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09/06/09
“The World March For Peace And Nonviolence”
Filed under: Cancun Casa Blog
Posted by: Dangers @ 9:10 pm

Every now and then, our blog here is going to go astray and off topic for what we believe is a very good cause, this is one of those times. For months now, there’s been a hyper-linked Earth Logo for the “The World March” on our sidebar indicating our endorsement of the World March For Peace and Nonviolence, we humbly ask our readers to take some time over the next few days to explore the World March site and join us in support of the multinational effort of citizens across the world to condemn war and violence in our time. The following descriptions and proposals below are courtesy of the World March and World Without Wars… 

The World March will begin in New Zealand on October 2, 2009, the anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, declared the “International Day of Nonviolence” by the United Nations. It will conclude in the Andes Mountains (Punta de  Vacas, Aconcagua, Argentina) on January 2, 2010. The March will last 90 days, three long months of travel. It will pass through all climates and seasons, from the hot summer of the tropics and the deserts, to the winter of Siberia. The American and Asian stages will be the longest, both almost a month. A permanent base of a hundred people of different nationalities will complete the journey.

Why

Because we can end world hunger with 10% of what is spent on
arms. Imagine how life would be if 30-50% of the arms budget went
toward improving people’s lives instead of being used for destruction.

Because
eliminating wars and violence means leaving human pre-history behind
and taking a giant step forward in the evolution of our species.

Because
in this aspiration we are accompanied by the strength of the voices of
hundreds of prior generations who suffered the consequences of war, and
whose echo continues to be heard today in all those places where it
continues to leave its sinister trail of dead, disappeared, disabled,
refugees and displaced.

Because a “world without wars”
is an image that opens the future and seeks to become reality in every
corner of the planet, as violence gives way to dialogue.

The moment has come for the voiceless to be heard! Out of agonizing and urgent need, millions of human beings are crying out for an end to wars and violence.

We can make that happen by uniting all the forces of pacifism and active non-violence worldwide.

HOW CAN I SUPPORT THE WORLD MARCH?

It’s not too late to get involved and add your voice to the World March. Here’s how:

1) Endorse the World March as an individual or organization RIGHT HERE

2) Organize an event
or action in your neighborhood, workplace, school, or community in
support of the March between October 2nd and January 2nd. We have set
aside December 2nd as “World March USA Day” and are aiming to have hundreds of events organized across the country on that day.

3) If you already have an existing event
scheduled during this 3-month period, consider designating it “In
Support of the World March” and add it to our calendar of events. Your
support can be shown by including info on the March in your program, by
having a short presentation before or after the event, or by
incorporating the themes of the march into the content of your event.

4) Volunteer
with efforts to welcome and host the international team of marchers
when they visit NY, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco. November
30 – December 3. We need people to help with logistics, press,
publicity, graphic design, fundraising, and outreach. (info@worldmarchusa.net).

5) Spread the Word! Talk about the march with your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and fellow students, and refer them to our website:www.worldmarchusa.net.

Thanks for joining us in the largest mobilization for peace and disarmament in history!


THE WORLD MARCH: A HUMANIST PROPOSAL

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence was launched during the
Symposium of the World Center for Humanist Studies held at the Park of
Study and Reflection in Punta de Vacas, Argentina, on November 15, 2008.

The World March aims to generate consciousness of the dangerous
global situation in which we are living, a situation marked by the
heightened probability of nuclear conflict, a renewed arms race, and
the violent military occupation of foreign territories.

The World March is a proposal for an unprecedented social
mobilization, advanced by the Humanist Movement through one of its
organizations, World Without Wars.

Since its initial proposal things have developed very quickly. In
just a few months the World March has received the endorsement of
thousands of people, pacifist and nonviolence groups,  a variety of
institutions, and renowned figures from the worlds of science, culture,
and politics, who are sensitive to the urgency of the moment. It has
also inspired an enormous diversity of initiatives in more than 100
countries, becoming a rapidly growing human phenomenon.
(www.theworldmarch.org)

THE PRESENT SITUATION

Today we are experiencing a critical situation throughout the world,
characterized by poverty across vast regions and confrontations between
cultures. Violence and discrimination contaminate the daily life of
broad sectors of the population. Armed conflicts plague many areas, and
we now have a profound crisis in the international financial system.

Looming over all of these is the most pressing problem of all: the
growing nuclear threat. We are in a moment of extreme complexity. Not
only must we take into account the irresponsible interests of the
nuclear powers and the madness of violent groups with their potential
access to nuclear material, we must also consider the added risk of a
nuclear accident that could unleash a devastating conflict.

This is not just the sum of a few isolated crises; rather, we are
facing the global failure of a system whose methodology of action is
violence and whose central value is money.

THE PROPOSALS OF THE WORLD MARCH

To avoid a future nuclear catastrophe we must surpass violence today, demanding:

•         nuclear disarmament at a global level;
•         the immediate withdrawal of invading troops from occupied territories;
•         the progressive and proportional reduction of conventional weapons;
•         the signing of non-aggression treaties between countries;
•         the renunciation by governments of the use of war as a means to resolve conflicts. 

It’s urgent to create consciousness for peace and disarmament. But
it is also necessary to awaken a consciousness of nonviolence that
rejects not only physical violence, but all forms of violence:
economic, racial, psychological, religious, sexual, etc. This new
sensibility could take root and inspire the social structures, opening
the way towards the future Universal Human Nation.

We demand our right to live in peace and liberty. We do not live in liberty when we live under the threat of violence.

The World March is a call to all people to unite efforts and take
responsibility for changing the world, to overcome their personal
violence, and to work in their immediate environments, and as far as
their influence may reach.

THE MARCH IN ACTION

The World March for Peace and Nonviolence is already inspiring
various initiatives and activities, and these will multiply in the
coming months. One will be the symbolic march of an international and
intercultural team whose journey will pass through six continents. It
will start on October 2, 2009 — the International Day of Nonviolence
– in Wellington, New Zealand, and will culminate on January 2, 2010 at
the foot of Mount Aconcagua in Punta de Vacas, Argentina. During this
time, in hundreds of cities around the world, there will be marches,
festivals, forums, conferences, and other events to create
consciousness of the urgent need for Peace and Nonviolence. And
throughout the world, the campaigns to gather endorsements for the
March will multiply this signal beyond what is now imaginable.

For the first time in history an event of this magnitude is being
set in motion through the initiative of the people. The true strength
of the World March is born from the simple, conscious act of those who
endorse this dignified cause and share it with others.


FOR THE HUMANIST MOVEMENT

Spokesperson for the World March: Rafael de la Rubia
Spokesperson for Africa: Michel Ussene
Spokesperson for the Asia-Pacific Region: Sudhir Gandotra
Spokesperson for Europe: Giorgio Schultze
Spokesperson for Latin America: Tomas Hirsch  
Spokesperson for North America: Chris Wells

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