Military Saviour

The world spent $1.46 trillion (USD) in 2008.  That number is mind-boggling, so big that it’s nearly impossible to imagine so much money. How many ways could that money have improved the world?  Even more scary, global military spending grew by 45 per cent in the last decade.

When it comes to military spending, the United States is in its own, super-heavyweight weight class.  America spent $607 billion, eclipsing second-place China’s $85 billion, France’s $66 billion, and the United Kingdom at $65 billion.

These numbers come from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.  Check out all their information at www.sipri.org/yearbook.

I couldn’t help but think about our military obsession while I sat in a strange place: a movie theatre.  Hollywood’s new Transformers movie flashed across the screen, three hours of soldiers, guns, rockets, and robots in disguise.  The biggest and flashiest fighting technology saves the day.  A saviour in a machine.

So, robot soldiers are our heroes and we spend more on war than true peace.  It’s clear where this world puts its faith.  Those who believe in a better way to find peace should speak up.

Korea and War

by Scott Cressman

I live in a country at war.  The conflict that split Korea into North and South has never formally ended, just cooled to simmering rhetoric and threats.  Enough time has passed that the new generation of South Koreans have never met their estranged relatives stuck on the other side of the demilitarized border.  But making peace and reuniting is still on everyone’s mind.  Korea is a country proud of its long history and resilience, and this communist/capitalist split is not what they want for the country.

The Joy of Less

Last weekend, the New York Times ran a blog entry about a man who has found great satisfaction by cutting out much of modern life’s clutter.  It’s a good read, and I see the writer’s personal choice as a challenge.  How can we also simplify and live with less?

Click here to read the article.

Click here to read a past blog post on living with less.

As the Times columnist says, trying to make our lives safe and stable by the world’s standards does not guarantee happiness.

Real costs in our free market

by Scott Cressman

We live in a world where cheap is good and free is best.  Profits never seem big enough. People are consumers first and human beings second.  But what is the story behind the things we consumers pay so little for?  I’ve found myself wondering this more often in recent weeks.

The State of the World Today – What We Can Do

A response by Jesse Epp-Fransen

The current state of the world is worrisome and saddening indeed. Wars, poverty, pandemics and economic collapse all seem right around the corner. In the face of this, one response is to return to personal ethics.

Our Fear Pandemic

by Scott Cressman

An infection is sweeping the world.  The flu has changed from a seasonal nuisance to a deadly menace.  But the latest virus strain is overshadowed by a wider outbreak: fear.  The newest superbug is on everybody’s lips, and it may be creating a panic more than a pandemic.

Labels and Fighting Fairly

by Jodi Read

I heard it again. The word that I despise – ”illegals” – to describe people that enter the US without proper documentation or those that overstay their visas and are not authorized to work. “Illegals” is underlined in red in this MS document and reminds me that

The State of the World Today – What Can We Do?

by Amy McMahon

The current state of the world is deeply saddening.  The atrocities that go on are horrendous – not just towards each other, but even to the planet.  At any given moment, just take a look at the headlines on CNN.com, it’s like a crazy horror movie.  But this is no movie, this is our world, the world we live in.

Can we live with less? Do we have a choice?

by Lucas Redekop

          The Globe and Mail newspaper runs an informal daily online poll asking readers various questions. A recent question asked “Do you think you will resume your old spending habits once the economy rebounds?” At the time 41% said yes and 59% said no.

by Raul

I am very happy to find this blog available to talk about peace. I believe there is a lot of people who will share their experiences.
My interest on peace has to do with my own personal life; growing up in a war torn country. But I am also interested in something I call “Christian poltical will”. Peace is a myriad of many things. I am concerned that christians work for peace but don’t engage enough in political activism to change things. Sometimes institutions are afraid to speak out because of what their constituencies might think, or because their constituencies don’t agree on the way peace is sought. We must confront the powers that be so things change.