Autumn has once again splashed her delightful array of colors with shameless abandon across Maine’s landscapes. In a world of 24-hour news cycles, a walk in the woods at this time of year restores one’s soul.

On this afternoon, during this walk, the question came to me: “Why are we constantly at war?” The conflict in Ukraine could stop tomorrow if both sides agreed that there is no conceivably better outcome than where things are right now. It is not as if we, collectively, have no other pressing existential concerns.

Climate scientists tell us that in a few decades, if we don’t change our course, perhaps even if we do, billions of climate refugees will be desperately seeking safety, a place to live and food. Ecologists warn that we are currently in the midst of a mass extinction of species, with biodiversity diminishing at an escalating pace.

Why are we doing anything else, if not directing all the vast billions of dollars that go to make weapons and war toward trying to prepare a more sustainable future for the young people of the world?

Rev. Thomas Kircher
Biddeford

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