On September 11, 2001 many people were killed, suddenly, when jet airliners smashed into and collapsed the World Trade Center towers in New York City. It was a tragic and pointed moment that stunned and shocked much of the United States (where such things don't happen every day) and the world. History is proceeding, with governments, economic systems and citizens responding in a tangle of complicated ways. Within this complex landscape, there are those of us who would like to be able to communicate a hope for peace, a belief that the cycle of human on human violence will never end unless we humans end it, that only love can conquer hate, that killing more people will only result in even more people being dead. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King: "The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you may murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only LOVE CAN DO THAT!"
To help enable this communication I am distributing peace symbol stickers, ideal for wearing on clothing or posting other places, in both paper and digital form. The paper variety is 2 inches square, available in small quantities (<20) in person from your nearest distributor and in large quantities (>100) via mail directly from me, if you can act as a local distributor. The digital variety is a 1200x1200 pixel TIFF file available here for free download -- print it to make your own stickers, or use it in other communications. If you produce your own stickers and want to appear on the local distributor list, email me. The symbol itself is the standard peace symbol known the world over, popularized within the context of the United States' 1960's anti-war movement. This version was produced (by the wife of the Executive Director of a prominent environmental nonprofit organization) just after the WTC attacks, and is a little messier than the clean pop-art 60's versions. To me, it feels more melancholy, a little war-torn, a bit tired. Its faintly pixelated border vaguely references how our world has changed since the sixties, with advances in technology that feel variously like friends and enemies (even at this moment, when the planes and skyscrapers of the American economic machine were turned back upon its people). In high-contrast black on white it stands out on any background, saying: peace is a real and serious option for this moment, not a naive fantasy from the past. To donate to this effort, you can make a credit/debit card donation at paypal.com to brent@oxhouse.org. Donations are appreciated. The 2001 peace stickers, peace symbol images and the rest of this website are distributed under the terms of the Open Content License This effort is produced by brent emerson, in coordination with a network of local distributors.