Each month, we share the stories of World BEYOND War volunteers around the world. Want to volunteer with World BEYOND War? Email greta@worldbeyondwar.org.
Location:
Neu-Eichenberg, Germany
How did you get involved with anti-war activism and World BEYOND War (WBW)?
Born a child of two people whose countries had been at war with each other less than a decade and a half before, I seem to have been an instinctive peace maker from the beginning. Being the middle one of three siblings may have added to my diplomatic interests, as well. Furthermore, we lived less than 4 miles away from the iron curtain. When I was fourteen years of age my parents decided to move from the middle of Germany to the San Francisco Bay Area where they had originally met, to pursue academic projects. As a high school student there I became friends with young people of many different ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds. My best friend was an ardent pacifist and critic of the dark side of Western civilization. At the time (the mid nineteen seventies) the cold war with its “balance of terror” was tending toward its height. In 1977 we moved back to Germany, and committing myself to strengthening forces working for peace in any kind of way has remained a consistent feature of my life ever since.
Two years ago I came into contact with Wolfgang Lieberknecht and started to participate in activities of the “International Peace Factory of Wanfried.” This very small organization was honored to be the European location for WBW’s #NoWar2024 conference in September of this year. The live participants there were not many but very rewarding to meet. Besides German activists wonderful people from some Eastern European and African countries were present. The contributions by speakers present in person as well as online were of excellent quality and presented highly significant inside information on many issues concerning worldwide political and military strategies as well exciting examples of existing or possible peace building activities to oppose them. WBW’s Organizing Director Greta Zarro did an amazing job in coordinating and moderating the conference spanning four continents.
One of the people I met on the occasion happened to be Florina Tufescu, coordinator of the Romania for Peace chapter of WBW. In talking to her I was surprised to find that we had so much in common regarding our perceptions and estimates of global threats to peace and things we thought ought to be done about that. As a result of this inspiring talk I decided to become a member of the international section of the Romania for Peace chapter of WBW on the spot.
What kinds of WBW activities do you work on?
My first concern is with helping to improve and develop networking and communication between the various European-based chapters and affiliates of WBW. I enjoyed being allowed to moderate a first online meeting to that end a few weeks ago. I also helped to moderate the Wanfried section of the #NoWar2024 Conference in September.
What’s your top recommendation for someone who wants to get involved with anti-war activism and WBW?
My recommendation is to just start participating somewhere. See and listen to what people in some instance are doing to advocate and build peace, speak out about your own perceptions and ideas, thoughts and feelings concerning the issues involved, and see how others react. Look around and find out where you could fit in, where you feel comfortable or challenged, what skills and resources you might be able to contribute. Things will develop and grow from there, I suspect.
What keeps you inspired to advocate for change?
A little story may answer that question for me. It was written by Rafik Shami, an Aramean Christian from Syria who moved to Germany as a young man to evade censorship and military draft. It is included in his 2023 book “Wenn du erzählst, erblüht die Wüste” (When you tell stories the desert begins to bloom). The translation is mine:
When Abraham was thrown into a fire by order of brutal king Nimrod a little sparrow sped to the source to fetch a few drops of water in his little beak and dropped them on the fire. Untiringly he flapped back and forth while the fire was being whipped up even more by the ruler’s soldiers.
Another bird was looking on. “What are you trying to effect against that fire with your tiny beak?” he called out and ridiculed him.
“I know my few little drops of water don’t make much of a difference,” the sparrow answered. “But on the Day of Judgment when I will be asked, ‘What did you do when the great prophet was thrown into the fire?’ I don’t want to stand in shame but will answer the Ruler of the Universe: ‘I did what I could.'”
I would just add the thought here: What if millions of sparrows did the same?
Posted November 25, 2024.
