let’s march again!

Between 1978 and 1992, large crowds of European citizens came together and marched for peace, to protest the armament race, and the increase of military budgets in general. But we didn’t just want peace at home, we wanted peace everywhere! By marching, we launched the idea for the movement that followed, an option nobody had seriously considered before. In the eternal struggle between Light and Darkness that is our plight, Peace Marches helped push things in a more positive direction. A measure of disarmament followed. To the surprise of many, communism crumbled almost overnight. We naively thought all was well with Western and Eastern Europe now, and let things run their course.

Since then war’s madness has yet confronted us. This must stop. We need to march again. We must not only rally against a myriad of lesser struggles but FOR the one commodity capable of uniting us. No matter where we live on ailing planet, no matter our religion, the color of our skin, whether we are male or female or many shades thereof – to live a meaningful and fulfilled life, we need peace.

The only contemporary movement comparable to the peace movement of the Eighties is Fridays for Future, the ecological marches born in the wake of Greta Thunberg’s lonely school strike. Wars and conflicts are immensely detrimental to the environment, let alone the suffering they bring, both collectively, and individually. Peace and the well-being of our planet go hand in hand.

Next Easter Sunday, 31 March 2024, seems the ideal first date for a new series of Peace Marches. It could be the Resurrection Day of the Peace Movement, a celebration of the earth and our shared humanity. To be a part of this revival, a deep desire for peace must take root in our everyday lives.

Other than love, peace on earth is the single most important force to support us, our families, and our environment. Without peace, life is hell. Let us remind ourselves that wars happen against our will. This blatant disregard of the will of the people is something we need to talk about. No matter how deeply our realities conflict, if there is one thing we may agree upon, it is our common need for a life free of fear.

Let us strive for peace, not only around this time of the year, and we may even end up making the world a bit of a better place again.

Peace on earth, and a happy holiday season for all of you!
Yours
Susanne G. Seiler

P.S. You’ll find us at the gaialounge, Hochstrasse 70 (behind Basel’s SBB station, tram stop Peter Merian), every Thursday afternoon from 14 – 18 h. Welcome!

P.S.S. The historic townhouse on Spalenberg, corner of Nadelberg in Basel, where Dieter Hagenbach lived and  worked, is still for sale. If any person or body with an interest in psychedelics wishes to own it and help us turn it into an LSD Museum, including the history of LSD, our library, and a Psychedelic Information Center, please let us know.

P.S.S.S. A very happy 70th birthday, dear Rick Doblin!