War Does Not Work

Friends, as I write this, I am dismayed at the outbreak of war between Russia and the Ukraine. It is shocking to see the extent and impact of the conflict in just one week. In the Ukraine, bombs are falling, people are dying, refugees are fleeing. In Russia, protests are being suppressed as the ruble turns to rubble. No one can fly out of either country, even as hundreds of thousands queue to cross land borders. The likelihood of finding diplomatic solutions deteriorates with every airstrike and countermeasure, even as nuclear missiles are poised to strike. We are facing a catastrophic global crisis.

One thing is painfully evident: war does not work. We must abolish war as a means of solving disputes.

War costs lives, on both sides.

War adds grievances to conflicts that were already so dichotomous that people picked up arms.

War decimates lives, cities, infrastructure, economies and human spirits.

War doesn’t resolve conflicts; rather, it entrenches enmity.

War can never lead to peace.

 

The world is precipitously farther from peace between Russia and Ukraine than it was just one week ago. The only way to prevent us from falling exponentially further down the chasm of conflict is an immediate cease-fire.

Jesus preached it; Gandhi proved it; Martin Luther King, Jr., lived it. We cannot reap love from hate or peace from war. The only way to build peace is by persistent, consistent, nonviolent resistance to injustice. People are not our enemies; injustice is.

In a unifying way, I urge you to raise your voice and cry for peace. Please stand for, pray for, march for, write for, call for peace urgently, now. World leaders face difficult choices daily whether to escalate the war or step back from the brink of nuclear disaster. Let’s back them up and support their choices for peace.

Pacifism is not placating injustice; it’s giving justice a chance.

The stakes are too high to do any less.

 

 

Photo credits (top to bottom): Sima Ghaffarzadeh from Pexels, Somchai Kongkamsr from Pexels, Sima Ghaffarzadeh from Pexels