Why August 8 and 9?
For two reasons. First, as you may or may not be aware, this week marks the 64th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima (August 6th, 1945) and Nagasaki (August 9, 1945). We feel that a walk and celebration for peace on this anniversary will be a fitting memorial to the victims of those bombings, and a reminder to us all that we never again want to witness the horror of nuclear devastation.
The second reason is that while we also wish to honor the spirit of peace and love that “Woodstock” brings to mind, there are many events being held in the area on the following weekend, the actual anniversary of the Woodstock Music & Art Fair, and we do not wish to steal thunder from these events, nor undermine the effort that has been made to produce them; after all, many of these events are being produced by our friends and neighbors.
Why do you insist on neutrality?
Because we are only for peace, we don’t believe in the aggressor-victim model; that sort of thinking results in never-ending spirals of war. It is always easy to place blame; taking responsibility is much harder, but we believe in taking responsibility for peace. We could write paragraph after paragraph trying to explain our position, but it has been stated more eloquently than any attempt we might make by the prince in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, act 5, scene 3:
These three simple words contain the entire moral of the play; for all are punished; the Montagues and Capulets have lost a son and daughter, and the Prince has lost his kinsmen Paris, Mercutio and Tybalt, and we may rightly infer that all are punished because all are equally culpable.
When conflicts are viewed in this light, it no longer makes sense to take sides; it becomes clear that advocating for one side over another in any conflict can only result in more violence and bloodshed. The only way to peace is through peace; this powerful approach cannot be resisted. If we all demand peace from our leaders, we will have peace; as John and Yoko put it:
How we will make a difference:
- By building awareness of the futility of conflict and war by holding walks for peace, distributing literature at these and other events, and by maintaining a web presence, in order to build a large grassroots organization
- By stressing our commonality and the universal desire for peace and well-being
- By supporting those organizations whose efforts are most effective in promoting and providing education, clean water, housing, sustainable agriculture, medical care, and economic development
- Through letter-writing campaigns to the leaders of all countries that emphasize the universal desire for peace