Sheila Pratt writes:

from abebooks.co.uk via Wikipedia.org

If it’s true that history is written by the victors, this history book, Mark Kurlansky’s “Nonviolence: the history of a dangerous idea”, focuses neither on the victors nor the vanquished but mostly on those who did not want to participate at all. The book looks at non-violence movements in the western world beginning from several thousand years ago up until the early 2000s. Kurlansky looks at many religious groups that started out with non-violence as a foundation in their belief system, and shows how and why they ‘adjust’ their beliefs to accommodate violence.

The most interesting section for me answered a question I asked my parents in the early 1950s (we lived in California). I heard them talking about the wisdom of owning a Ford, and I asked why it mattered. They told me it didn’t and that was the end of it, except I never forgot my unanswered question. The answer appeared in this book. And the “just war” was no longer quite as “just” as we’d been taught.

Since the book ends in the early 2000s, he doesn’t discuss more recent events. Perhaps the role of drone warfare may not leave so many soldiers with PTSD and the possibility of planetary destruction by nuclear weapons may be increased. But there are some common threads throughout the book that make reading it worthwhile – perhaps mandatory for anyone interested in going to war.

********************Send your book recommendations to janslakov (at) proton.me & hopefully we can share them!

Remembrance Day will soon be here. It’s fascinating to learn that the author of the iconic poem, In Flanders Fields, John McCrae, was apparently urging us to resist the spirit of warfare. To learn more, check out our Remembrance Day Education Kit, available on our “Resources” page. Also: https://www.theregis.ca/politics-social/the-poppy-s-war-against-war/  & http://peacemagazine.org/archive/v29n4p27.htm .

“The Fund was established decades ago as part of our efforts to withold any support from war and militarism.” explains President Jan Slakov. “As we go through a period of transition, we want to make sure that people who have deposited money in the Fund know that it’s shutting down, so they can decide whether to ask us to return their deposits or allow the funds to be redirected to Conscience Canada’s operational costs.”

Conscience Canada intends to maintain its Peace Tax Return and letter-writing option, available on its website. Its board is exploring ways to help conscientious objectors to redirect resources from death and destruction towards life and health.

For more information, contact:

info@consciencecanada.ca
or contact Jan Slakov, president of CC at (604) 223-9328.
www.consciencecanada.ca

William Watson won this year’s War Abolisher of the Year award (selected by World Beyond War) for this wonderful film. Lots to learn, to rejoice in and to be inspired by! Here is the link to the film on vimeo: https://vimeo.com/490372154

We know the roots of war go much deeper than individual participation. They include our worldview, our values and the systems we are part of. With this in mind, we share Robin Wall Kimmerer’s article, The Serviceberry: an economy of abundance. Thank you to Emergence Magazine for permission to share, and to illustrator Christelle Enault!

Having been involved in Conscience Canada for over 40 years now, I [Jan Slakov] have seen our thinking evolve. The threat of nuclear war is still present, but is now in some ways eclipsed by other threats, notably ecological collapse.

We see the roots of these threats as inextricably related; we know that, in our efforts to defend the earth, there is a real need to defund war.

So it’s truly heartening to see that some young people share this view and are working for change. Let’s do our best to support Kasha Sequoia Slavner and her team with their film, “1.5 Degrees of Peace”.

Learn more here: https://www.1point5degreesofpeace.com/

Conscience Canada will have a “virtual booth” at the World Beyond War conference starting July 8. There’s still time to register! See: https://act.worldbeyondwar.org/nowar2022/