July 4th, Independence Day, marked the freeing of the 13 colonies from British tyranny; that is, the domination of the common person in favor of the wealthy and powerful.

Today, 238 years later, we find ourselves governed by rules that favor the wealthy and powerful to such an extent that the hardworking people who make our society tick are having to discover new ways of responding. From a place of great need, even despair, can come imaginative ways of finding solutions. Can we reach a new independence? Can the people lead the way to a true democracy that grows out of nonviolence?

PeaceWorks is planning a community gathering with that peaceful future in mind. This is an invitation to you to join us on August 2 for the 10th Annual Peace Fair. It will be a special opportunity to look at some of our choices for the future and to have fun together along the way. Please join us on the Brunswick Green from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on that Saturday. It will be wonderful event, and having you there will make a difference.

The Peace Fair is about the children: Yours and mine and, well, all the children. “Children ask the world of us” is a quote from a couple of reliable sources, UNESCO’s peace document for one. It strikes me as deeply true, and, whenever people talk about troubling issues, they’re most apt to agree when they think about how policies and their implications affect our children. Whether it’s schools or healthy food, the health of our environment or the violence in our culture, it’s not good enough unless it’s good for the children.

This is our plan for the Fair: If it’s true that children ask the world of us and if we’re able to imagine a world in which all children can thrive, wouldn’t it be good to get together and see what we can do to help build that world?

The first step was to come up with some questions to think about. We came up with six.

In the world we’re envisioning: How would we feed the children? How would we teach them? How would we protect the planet for them? How would we keep them healthy? How would we keep them safe from war and violence? How would we ensure a compassionate society?

The next step was to dream up some games and activities to help us get from where we are to where we’d like to be. They need to be fun. Some for kids, some for grownups.

Each of the six questions will take place under a big tent. The six tents will be arranged in a circle on the Green and, in the center, a smaller tent where we can ask questions, look at new ideas, consider some approaches to action.

Under the Performance Tent, the Theater Project’s young people’s troupe will put on James Thurber’s “The Last Flower,” a short play that acknowledges the power of youth and love and nature to restore our world.

And there will be a musical tribute to beloved peacemaker, Pete Seeger, an icon of the 20th century whose songs celebrate what is possible. Local musicians will be on hand to sing and play and invite us to sing along. Did I mention the Steel Drum Band?

The spirit of the Peace Fair lies in seeing the realities of this culture where we find ourselves, while working together to create a future we believe is possible.

Community members coming together to dream and then to act — is this, perhaps, the shape of a new independence movement?

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Rosalie Paul has written this commentary on behalf of Peaceworks.