Wear white poppies from Sept. 21 (International Day of Peace) to Dec. 10 (International Human Rights Day).  By wearing white poppies, we affirm our support for a world free of war & the harms linked to war & militarism (eg. human rights violations, sexism & other forms of denigration and marginalization, colonialism and the destruction of natural life systems). Other important dates to highlight include the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation (Sept. 30), the International Day of Nonviolence (Oct. 2), Remembrance Day (Nov. 11) and the Day of Remembrance & Action on Violence Against Women (Dec. 6)

You can download and print this card or order cards by emailing b.nota@icloud.com

Open the door to questioning war and the fear that feeds it.

Renew our commitment to work for peace with justice. Withhold taxes and other energies that feed war. Defund the military; defend the earth.

Contact b.nota@icloud.com to order wallet cards.

See the “Creativity” tab https://www.consciencecanada.ca/?page_id=1592 for ideas for making poppies.

The white poppy campaign is all about Remembering Our Humanity https://millstonenews.com/remembering-our-humanity/ .
 
It’s about “putting our minds together to see what kind of life we can make for our children”:
 
Climate change and war have become so embedded in our “way of life” that they are like the proverbial wallpaper we never notice. Collectively, we have come to accept the destruction and violence as somehow inevitable.

 
This was exemplified when Rick Mercer did one of his “Talking to Americans” episodes and asked someone he met if he thought we needed to bomb Saskatchewan or even send in ground troops. The man essentially responded that “you gotta do what you gotta do”.
 
We go along with wars, drone strikes and “diplomacy” that escalates fear and militarism. Naomi Klein’s message of resistance during the Trump presidency is still valid now – People in positions of power know very well how to exploit our fears to get people to go along with life-killing projects that concentrate money and power even more, while undermining the things we most need: health, democracy, peace…(See, for instance, this 9 min. video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTcELLklap4 ). Herman Göring spelled it out with shocking clarity:
“Of course the people don’t want war…. it’s always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it’s a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. … All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.”
 
Our collective fears seem to be leading us towards a dystopia of unimaginable proportions. We can feel powerless.
 
In the face of this, it’s important to hold on to what power we do have, if only that of conscientious objection to the dominant worldview.** Question what we “gotta do”…  Refuse to support lies and half-truths, war, militarism and industries that are destroying our future.
 
With this in mind, Conscience Canada is inviting people to wear white poppies, also known as peace poppies, from the International Day of Peace, Sept. 21 to Dec. 10, International Human Rights Day. Those few months offer other opportunities to challenge ourselves and others to transform how we perceive and how we act: the International Day of Nonviolence, Remembrance Day and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
 

The white poppy, first introduced in Britain in 1933, is a symbol of remembrance that questions the descent into militarism and war. As we learn how the climate crisis and exploitation in general are made possible through violence, the white poppy can become a symbol of a wider resistance. It can help us come together to see “what kind of life we can make for our children” as Sitting Bull urged. In making white poppies, in learning about alternatives, in sharing our hopes and visions, we may find validation and even joy in this perilous time.

 
**Cf. “Restoring the Kinship Worldview” https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/690771/restoring-the-kinship-worldview-by-wahinkpe-topa-four-arrows/ by Four Arrows and Darcia Narvaez