War is human-hunting season. Perhaps we should shut it down. The human mind has developed many astounding things, but as yet has failed to develop and regularly implement an effective alternative to war.

War is irrational. “Let’s break into armies and kill each other until one army surrenders. Might makes right.” We need alternatives.

War is failure. It produces losers not winners. “Winning” a war is like “winning” a massively destructive volcanic eruption.

Thoreau, Tolstoy, Gandhi, King, and Wałęsa were five courageous leaders, experimenters and practitioners of alternatives to war. They were heroes of nonviolence, noncooperation, truth-telling, and civil disobedience as alternatives to war. There are many more lesser-known ones. The Nobel Peace prize honors many of them.

Dictators and other leaders aren’t afraid of violence. (They have armies to protect them.) They fear massive noncooperation. That’s why they sometimes declare martial law. Leaders who start wars like to hide behind lies like scared little boys.

The Iron Curtain was brought down by using an alternative to war: Massive, nonviolent noncooperation and courageous protest.

Arbitration has proven to be an alternative to violence in personal and corporate situations. Why not between nations?

Much of the world is using economic sanctions as an alternative to going to war against Rushia. They’re having an impact.

I read that Ukraine is using a creative alternative to killing invading soldiers. They’re offering them money to surrender.

Truth is another alternative. Consistent truth-telling that boldly exposes lies and deception hinders the ability to make war.

Since hate, bitterness, and things that drive ware are invisible, they need an invisible (spiritual) cure. Sometimes people feel a need to use violence to defend themselves, but violence is never necessary to deny themselves like Jesus did.

War’s driven by demons as soldiers surrender their conscience, compassion and free will to officers who order them to kill and destroy. Renouncing, attacking, and overcoming the demons that drive war rather than killing the people who obey the demons can overcome violence.

When you’re dead nationalism is meaningless. Dead people aren’t Russian, Ukrainian, American, Chinese, Nigerian or Iranian.

Here’s a Christian view of the importance of finding alternatives to war. The Bible says that Christians are “foreigners and exiles” in this world.” It’s not our home, we’re just passing through.

People seldom fight for a country that isn’t theirs, but many will fight for their country. Too many Christians want to take up arms for their country, forgetting that their true country is international with citizens from “every kindred and every tribe.” Any war with Christians on both sides is a civil war in rebellion against the kingdom of God.

Sure, ancient Israel fought. But they were God’s country/people fighting against God’s enemies. Today, however, God’s people are scattered everywhere in every country. So, in Ukraine today we have Christians slaughtering Christians–Russian Christians launching missiles that kill Ukrainian Christans, and Ukrainian Christians pulling triggers that kill Russian Christians. It’s civil war against the kingdom of God. If Christians can’t or won’t love their Christian enemies, how will they ever love their unbeliever enemies?

A poetic alternative to war:

When despair
Is in the air,
Hope is rare,
And life seems unfair
Show people
You care.