What if the future of law is not only about resolving disputes between people, but about learning how to live well with all living beings? For centuries, the law has focused primarily on regulating relationships between human beings. We have developed sophisticated legal systems to protect property, enforce contracts, resolve disputes and vindicate rights. Yet as our understanding of the cognitive, emotional and social lives of animals continues to deepen, a new question e

Conflict has a way of shrinking our thinking. When we are anxious and afraid, we can be our worst selves. We may become self-focused and, in some respects, may even go about apprehending, or attempting to apprehend our needs at the expense of others. This may explain why, in so many disputes, parties are calling each other narcissists. In truth, each of us may display narcissistic characteristics, in particular, in high conflict. This does not discount that pathological narci

For several years, I’ve written and spoken that the next legal system is restorative, transformative and healing. Below, I draw from Martin Buber’s I though philosophy to support this vision and how it may look. In also draw on mediation as an important component of this vision.

“On that day, you will know that you are in me and I am in you” John 14:20

Every relationship we have, every situation we face will eventually resolve through the consequences of decisions we and those around us...

We live in a world where peace is unthinkable. Destruction, division and alienation are accepted.

Restorative Justice, State Capture and Corruption Are we having the right conversation? Are we thinking about this in the right way?...

I THOUGHT WE SHOULD TALK A case for mediation in divorce By Sheena Jonker ‘I charge 950 dollars an hour. Ted over there will be assisting...

Earlier this week I wrote about the EFF call to action and insuring protests in the wake of the racist hair advert published by Clicks and its partners. In order to get to true peace where justice is present, it may be necessary to disturb the peace or the folly of “law and order” in an unjust society.

The horse-racing protests at Fairview and how we think about protest. I recently wrote about the Clicks protests and how the EFF was disturbing the ‘peace’ and revealing and confronting the folly of the idea of and insistence on ‘law and order’ in a deeply unjust society. I also wrote about the potential for restorative justice to have a hand in bringing about racial justice. This would require bringing together the warrior energies of activists and protesters and the healer

‘Why are you shooting me? Ntumba asked. And then the cop shot him again and again and jumped on him. The shooting of an innocent bystander, Mthokozisi Ntumba during the Wits protests last week was described by Thando Sibanda.

A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT: TOUGH MINDS, TENDER HEARTS In ancient times the lawyer was the healer in society. In the same way as the physician was the healer of the body, the lawyer was looked to in order to weave back together the unravelled threads of the tapestry of society. This was essentially the work of restoration of relationships that had been breached, injured or broken.

It’s been a while since I blogged. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times[i] Best (Well…in a manner of speaking) 2021 has been a strange year. A bit like the classic Tale of Two Cities. It was the Best of Times, It was the Worst of Times.

Echoing the sentiments of Fania E Davis seeking to integrate racial justice and restorative justice, and Richard Rohr who emphasises the need to integrate our activism and contemplativism and Carolyn Myss who talks about the shift from the love of power to the power of love, we are bound up in an intricate web of reciprocal mutuality.

Understood as the point from where we see, the word, ‘Vantage’ can aid us in unpacking the systems in which we are, to a large extent inert non-participants in our own wellbeing.

An individual in an abusive situation may be told he or she needs to attend to their mental health. Whether we address this idea of working towards mental health by medicating the individual’s symptoms of distress (anxiety and/or depression) or we approach his or her distress seemingly more holistically and we indicate sleep, a good diet and exercise in the name of self-care, we may be missing the one thing, the only thing that is can actually eliminate the distress...

The word ‘Indigenous’ has its etymological roots in indo from the Latin and Endina from the Greek. Both iundicate the emergence from the very entrails of a place. 1 Gen indicates birth and geni spirit. So, we can say that ‘indigenous’ is related to beings, wordlviews, values, ways of life and ways of knowing engendered from and belonging to a land that existed before the conquisita and colonization.

What if Parents saw themselves as healers Teachers saw themselves as healers Lawyers saw themselves as healers Mediators saw themselves as healers Business owners saw themselves as healers Doctors saw themselves as healers

Some years ago, a student was celebrated across our media for clearing up rubbish bins that had been upturned by outsourced workers...

And, we are all capable of extra-ordinary good. As many of you know, we are committed to lifelong learning as we go about our work in ADR, Mediation and Peacemaking. We always have more to learn. Through our programs, we empower or trainees and our panellists with head knowledge, heart knowledge and practical know-how. Pedagogy and Praxis.