"Don't Curse the Darkness-- Send Light! ~The Charter will send a solar lantern on your behalf to a Ukrainian family living in the dark" by Barbara Kaufmann

So many of us have had to watch the slaughter taking place in Ukraine, and we are angry!
We ache for a cease-fire and a return to sanity!

What human beings have apparently not caught on to is that war is obsolete! Many of us have learned from previous conflicts, and with the specter of Climate Change looming over all of us, that fighting with a designated "enemy" is not acceptable in the new world that is smaller and more connected than ever. War is obsolete, and it's a monumental failure of human imagination! The only way to settle differences is with weapons?

We, who are advocates for the default of compassion, know in our bones that war is just wrong, and it does not settle any matter; it only serves to divide people and alienate groups of humans. And it perpetuates a wrong-headed custom that has been with us almost since the beginning of time,-- an entrenched formula for arguing, toxic masculinity, and war-making.

We refuse to succumb to helplessness! We can use our voices to oppose the use of force to settle human disagreements; we can vote to install leaders who believe in peace and cooperation, not a competition, and we can support the resistance to war.

Right now, Ukraine is in crisis. We can do something about that! We, at the Charter, have joined forces with many to assist in bringing forth a campaign to send light into the darkness. Logistics have been put in place to send lanterns to the population of Ukraine.

It's not just a metaphor anymore; we are actually sending light to devastated and dark areas. And YOU can be a part of that effort!

Would you like to fund sending a lantern to Ukraine citizens to light up the darkness? Click here to learn more and donate towards the purchase of light for Ukraine.

While you're at it, make a donation to the Charter for Compassion so that we can continue our international work. Better yet, pledge a monthly recurring amount to support the Charter's international work through our Giving Season Facebook Fundraiser. Meta will match your recurring donation if done by Dec 31.

And yet one more way to make your voice heard is to join the Co-Creator's Map and make your presence known as an advocate for solutions and for peace. Click/Tap here to get on the map!

Your voice counts now more than ever.

May we count on you? "Be the change you wish to see in the world." 

This article was written by Barbara Kaufmann. Artist, activist and author, Barbara Kaufmann, One Wordsmith, writes "to simply change the world." Staff, writer and Sector Lead for the international Charter for Compassion, for 10+ years she has committed to making the world a compassionate home for all beings. Her concern about the threat of nuclear and chemical weapons led her to duty as a Sister Cities' Officer in one of the world's first partnerships between the U.S. and Soviet Union where her city collaborated with governments, the U.N., military and other entities to decommission weapons of mass destruction while making friends with former enemies.

An award-winning freelancer, she's written for the Huffington Post; Voices Education Project, the Charter for Compassion, Medium and other publications. She initiated a curriculum on bullying in all its incarnations dedicated to Lady Diana and Michael Jackson. Ordained minister and Spirituality Coach, she is a biographer, a founding case author for George Washington University School of Business, essayist and author of articles and provocative and performance poetry. Trained artist, journalist and photographer, she founded Walking Moon studios along with Jo Vander Grift and has written scripts and directed promo films and documentaries.