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The late U.S. Sen. Spark Matsunaga once said, “If we want peace, we must educate people to want peace.”
Just how much peace education are our people receiving? Maybe what we spend on defense and preparations for war, compared with what we spend on peacebuilding efforts, can give us some clues. Our proposed defense budget for 2024 is $841 billion. Our budget for the United States Institute of Peace, which I can guarantee you the majority of Americans don’t even know exists, was $54 million for 2023.
I recently joined a Quaker-led lobbying effort in Hawaii. This year we are lobbying Congress to expand three peacebuilding programs that deal with worldwide peace issues and involve efforts to prevent atrocities, help solve complex crises and facilitate reconciliation efforts.
The amount sought is $131 million, roughly the equivalent of one advanced fighter jet. If we really want peace, we need to both educate people to want peace and put money into worthwhile peace efforts.
I am not arguing against a strong national defense, but I am arguing for peacebuilding efforts such as the one being proposed by the Quakers.
Roman Leverenz
Aliamanu
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