Within hours it will be Easter Sunday. Whether you are a Christian who believes without doubt in a physical resurrection, or someone who accepts the possibilities it promises as symbolically true, Easter is a moment when hope is reborn.
I'm in Detroit visiting my parents for the holiday weekend and today my mother, now 83 years old, mentioned she was having John Lennon's album Imagine converted from vinyl to CD. "I really love that song," she told me, "and I don't have a record player anymore." Yes, I thought, just imagine a world like the one Lennon imagined. Imagine the possibilities for a world where love, caring and peace were a dream come true. Isn't Easter a great time to begin believing dreams can come true?
I recently heard a public radio discussion of the ongoing quest to establish a federal Department of Peace. Some 65 members of the House of Representatives have signed on to a bill introduced in 2007 to create a new cabinet level department. It's an idea that goes back to the administration of George Washington. Imagine what could happen if we had a department equal in influence to the Department of Defense (once known as the War Department) to suggest solutions other than those we habitually seem to favor.
Take for instance our current conflict. Recent estimates peg the eventual payments at well over a trillion dollars. We have already spent 600 billion. What if we had a cabinet level department to say, "maybe we can solve this situation with honey instead of vinegar." Maybe we could have skipped the bombing part and moved right to the reconstruction part at a fraction of the cost. Oh I know, people will say "that would never work; you can't deal with madmen." But the fact is we never tried. Why? Because we lacked the imagination for peace. We lacked a true advocate for peace.
What if we had a cabinet level department charged with imagining the possibility of peace. Isn't Easter the perfect time to start imagining such a possibility? You might call it a resurrection of hope. Imagine.
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Checking my email this Easter morning, I never expected to find such a powerful message on believing in the possiblity of peace. What an inspiring way to begin the day. I will print this message as a reminder of all that I (still) believe is possible.
Thank you!
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