I watched a video by Reba McEntire currently being passed around the internet. It features her original song "Pray for Peace." It's great to hear you singing about this, Reba, in response to the current violence in the world. Which brings up the subject, to take this a step further. However a thought can inspire, it's action that's needed to create material change. The habitual violence and military activity of our world has been handed down from generation to generation, including the conviction that violence is somehow the most trusted way to solve political problems or to counter aggression. I understand the necessity of creating a defense in light of an aggressive world, but the aggressiveness of the world is what we are responsible for changing. It would require us putting our minds, hearts and money into change, in the same way that people invest all of those in militarism. People lose patience with negotiations, but then live through years of warfare as an alternative, as if that is normal activity. We are responsible for deciding what is healthy and normal. I argue that our historic perspective is a learned and fostered option.
     Militarism and use of violence for political sway, including terrorist activity, regularly includes highly trained specialists, requiring years of training and experience. Many politicians move from a military background into places of political leadership, further supporting militarism in a government's structure. If we want to change the course of violence and self destruction to ensure safety for the earth's population, there will need to be significant practical and material efforts to create cooperation and new ways of problem solving. Upcoming generations of people need to be taught new ways of thinking, of mediating differences, of placing faith in solving problems without the use of violence and warfare. It will take specialists and economic support to guide these changes, especially within governments. Although we generally admire peacemakers and those who create change through action, such as Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Martin Luther King and others, there seems to be a disconnect between vision and the ability to create what we envision. Vision can be made real through action and planning. We are responsible for what happens through our decision making and organizational programs, through where we put our money, who we put into leadership positions and to what limits we will tolerate current and growing violence in our world.