Pavement: Reflections on Mercy, Activism, and Doing "Nothing" for Peace

Every day, Lin Jensen has plops down a meditation cushion on the streets of Chico, California, and sits "peace vigils" to protest the U.S. invasion of Iraq — his honest effort to change the world. From his knee-level spot on the pavement, Jensen encounters a bracing array of what he calls "uprights": a heartbreakingly generous homeless man; hostile passersby who scream "Fuck you, Peace Wimp!"; "White Wolf," who punctuates every shouted comment with a sharp poke to Lin's chest; compassionate soldiers — all amid rain and bright sun, exhaust, and the scent of azaleas. Jensen — whose previous memoir, Bad Dog! A Memoir of Love, Beauty, and Redemption in Dark Places, received wide acclaim — here shares his struggles and helps us all learn more about humility, generosity, and what it really means to love our neighbors. This is an inspiring, good-humored book — especially for anyone who might work or wish for change but doesn’t want to be just spitting in the wind.