I’ve got peace on my mind.

The deadliest war in human history was World War II with violence-related death of somewhere between 50 and 56 million human beings. Deaths from war violence declined from almost 600,000 in 1950 to 50,000 in 2020. That’s encouraging.

Many more deaths from disease and famine are often connected to state-sponsored conflict, and there are appalling one-sided conflicts like the genocide in Rwanda in 1994 resulting in the deaths of 540,000 people. Still, it is good to see that fewer humans have been dying annually in war over the last 70 years. Of course, that doesn’t make it any easier to witness the attack on Ukraine. Currently there are also 21 other conflicts raging across the globe, and this year isn’t over yet.

WE CANNOT GIVE UP ON PEACE.
I don’t mean peace and quiet, and I don’t mean order and routine. I mean peace that comes from true justice, from every person living a quality life with a decent home, enough food, meaningful occupation, democratic enfranchisement, and supportive community. Many leaders, writers, teachers of peace have in death set down their batons, and we must pick them up and carry on in their names – singing, dancing, crying, pushing, prodding, marching, living PEACE.

Every generation asks, “How long?” The answer so far is “We don’t know, but we must not give up!” Peace is the end we seek, the paradise we dream of, the Welcome Table we sing about, and it is our journey for a while longer!

March on, Children of Earth. Keep marching for PEACE!
Never give out! Never give up! Never give in!

In wisdom and grace,

Rev. Ruth