Nonviolent Things You Can Do To Protest WAR

 Today is World Peace Day and I didn't even know it until about twenty minutes ago. And they are also having a video contest with the deadline of Sept. 30, 2009 so you can get the message out.

This is a topic near and dear to my heart. I remember as a child being very afraid of war. I was born shortly after World War 2 ended and for years I thought that wars were something people did in the past but we were wiser now and no more wars were on the horizon.

Then my father was sent to Viet Nam. I was 7 years old then when our family of 7 was uprooted from New Mexico and moved to California. We had to stay near relatives so my mother could raise five kids without my father for 2 years minimum. Of course we never knew for sure if he would come home, or in what shape he would come home in. Fortunately he was one of the lucky ones, and apart from losing about 100 pounds in the Viet Nam humidity, he seemed well enough. But the toll it took on their marriage eventually ended in divorce.

And of course the USA has been involved in many wars since then, because we never seem to learn our lesson.

Even though I was too young to be a hippy (I was born in 1958), their message wasn't wasted on me. Except for the drug abuse part, I was all over that paradigm. Be creative, get along, avoid goverment corruption, dance, sing, spread joy, and give peace a chance. Any person totally involved in the creative process doesn't have time to go out and wage wars. Even if you never paint a masterpiece, cast an iconic bronze statue, or hang 200 umbrellas in a tree, being engrossed in your own creative self-expression leaves little time to launch bombs at people you don't understand.

1. Juggle for Peace. For a few decades now jugglers have been informally gathering to 'juggle for peace'.Whatever you focus on gets stronger.

2. Print out slogan buttons. You can either get your own button making machine for yourself or your group, or buy custom buttons in small quantities on http://www.etsy.com. Make buttons that say Another Mother For Peace or Give Peace a Change or whatever suits your group.

3. Belly dancers for Peace. Since middle Eastern dancers interact so often with people in the war torn areas, dance is one way for all of us to 'just get along'.

4. Write to your government officials. Contest any new plans to go to war. Or let them know we want our troops home now.

5. Join non-profits that help war victims. Groups like http://www.womenforwomen.org help women learn career skills so they can overcome the ravages of war. Or donate to the Red Cross or any of the groups trying to get food and medical supplies over where they are needed.

6. Fight poverty. Poverty breeds wars. There is enough for everyone providing we don't waste the money on fighting.

7. Meditate on Peace.

8. Speak out against Violence. When you hear your children say things that are hostile or violent, call them on it. Teach them to stand up for the weak when they are being attacked by bullies. Lead by example.

9. Make sure you are attacking the right group. When you lash out at someone, make sure it's the right someone. Often we have justified anger, but we fling it in the wrong direction, which doesn't fix the problem and hurts someone else.

10. Hurt people hurt people. So any healing you can do or give will help create more peace. Listen to someone who is struggling. Give out massages, Help plant trees and flowers. In other words, do things that make life better for someone.