Detailed presentation for the Media

Repeace's Definition of Peace

"Peace is more than just absence of war. It is rather a state in which no people of any country, in fact no group of people of any kind live in fear or in need." Poul Hartling

Repeace defines peace as the absence of fear and not the opposite of war. The concept of war is subordinated to fear. Armed conflicts create fear. People freedom is threatened. People wish for peace. Truce, is not peace. A slight different approach can have huge consequences.

"What kind of peace do I mean? What kind of peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children - not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women, not merely peace in our time but peace for all time." JFK, 1963

Realizing, promoting peace is possible.

Promoting and realizing peace has always existed. Repeace believes that peace has always been enforced in society as an action, but it has not being interpreted right, and hence couldn't exercise its power. The exercise of peace, in society is the act of holding accountable. Centered on the individual freedom and happiness, the institution of the people can keep institutions in check, by holding them accountable. Without accountability all institutions become corrupted, because humans simply can't be trusted with absolut powers. Currently, in the U.S. they are corrupted, and people can't control them. People now, don't have a voice.

Repeace is not a repeat of the peace movement.

Repeace is able to transfer the power of the traditional peace movement without pretending to replace it or reinvent it. Repeace is a movement for government and corporate responsibility, while the original peace movement is an anti war, anti nuclear armament movement.

The new identity

The Name

Repeace stands for "Realize Peace" and reframes the concept of peace as an action, and frees itself from a problematic past of inconvenient associations and accusations.

The logo

The Repeace logo is a bolder, more assertive, contemporary interpretation of the traditional peace icon, that acts as a magnet to younger generations who wouldn't currently wear the peace symbol because it's retro, old, and doesn't allow them identification.

The 3 fingers hand sign

Repeace uses also a hand sign that allows for a transfer from the old victory sign, with a slight but apparent change. The 3 fingers hand sign was not created arbitrarily. It stands for the 3 Repeace pledges, which "Repeacers" take on the website to create the public demand (pressure on institutions). "Repeacers" are those who identify with the movement and the lifestyle of accountability. I hold accountable, hence I realize peace, hence I'm a Repeacer (basically the 99%).

Uniting all activists

Repeace claims that all social activism is inspired by peace. In sync with the definition that "peace is the absence of fear", Repeace claims that all activism is caused by stress, which makes compassionate people invest their energy into relieving the suffering/fear of all kinds of victims. By projection they experience peace, when the victims are freed or rescued.

How Repeace can heal institutions

The way Repeace wants to give power back to the institution of the people is by creating a worldwide, massive, virtual demand of accountability from businesses, and directing all power of purchase towards businesses who will make concrete steps toward abandoning their financial influence in public policies (money out of politics for increased support).

Realistic expectations, when politicians don't listen

Repeace doesn't express grievances that politicians will ignore. Demanding affordable education or jobs is not something that politicians will pay attention to. If they were doing their job, they would know what their constituency wants. Repeace doesn't create a demand for a specific policy, but holds up a huge mirror to them, telling them something much more basic: "We vote for you and you're accountable to us, not those who fund your elections. We don't trust you anymore." Repeace tells businesses something very simple too, behind a peaceful pledge. It tells corporations that they are not people, and if they invested all the money they throw at politicians in sustainable quality products and services, they would have more customers. In short, Repeace allows people not to impose laws or force controversial measures, but tries to hold a carrot on a stick to those who seem to have full control on the people.

Fueling groups and organizations pushing for reforms in the U.S., and worldwide

The Repeace virtual wall and their pledge count can serve as a tool of reference for journalists, lawmakers and all kinds of activists groups and organizations to push for meaningful legislation. The most urgent of topics, getting money out of politics, passing the 28th Amendment, and getting politicians to stop taking bribes from the private sector are slowly being being recognized as the biggest threats to our democracy, and this is not just a U.S. problem. What Repeace can do is much bigger than getting support from U.S. citizens only. It can create support for the topic worldwide!

