Yoga & Nuclear Weapons by Monica Willard

Yoga & Nuclear Weapons

by Monica Willard Connecting yoga and nuclear weapons abolition may seem like an oxymoron yet both are deeply rooted in the goal of creating peace.

I grew up with the story that nuclear bombs ended WWII. Yet after reading Hiroshima by John Hersey in high school, I realized that victory had another, untold story. That book planted a seed in my heart that has directed me to work for nuclear abolition and to focus on creating a Culture of Peace. As a community activist in the mid 1980’s, I was introduced to The Ribbon. Justine Merritt invited people to design cloth panels showing, “What you cannot bear to think of as lost forever in a nuclear war.” These Ribbon panels circled the Pentagon to observe the 40th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1986. This art project brought the issue of nuclear weapons into homes, places of worship, schools and into the hearts of many people.

The Ribbon International became an NGO at the UN in 1991 and I was one of the UN Representatives. Ribbons continue to be made and displayed globally as a way of addressing the issues of environmental and nuclear treats. Each Ribbon holds the hopes, dreams, and prayers of people from around the world to tie into awareness and solutions that protect families, communities, the planet, and the future.

In 1985 President Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev agreed that “a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought.” This was reiterated by President Biden and Putin in 2021. Knowing this is true, why are we not serious about nuclear abolition? In my opinion, people still cling to the justification that nuclear bombs ended WW II. They protect us. Yet we need to remember that those nuclear bombs were not answered with additional nuclear exchanges. The catastrophic consequences of these weapons of mass destruction are not being addressed and incorporated into our daily lives in a way that demands the shifting of resources away from war and destruction and into known ways to build peace. Yoga and spiritual practices keep us connected to our divine source, and hopefully toward better, sustainable lifestyles.

We are seeing the dedication of the Ukrainian people as they face the advancing Russian army. The power and the threat of using of nuclear weapons does not protect Ukrainians, Russians, or the world. The reality is that any nuclear exchange would so expand the devastation and promote an even more costly and destructive responses. No government should have the right to destroy the world or the ability to threaten such catastrophe!

This is our time to demand the end of nuclear weapons. World Yoga Day, June 21 coincides with the opening of the UN Meeting of the States Parties who signed the Treaty to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). This treaty needs to be understood and supported. We must make sure that nuclear weapons are never used again. Nuclear policy must be obeyed and strengthened. Educating people on nuclear issues and policy is essential for the very survival of the planet. We need to talk about nuclear weapons, including the immediate impact it would have on Climate Change. Individuals play an important role in the elimination of nuclear weapons. We can use our personal buying power to divest from companies and banks supporting nuclear weapons. We can get and stay informed on the nuclear issues and support the organizations working hard to influence change in policies and military spending. Most importantly, we can pray and practice yoga as a personal commitment to peace. Living in peace changes the whole, even if we can’t see it directly.

Grandfather Harry Bird inspired me with his words. “A Heartfelt prayer is more powerful than an atom bomb.” As a member of the United Religions Initiative (URI) Cooperation Circle, Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons, we use The Nuclear Prayer written by our Founding Trustee and President Emeritus, The Rt. Rev. William E. Swing. It can be found at www.voices-uri.org This prayer recognizes that the “The Beginning and the End are in your hands, O Creator of the Universe. And in our hands you have placed the fate of this planet.”

Individuals, families, spiritual communities, and people everywhere are invited to add prayers daily and especially on August 6, 2022- Nuclear Prayer Day. Remember those who died in Hiroshima and Nagasaki as you add heartfelt prayers to eliminate nuclear weapons and the threat of using them against others and the planet. Together, we can make a difference. May Peace Prevail on Earth! Monica Willard United Religions Initiative (URI) NGO Representative to the UN

Monica Willard was the main URI Representative to the United Nations. She worked with the Department of Public Information (DPI) on the annual Student Observance for the International Day of Peace since 1997 and in 2002 was a founding member of the International Day of Peace NGO Committee at the UN. As President of the Committee of Religious NGOs (2010-2013), she organized programs for World Interfaith Harmony Week, including two held in the UN General Assembly. She was a founding member of the Tripartite Forum, a group of UN member states, UN agencies, and religious NGOs who worked together from 2005 to 2010 to promote cooperation within the UN system on religion, peace and development. She also served as Chair of the 49th Annual DPI/NGO Conference.