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curiousdwk
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Posted: July 02 2004,06:11 |
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I very much applaud the stand that these Nebraskans are taking against the Culture of War - especially the monthly vigils to commemorate the dropping of the first atomic bombs.
This post was dated back in March or April and I am only hearing about it by participating in this Forum today, in July. And that, I'm afraid, is a large part of the problem posed by this Forum's question: "How do we motivate citizens to stand against the culture of war?" I'm sure that I am like many others in that I would be willing to take a stand, to make the effort, to take the time, and to become engaged, IF I felt it would be effective. But our society has become so deluged with information, that all of our actions are just datum. The media cannot communicate the actions of everyone and so it relies on a filter of only communicating what is biggest. And we only find out if we are embedded in the Peace subculture so that outisde of the provincial sphere of the activity, these actions only are addressing the already converted.
We need to determine what we can do that will be effective. Perhaps we need a new paradigm of defining effectiveness. Perhaps we should only look for effectiveness within our first degree of separation rather than the sixth degree. Perhaps we need to try to effectively change our local community as much as, or more than the society 1,000 miles away.
I would be interested to know what the local residents in Kansas think of the vigils. Has it become ho-hum? or does it really make people stop and think of the Culture of War? Is there something that I, 1,000 miles away could do to help in its effectiveness? Should I have a vigil here where I live?
There are several Peace and Justice groups around where I live who quite often have vigils. But when I have attended them, they are really efforts to get together with like-minded people and usually their message isn't clear so their effectiveness is minimal to the other people. How can we clarify our message for a Culture of Peace rather than War?
Any suggestions?
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May your days be such that your nights are filled with joyful dreams.
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