ACTION ALERT: Join the Local Peace Economy Gathering on January 17
Jodie Evans / CODEPINK

(January 16, 2024) — As we begin this new year, with our hearts aching from the violence we are witnessing in the world, our legs aching from the miles we have walked together in protest, we must continue to cultivate peace even as we ring the alarms of genocide.

The Palestinians cultivate a peace economy, one of giving and sharing, one rooted in community and gathering, one centered in joy and the celebration of life. We witness it even as we watch their lives and the lives of their loved ones ripped from the planet.

Our hearts break and ache, and our sense of powerlessness against the psychopathic Netanyahu, who has managed to hold off 7 million citizens calling for a ceasefire, is more than we have ever had to hold. Yes, we must continue to do all we can to end this madness and all the madness that is behind the military industrial complex that steals our tax dollars to murder black and brown people while destroying the planet.  And… we also must cultivate a culture of peace. 

Join us Wednesday, January 17th to learn how to cultivate peace in your community!

We live in a war economy that affects our behaviors. It forces us to behave in ways that alienate us from ourselves, each other and life. Instead of being overwhelmed by what is happening, we must engage in creating a future where our lives serve peace, justice and life.

We’ve learned at CODEPINK that war serves the war economy. Alongside our protests, our direct actions, our sit-ins and our calls to Congress, in order to end war, we must cultivate an economy of peace where we live. We must shift the war economy culture to one that lives the values of peace and justice.

In Greek, the word “economy” means home. We have lost our way from making Home Sweet Home to letting our lives be used to create hell on earth. Pivoting ourselves to the local peace economy cultivates Home Sweet Home for us, our community and the planet.

Take a moment to feel that sense of Home Sweet Home in your own heart. We all have it. What does it feel like for you? It is what we are watching be bombed away from the Palestinians. No one would treat their home like Israel is treating Palestine. 

CODEPINK is excited to introduce The Local Peace Economy Workbook – an interactive guide to help peacemakers like you cultivate the seeds of peace right in your communities. Download your copy here!

The economy is not just about where you spend your money. It’s also about where and how you spend your time and energy, where you give your attention, where you source your joy.

When we turn some of our attention to cultivating our local peace economy where all people can have their needs met, we are also starving the war machine of its own fuel.

This workbook’s reflective prompts and resources will support you in reclaiming your life from the war economy and investing your time, energy, and attention in life-affirming spaces and relationships that nourish your heart, so you can continue to stand against the violence and depravity of the war machine, hulling it out from the inside.

The Local Peace Economy Workbook is a love letter to that place in your heart that knows the world today isn’t how it’s supposed to be – and offers a map for how we can return to Home Sweet Home in our lives, with our neighbors, with our communities. Cultivating a culture that leads to peace.

Like anything worth doing, we cannot do this alone. CODEPINK will be hosting bi-weekly gatherings for people engaging with The Local Peace Economy Workbook to connect, reflect, celebrate, grieve, and learn together about how this offering can further support you and your communities on your local peace economy journey. Our first call will take place on Wednesday, January 17th at 7:00 EST/4:00 PST. We hope you’ll join us.

ACTION: RSVP here.

Onward to peace with love,
April, Caroline, Emily
and Jodie

PS: If you would like a hard copy of the Local Peace Economy Workbook, buy one here!