Divest Day 1 of 21: From Alienation to Connection

Welcome to Day 1 of 21 Days of Divesting from the War Machine! My name is Kelly, and I’m the relatively new Local Peace Economy Organizer with CODEPINK. Thanks for joining us on this e-journey - I see and honor you for your intent in signing up. 

As peace activists, we feel deeply the pain of war. We feel deeply our brothers and sisters abroad and right here at home suffering at the hands of the war economy we live within. We feel our planet suffering as well. We're not always sure of what to do, but we do know that it's our love for people that causes us to speak out, to resist, risk and fiercely show up in the face of so much adversity. 

In the face of the violent culture of genocide and slavery that our country was built on, radical love is an act of rebellion. Our reality is that the dominant culture that we all live in is one of deep-seated violence, and we're all affected by that that in our own ways. 

But as we've witnessed from great movements across history, with vision and intention, people change culture. And once culture shifts, political change can happen.

Together, for the next 21 days we offer an opportunity to be more aware of the war economy culture and how it affects us. To open our imagination and engagement to nourishing a culture of peace in our everyday actions that collectively create the more beautiful world we want to live in.

For the next 21 days, I’ll send an email every day prompting a conversation about the war economy culture, and will provide different reflections. You can journal these, email me back, discuss them with others and plan ways to change your habits and join with those in your community to transform together. 

Today’s Pivot

The war economy thrives on alienation - the feeling of separation from others. Where in your life do you feel alienation from people, place, nature, and the vibrancy of life?

PS: Because I wanna practice what I preach, I chatted up random folks in the park yesterday. The conversations got surprisingly deep! Here's a snippet of what went down.