beautiful monsters

Now is not a good time to give up on peace

War is only inevitable if enough people believe it is.

Around the world millions of people have marched to show their commitment to peace. Only a handful of people in a handful of countries support this war. They only have power if we give it to them. They only have power if we believe they have, if we are afraid of them and we let our fear silence us.

The threat of war will not go away in the near future. After Iraq, who will be next? It is not enough just to protest against this war, we must change the social, political, economic and military ingredients that, unchallenged, will lead to war again and again. We need to plan for the long haul, and if we are going to succeed, we must build a sustainable movement.

I believe we must make a commitment to non-violent direct action. We cannot achieve peace through violence – against anyone. The police, the government, even George W Bush. We cannot buy into their tactics. They believe that violence is the only way to gain control. We must show them the alternatives.

Yes, there is a time for anger. But then there is a time to let go of our anger, and begin to replace it with positive actions. It is not enough to get angry, it is not enough to protest. We need to create peace.

We must be active, we must resist. We must put pressure on our governments, we must disrupt economic systems, we must sustain boycotts and sabotage spy networks. But most importantly, we must co-operate, and we must plan our actions carefully. We must carefully direct our energy into the most productive actions.

If a few protestors get angry and try to push past the police lines and get into the US embassy, and then get arrested, what is achieved? Maybe a small amount of media coverage, which will probably make the protestors seem violent and insane. The US government will not give a shit about a few protestors getting arrested in Aotearoa.

What if protestors got together, and talked, and supported each other, and carefully planned an action that would achieve more than media coverage? If we act with haste, and if we act in anger, we are going to be suppressed quickly, and we are going to run out of energy. After being arrested a few times and achieving very little, we are going to feel disheartened and tired. We need protests to be carefully thought out, we need to put our energy into the most effective forms of action we can dream up.

We need to be strong. We need to be stronger than the machines of consumerism and war. Most of all, we need to support each other. We are resisting an empire with a huge military capacity, an empire capable of immense destruction. It will not be an easy struggle. They will attempt to silence us, to censor us, they will use force and violence. They will try and divide us, scatter us, weaken us. We must not let them.

To build a sustainable movement, we need to care for one another. We need to get to know other protestors. We need communicate, to share our experiences, our hopes, our fears. We must respect each other, put aside our differences because they are less important than our unity, our shared hope for peace. We need to take time to refuel, to find nourishment for the body and for the spirit. We must ensure our protests empower people, inspire people and encourage them. We must support everyone who is taking action for peace. Whether they are taking less action than we believe they should, or whether they are going further than we dare to go, we must support them.

Next time you go on a peace march, talk to other people. Talk to strangers, welcome newcomers. Talk to the organisers, thank them for the work they have been doing, give them a hug. Find ways that you can help, get involved, don’t be overcome by fear or apathy. Stay strong, stay united.

We must believe that peace is possible, and then we must make it happen.

Kia kaha e hoa ma
Na Fionnaigh.

Recipe for peace
(after Cilla McQueen)

Take the laughter of children.

Take the first cry of a baby
a man’s dying breath.

Take the time
to build bridges

say hello
how are you?
in thirty languages

welcome your neighbours
into your home

learn to make yaprakh
and shorbat rumman.

Take care
of one another

smile at strangers
laugh with children.

Take advantage of
sunny weather

grow tomatoes and kumara
plant sunflowers

bike to work
reclaim the streets.

Take the laughter of children
in Aotearoa
in America
in Iraq.

Take a chance
take a stand

take peace
to heart.

Posted by Fionnaigh at March 20, 2003 12:07 AM