Doukhobor Peace Day Message 2010

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Spirit,
 
The traditional commemoration of the June 28-29, 1895 Burning of Guns in Russia is an outstanding event in the Doukhobor calendar. Earlier I have described this courageous act as an ‘event that shook the world’! Those in the wider public who know this history recognize this day as a firm resolve to get rid of the institution of militarism and wars.
That  message is still relevant today. Wars are still being waged. Foreign bases are still occupying territories where people desire to be free. And weapons of mass destruction continue to be manufactured and traded world-wide including Canada.  Shame on us!
 ‘We are literally slaves of the war machine’, as Lev N. Tolstoy, the great Russian writer and man of conscience, reminded us years ago. It was 100 years ago since Tolstoy died in 1910 at the age of 82. He pioneered the creation of a new approach to love and nonkilling on planet earth in which wars are immoral and outdated.
 As we commemorate the firm and courageous stand that our ancestors took in 1895, let us be reminded of the message of Tolstoy and the Doukhobors — that the slavery of our times must end, and that love should instead become the central unifying ethic of humankind.
 That, Brothers and Sisters, is the real message of the day! If words can fly, let this wisdom spread around the world. As Spirit Wrestlers, let us help build a Culture of Peace on Planet Earth!

Koozma J. Tarasoff
Ottawa, Canada