Even after a century in which over 100 million people have died from it, why does society turn to war as a viable way to resolve conflict? According to Dr. Deepak Chopra, war has become a habit—leading American soldiers to the battleground repeatedly. In a culture of mechanized death and violence, author Deepak Chopra calls on individuals to stop being passive, take a stand, and take control of our own destiny. In Peace is the Way, Chopra maintains that the majority of people are ready to see an end to war. He sounds a clarion call, advising humanity that the way out of war, violence, and destruction is through developing peace consciousness. The more of us who engage in it every day, the more momentum we add to the future. However, the aim of the author isn’t to encourage you to be “anti” anything. Rather, all you’re asked to do is go within and dedicate yourself to peace. Some of the observations Chopra offers toward the pursuit of peace are:

• You cannot escape one basic fact: at any given stage of personal evolution, you are seeing reality as yourself. The biblical story of how God created man in his own image isn’t complete until we realize that man returned the favor by creating God in his image, too.
• Contrary to what we hear, the real enemy of peace isn’t evil but chaos. In a state of chaos such as terrorism wants to create, society breaks down. Chaos isn’t the same as evil. It affects people in ways that you can’t predict.
• The opposite of compassion has to be renounced, because in anger, vengeance, mechanized death, and violence against Nature is our doom. War won’t end from any other cure. It won’t be suffering that ends war, or the reckless hope of achieving total victory over evil. The real work for peace is proceeding one person at a time and eventually tipping the balance in the world.

Sobering yet hopeful, Peace is the Way outlines the roots of war, including religious and political ideology that refuses to consider outside perspectives. However, Chopra also offers practical steps for individuals to practice and promote peace both within and without. This book will show you:

• Seven practices for peacemakers, helping to end war one person at a time
• How religious ideology and perceptions of God contribute to war
• The need to urge religion to evolve so that it gains the kind of relevance that science cannot defeat