Moving protests online is only logic

Repeace uses a virtual platform for the movement for several reasons:

• Street protest, are ignored by the media and they are influenced heavily by weather, traffic, logistics, and require great deal of organizing.
• Protesters are increasingly intimidated by the police and often arrested, beaten, harmed, terrorized.
• Protest mostly fail to leave a bigger impact, which could be addressed and used as an argument for future reference, because the number of protesters is only estimated, and mentioned as a statistic by the media only a few times.
• Protests don't allow millions of people to be present, because many don't live near the place where the protest is held, and often have to travel, even when they live in the same State. Traveling costs money.

Counting the protesters is a powerful novelty

Repeace counts the protesters with a creative, engaging system, and allows them to be present at 3 simultaneous events in a few minutes. The actions and agreements laid out by the pledges are forever lasting impressions, left by the protesters, and impossible for the media or politicians to ignore.

The process that promotes peace

"Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions - on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned." JFK, 1963

The current series of agreements is that businesses should back off of politics, and politicians become fully accountable to the people, not to corporations.

Repeace is no magic formula to heal the world

Peace is a process, and healing our corrupted institutions will take time. There is no magic formula to solve the economic problems of the USA, of other nations, and neither to reach the kind of peace that some fantasies are made of, of a world without armed conflicts.

Again:

"Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions - on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned. There is no single, simple key to this peace, no grand or magic formula to be adopted by one or two powers. " JFK, 1963

The actions, refer to the support that people can give to politicians who become accountable, and businesses who become responsible. The Repeace pledges are at the same time, a demand, a powerful exposure of an unsustainable reality, and a way for people to keep the power in their hands.

Repeace unites Left and Right

The 3 Repeace pledges are universal. They emphasize basic rules of democracy, and those are irrefutable. Repeace can unite Left and Right with disarming simplicity. Extreme conservative media will be left scratching their heads on how to criticize this movement.

Reclaiming hope from politics

Repeace is a leaderless idea. It can give hope back to the people. Reading the public sentiment is easy. It doesn't require a leader. It simply needs to be anchored by a few dynamic agreements, that can evolve to fit the needs of new generations

A global, lasting solution

Since holding accountable institutions is a general principle, Repeace can be adopted by many nations. Depending on the injustices of a nation, people can promote a democratic process and reclaim control over their institutions, by crafting their own pledges, which may not be the same for Egypt, or India, as those for the USA, Greece or Spain.

"Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process, a way of solving problems." JFK, 1963

Repeace can awaken the cynic and the apathetic.

At what point in life does one become a cynic and fall into apathy? Does anyone remember this quote by Albert Schweitzer?

"The tragedy of life is what dies inside a man while he lives."

There is a reason why that quote was written and there are many reasons why political cartoons are funny. They expose the contrast between what governments say and what they do. There is a huge number of people who are apathetic. Repeace makes it simple to try one more time to see whether things can change, and the masses of sheep can be awaken and united and their spirit rekindled. Repeace gives all people a chance to say: "I was there and I said it too. I told what I wanted from democracy, with 3 simple clicks of a mouse." Sociology often describes how the public sentiment, the collective consciousness take a life of its own when it gets aroused. That happened when Egypt sparked other countries revolutions. That was the magic of the public sentiment at work.

Nobody controls Repeace

If I want to stay healthy I exercise, I eat veggies and workout. The lifestyle of exercising and dieting is not controlled by a leader, it's adopted as a lifestyle. Realizing peace by holding accountable our institutions and starting to exercise the power of the purse, once we have the information we need to support certain businesses (or not support them), is not controlled by anyone neither. That's why Repeace and its designs may be part of a trademark used to sell products, to publish news and produce documentaries and films, but ideas that are empowering the collective stay in the collective.

What's needed now is the impossible

How can we save ourselves, our civilization and our wonderful planet from self destruction, greed and hatred? It sure feels like we're doomed and what's needed now is the impossible. When things are so messed up and those who govern us and control our lives are so far removed from their purposes, it may well be by asking what seems impossible that we can get what's possible.

“History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives.” Abba Eban