Eddie Zacapa is the author of Principles and Practices of Nonviolence, a book that offers 30 meditations on living compassion and practicing nonviolence.
The book provides a foundation of principles and practices of nonviolence and offers a way to practice nonviolence in our current times and in our day to day lives. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi are remembered as pioneers for nonviolence and for their social justice and civil rights movements. Yet, both of them believed wholeheartedly that nonviolence was a lifestyle.
Reviews
Eddie, too, believes that nonviolence is not just for a season—it is a way of life. Nonviolence as a way of life means cultivating qualities like compassion, empathy, peace within yourself and with people in your daily life. It also means engaging in practices like meditation, journaling, Nonviolent Communication, etc., to support you in exploring the personal and interpersonal dimensions of nonviolence.
Eddie is based in Sacramento, California and is a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication.
“With each chapter, comes wisdom and a clear invitation and request of how to practice these principles of Nonviolence. This book is enriching to the soul, nourishing to the spirit and essential for our individual and collective healing. A book for our times!”
—Sylvia Haskvitz, Certified Trainer/Assessor with the
Center for Nonviolent Communication, Author of Eat by
Choice, Not by Habit; Practical Skills for Creating a Healthy
Relationship with Your Body and Food and contributing
author to Healing Our Planet, Healing Ourselves, The Power
of Change Within to Change the World.
“Eddie is our modern-day Gandhi, beautifully sharing 30 approaches for all of us to listen, empathize, and love. He eloquently fills each chapter with moving quotes and sayings from his mentors and heroes, relating them to his own experiences and then leaving us with an inspirational and stimulating skill builder. These skills enable us to identify strengths and areas of growth as we strive to reach our place of joy and unconditional happiness. Eddie is not telling us that this growth and change is easy, but he is telling us that it is so worth
it and it will change the entire trajectory of our lives!”
—Judy Knapp, Founder of PreventionWORKS
“This book is a compilation of ideas and tips for transformation into the Nonviolent Communication mode of interacting and showing up. Eddie’s use of relevant quotes and easy to follow steps make it an effective learning and teaching tool. The message is timeless.”
—Betty Garcia, Domestic Violence Advocate
“Principles and Practices of Nonviolence brings to light the practices of nonviolence of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. in the disposition of a casual read, but with a great deal of insights. It provides easy to incorporate practices for compassion in everyday
situations for individuals from all walks of life. What particularly intrigued me about this book is that it calls you to truly look inside yourself and ask yourself how you can empathize with the person who hurt you, which can be a tough endeavor for many of us when in a difficult situation. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to gain perspective on compassion and nonviolence in all aspects of life.”
—Shabila Vijay, Resident Services Manager, Mercy Housing
“A very powerful, eye opening and inspiring book on nonviolence and how we can see the good where we thought there wasn’t any. The author brings Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and many others’ thoughts on actions of nonviolence; It will help you look within yourself and others and come away with why we treat others based on a preconceived mindset. The book gives hope and an example is when the author writes, “Remember that when we practice nonviolence and hold others in positive regard, we can
contribute to changed hearts, social change and a new future.”
—Karen Jordan, Former Staff Sergeant, United States Air Force
Peace Love and Nonviolence 