The United States has budgeted 1.9 TRILLION DOLLARS for defense spending in 2023. A 2022 Gallup poll found that 31% of respondents felt the nation was spending too much on the military, 31% felt there was too little spending, and 34% though spending was “about right.” And what about spending on peace efforts? The US Congress appropriated 1.48 BILLION DOLLARS for UN Peacekeeping activities, and the United States Institute of Peace (which was created by US Congress in 1984) requested $54 MILLION DOLLARS for 2023. It’s difficult to say what, exactly counts as spending for peacemaking you think if we were putting a lot of money into that it would make the news.

The question remains, is our nation making significant investments in peacemaking efforts? And, closer to home, are you and I making investments in peacemaking? In this talk, Westchester Community for Ethical Culture’s clergy leader, Bart Worden, will review efforts to develop and expand alternatives to violence at home and abroad and propose some ways to promote peace through nonviolent resistance.

This is a hybrid Platform. You can join on Zoom or in person.