To the Editor:

I recently heard a community member say that “hope” is a human construct that simply helps us pretend that an indifferent universe actually cares what we like. What I appreciate is that we all have the agency and autonomy to act, and not just hope.

This past Sunday, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Canton collected its shared social action offering (SASO) for Seeds of Peace. Social action has long been a part of Unitarian Universalism values and collective social justice work is crucial to who we are as a religious community. Seeds of Peace is aligned with UU perspectives of unity, love, inherent worth, freedom, just actions, acting to prevent unjust actions, exercising power for good, and recognizing War as a choice that we can choose not to make.

Founded in 1993, Seeds of Peace is a peacebuilding and leadership development organization for teens that live in war-torn regions. The organization is committed to transforming the legacies of conflict in the Middle East and equipping new generations with the courage to transform conflict into peace. Each summer, 200 Israeli and Palestinian teenagers attend conflict resolution summer camps in the U.S.

When John Wallach founded Seeds of Peace in March 1993, he created the organization to give children of war the opportunity to plant seeds for a more secure future. In his 30-year career in journalism, he had witnessed the horrific conditions of war such as those what we are seeing in the images and reports from Gaza and Ukraine.

I became personally involved with Seeds of Peace when the organization was in their 10th year of operations. In those first few years, they hosted 12 campers each summer, and now they host 200. The more seeds of peace that are planted, the denser the forest of peace that grows.

In a recent RollingStone Magazine article, a 2023 Palestinian Seeds of Peace camper was interviewed about the impact of the war on her. She said, “It’s really tough to lose some of your loved ones and see people dying around you. It hurts, and it’s really hard. But for me, personally, before I think of saying something insensitive or that would belittle someone’s life, I just remember, “Oh, I had Israeli friends too.” I think about them. No, I don’t want people like them to die. There are a lot of nice people, and people who had nothing to do with the conflict. People that are not politicians. People that deserve to live.”

Expressions of empathy and the humanizing of “the other” is part of the mindset of change that allows a pathway to peace. “For whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7)

One who sows Peace will from the Peace reap eternal life in Peace.

We don’t have to just sit sickened and passively watching the humanitarian catastrophe of war unfold on our tv’s, tablets and cell phones. We can act collectively within our faith and in accordance with our values to ensure a future of peace. Peace without conflict and violence and oppression. Support Seeds of Peace so that peace may come in the lifetime's of those younger than us, those whose city's are ravaged by war.

We don’t have to hope for peace in an indifferent universe, we can exercise our collective power for good and bend the arc. If your faith-based organization, school or university, social club, or family would like to support a future of peace, visit: Seeds of Peace visit: www.seedsofpeace.org.

Larissa Fawkner

Potsdam