saturated with calls of action, emails, solicitations. If not filtered, our email inboxes would burst from “organisational spam.” Thousands of NGOs are sending us redundant petitions, trying to get them addressed, somehow. It’s not working.. it’s like seeing millions of wooden arrows thrown against a concrete wall. Our governments are not concerned with our grievances, because they don’t manage to punch through the concrete.

The 3 Repeace commitments cover most of Activism’s grievances, indirectly, but positively, by elevating the values of Responsibility, Compassion, Sustainability, Freedom of Dissent, to a potentially global level.

The commitments should be perceived by the masses as reasonable compromise between what we agree upon, in a way that will be impossible to ignore or criticise. Sometimes it’s not what we demand, but how we demand it. The power of the 3 commitments lies in the fact that they champion the world we want, and how we wish to see our institutions. Repeace’ commitments are not complaining against the many twisted policies, that have already been institutionalised.

Perpetual war, for example is being justified, because the prevailing narrative says that “extreme force is justified to defend our freedoms.” Trillions in taxpayers money and millions of civilians, are being justified as worthy sacrifice. If we wish to change that, we can’t ask our governments to stop that, we need to find other ways to frame our objection. By objecting the way language is used, we can shift to control it, away from those who now manipulate it. By taking the commitments, you reclaim control of the word peace. By identifying as a #repeacer, you escape all the negative slurs glued to the term Activist.

The Repeace logo stands for responsibility, and implies that responsible decisions and actions prevent conflicts. Around the context of responsibility, are ideas and values like accountability, transparency, compassion, sustainability. The symbol is an organizing visual clue and a possibility to associate with, and promote responsibility,

Whether people are already active, or if they wish to get others more involved they can embrace the symbol at events, and use social networks and use the #repeace #repeacer to occupy collective consciousness on the net.

The 3 commitments are a positive way to express your objection with the state of your country’s institutions, without being specific, without reference to your political preferences, racial or religious beliefs or gender identity.

Transparency vs. Conflict of interests, Sustainability, Freedom of dissent, responsibility to act, for all human bings, are definitely implied by those commitments. The purpose of taking them, voting on them, is not just aimed at creating a different kind of objection, a different kind of “movement,” but to also send a strong message to your circles of friends, that their engagement in these times of crisis is urgently needed. By sharing the commitments, by growing the demand, by sharing on social networks, #repeace, #repeacer, you can reach the entire world.

Those who stand for what's right like to see how many they are at an event, a protest... So, take the 3 #repeace commitments to tipping point, try something different. How high you can take them, depends on you.

This image from a 2013 350.org protest in DC is indicative of how people like to know how many people were at the rally. ©Shadia Fayne Wood | Project Survival Media

When you go to an event, like an Occupy WS protest, or to support a demonstration's objectives... let's say minimum wage, universal healthcare access or affordable education, after the protests, do you ever ask yourself, "what's next?"

When the digits on the front page will rise, and people will begin to feel how many they are, and that the values we share stand above the specific issues we are passionate about, you will get a sense of unity and shared purpose. As we're not here to lead you or get you to follow our instructions or tell you how best you should be a so called activist, we can create the opportunities to organize in more efficient ways than the erratic ones that are available now. It starts by a more productive and efficient use of language.

We will list and network organizations, small businesses, any entity, representives of any kind, who will have the courage to side with you and our demand, so that you will be able to follow and support their endevours. They, will have a profile, where they will be able to show you how they can truly live by the values we care about most.

But for now, you have to look at repeace.com as an occupy event, as a way for YOU FIRST, to reclaim your voice in a way that is different, unconventional, nevertheless nonviolent, proactive and visionary. Have some faith. You have nothing to lose.

There are many reasons why the 3 commitments are so central to the idea of #repeace. Measuring them is the key strategy to materialize the solidarity, the cohesion that is currently missing.

The most important reason is to help people unite, by showing them what is already uniting them... the values they share. The 3 commitments go beyond nationality and political differences and can anchor humanity to something real and measurable. They appeal not only to the politically conscious citizens, but also to the cynical, the apatheitc and the ones who are currently simply distracted.

Anybody who has taken some basic courses in economics understands the concept of demand and offer. The counts are not only allowing citizens to express: “We’re so unhappy with our corrupted systems”, but are a real time market demand to the two pillar of corruption, businesses and government (inclusive political reps). This approach is a significant change from traditional protests because the message, the narrative is controlled by the 99%, regardless how the 1% reacts.

Repeace is an organizing thought, a strategy that unites existing organizations, on a different impact hub for future action. To organize content and offer new content implies the participation and cooperation of people, existing independent media, and communities, searching to build new solutions and synergies. An organizing force can be achieved when the support and the unity grows.

In 10 years of operation, Repeace has operated without funding. For that reason it can't afford a staff and provide more content and moderation. The 3 commitments are a different method to act, a shift from being against problems, to standing for basic values (positive). The sign of responsibility is an organizing tool, to empower you and help you stand together behind the kind of peace we truly deserve, where the conditions for peace are accountable governments and the separation of corporate and state.

Repeace is first and foremost an organization of thought, the thought that Activism is the Repeace movement, and that the Peace Movement is not made by Antiwar advocates alone. Reorganizing our thought, makes us demand different things, express them differently (online, without protests or petitions) for the profoundly significant goals of creating true solidarity and unity of purpose.

By building a new kind of social leverage based on your demand.

Activists are conditioned to land to a weblink, an organization, a petition, an organized movement of intellectuals, who have built a new "entity." Organizations are basically entities of inside the Civil Society. They gather your grievances and lobby our authorities when their action (or inaction) creates conflicts.

For the most part it all ends up in smoke. Organizations are infiltrated, fought against. When they become movements they get co-opted by the political process. That is hard to lead to radical change.

Occupy Wall Street, the Arab Spring, the Civil Rights Movement, are first of all about creating openings in a society that is controlled and ruled by power structures that keep things profitable for a few and damaging for the most. People start organizing in new ways if they are allowed the space to cooperate and there is consensus. Currently, the 99% doesn't have consensus, unity, cohesion. Occupy has been dissolved and has moved to online platforms. A reliable source has said to us: "There is no centralized authority or secretariat of Occupy and no one is authorized to speak in its name. It's highly fragmented, disorganized."

Whether you wish to see long lasting political change, climate actions and solutions, access to universal healthcare or education, change is not "just political" and repeace doesn't even have to be specifically political to impact deep social transformation. Rather the contrary. It's by making you realize that it's the cohesion and solidarity among the millions of existing organizations that will re-align our values and define our shared purpose, that will manifest the invisible power you desperately seek. It's exactly by not being framed as an organization but as the idea that binds activists, that you have a better chance at reclaiming power.

A Swiss national artist can't and won't influence US or EU politics with an organization. It's simply unrealistic and impractical, besides being highly controversial. However, with a simple idea, that all activists are repeacers, with a symbol of "Responsibility promotes Peace", and by collecting the consensus of hundreds of millions of human beings online, behind 3 simple statements, he could.

As simple as it sounds, tens of millions of activists taking the commitments in each nation and worldwide as one community, will already be the basis for new future reforms, and not just for the U.S. or the U.K., Icealnd or Germany. However just as you never know what happens after a huge protest or a petition you signed, we can't guarantee what our unified voices behind Repeace will be able to do better than Tahrir Square or Occupy.

It will all depend on how the commitment of activists will be followed by consistent action, and if those who so passionately have imagined peace for over 50 years, can imagine something more practical... responsibility.