Courage

Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne (1926)

Somewhere within us resides an itty-bitty spark of courage.

We need to look hard to find it.

Then, give it some air and nurture it into a brilliant flame.

We need that hidden spark to help us try to make fewer bombs, rifles, landmines, fighter jets, missiles and aircraft carriers.

Because with a tiny fraction of what we spend on war materiel each year, we can employ our people in good-paying jobs to rebuild our water systems and stop polluting our rivers, lakes and oceans; rebuild and modernize our roads, bridges, cities and family farms; make our healthcare system the best in the world; educate and train all our people; dive like our future depends on it — because it does — into decentralized and diversified, sustainable energy systems.

We can do these things and much more with an itty-bitty, mouse-sized portion of what we spend on war materiel.

All we need is the courage to find that spark and nurture it.

Transitioning from a war economy into a peace economy... it's time... because we are braver, stronger and smarter than we think.