I thoroughly enjoyed reading Kate Lawrence's new book "The Practical Peacemaker: How Simple Living Makes Peace Possible."

The book is clearly the result of wisdom gained in a lifetime. As I read, I felt myself seeing issues with a fresh perspective and applying Lawrence's suggestions to challenging situations in my own life.

In her introduction, Lawrence outlines the three aspects to simple living as a pathway to peace.

First, it is "the conscious commitment to using the least of the Earth's resources while still being comfortable and having enough."

Second, simple living means "limiting our time commitments." Lawrence points to the mad rush of modern life and the stress it creates within. She suggests that we need to slow down and use down time to maintain our mental and physical health.

Third, "simple living means paying attention to our ordinary lives moment by moment, being present in the here and now."

Lawrence points out that peace-destroying obstacles may be personal (for example, careless eating and drinking, overbusy schedules and anger) or societal (for example, media saturation, prejudice and overpopulation).

At both levels, readers are shown specific positive actions they can take to further the cause of peace in themselves and in the world.

Some of Lawrence's suggestions: eating a plant-based diet to protect our health and the environment; focusing on long-term rewards rather than instant gratification (health vs. donuts); examining out unexamined opinions and being willing to modify our "fossilized" views and responses; developing a daily practice of noticing our thoughts or following our breath; questioning advertising messages, and cutting down on our media intake.

There's much, much more in the book to learn and apply to our lives.

Lawrence is a writer and an activist on environmental and vegetarian issues, and a reference librarian. A mediator for more than 30 years exploring both Christian and Buddhist practices, she is currently a Zen student.

Lawrence will speak about her book at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Humanities Room 250 on the University of Colorado campus. The event is free and open to the public.

For more information, call 303-444-6981 ext. 2.

Carolyn Bninski is on the staff of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center.