by Linda Thyer
With just a hint of annoyance, I gently place the spider on a nearby white poppy after brushing the strands of her web from my face in the early morning. The sticky silk reminds me of my small place in the complex web of nature, and the white poppy reminds me of peace – two interwoven issues brought to mind on September 21st, the International Day of Peace.
Canadians of my generation may take peace for granted, most of us having never directly known militarized conflict. As a physician, I am deeply aware that war and militarization cause short and long-term harms and disabilities, both mental and physical, with each carrying significant costs to individuals, communities and society, with the harmful effects cascading through generations.
My parents grew up in Europe during World War II and I am left with a conscientious objection to war and militarism. Yet I am obliged, against my conscience, to support the federal government’s ongoing commitment to militarism, this year demonstrated through the purchase of 88 F-35 fighter jets in a multi-billion dollar deal. In Canada, we must all pay for such machines of war through our taxes.
The First Step to Reconciliation
Bruna Nota and Murray Lumley represented Conscience Canada at the annual Hiroshima Day event in Toronto this year. In a recent letter, Doug Hewitt-White points out, “As August 6th approaches we remember the criminal horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Yet our country has chosen not to vote for the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons approved by 122 other nations around the world. ”
