Free Stop the Next War Now by Medea Benjamin Page A

have been with many of us a long time—they may still be part of our most deeply ingrained traditions—and challenging this heritage will be unpopular at best, dangerous at worst.
    But it must be done.
    Only if we consciously and concertedly build these four foundations for a partnership way of living can we move from a violent dominator culture to a more equitable, peaceful, and sustainable future for ourselves, our children, and generations still to come.

    “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it.
     
    And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”
     
    —Eleanor Roosevelt

    “If we despair over the way in which war seems such an ingrained
     
    habit of most of the human race, we can take comfort from the fact that
     
    a poor invention will usually give place to a better invention.
     
    —Margaret Mead
    THE CHALLENGE
     
    OF EDUCATING FOR PEACE
    JOAN ALMON
    Joan Almon is the U.S. coordinator of the Alliance for Childhood. She is a Waldorf kindergarten master teacher and the chair of the Waldorf Kindergarten Association.The following is reprinted with permission of the Alliance for Childhood (www.allianceforchildhood.org).
     
    American children, fed a nonstop toxic diet of electronic-media images, are increasingly fearful about the threats of war, terrorism, crime, and other forms of violence. The threats, in some cases, are real. In other ways, they are greatly exaggerated by our preoccupation with violence and gore, which inundates children daily on television, movie, and video-game screens.
    Today, parents and teachers are asking for an antidote.
    In the past few years, the United States has changed from a confident nation to one beset by fear. In times of fear we tend either to seek security and hide away or to rush forward and attack. But those are not the only options. Many parents and teachers are asking how we can help children face the world with courage and equanimity. How can we educate them for a life of caring and compassion when the news is so full of stories of hatred, revenge, and cruelty? How can we prepare them to work through conflicts in creative ways?
    The answer is a new national commitment to peace education. Teaching about peace can touch the lives of children at every level—in the home and at school, in both local and global communities.
    It is easy to teach children about war. It is much more challenging to teach them how to create peace. In war, we draw lines and barricade ourselves against the enemy. Educating for peace means building bridges between people across every divide, including ethnic, racial, religious, and national lines.
    Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks—and amid ubiquitous talk of war—many new toys and games that glorify violence have appeared in stores. Examples include Forward Command Post, marketed by Ever Sparkle Industrial Toys, with a two-foot-tall dollhouse that looks like a typical American home—but one that’s been bombed out and turned into battlefield headquarters. J.C. Penney, at its online site, recommends the $44.99 Command Post for children ages five and up, and notes that it’s loaded with realistic toy weapons and other battlefield gear. J.C. Penney’s site also promotes World Peace Keepers Battle Station, which includes “everything needed to stage a battle,” including a cannon with battery-generated light and sound effects. That one is recommended for ages three and up.
    These kinds of toys “focus children’s play on violent themes, undermine lessons adults teach, and bring in scary real-world themes young children cannot fully understand,” notes the Toy Action Guide recently published by Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment (truce), a national organization of educators concerned with how toys and entertainment affect children’s play and behavior.
    “Such toys may fulfill a need for adults to feel patriotic or support U.S. troops,” says Diane Levin, a professor of education