If you’re like me, you’ve heard smatterings about the movement 2020 A Year Without War, but you can’t help but be skeptical. Optimism is nice, but a global ceasefire hardly seems possible in five years' time.
SBCC philosophy professor Joe White and a group of SBCC students beg to differ. They took on the challenge of starting a movement about three years ago. With little more than a big idea and a Wordpress website, the team set out to get 800 million people to virtually sign their petition by 2020, with the goal to tip history so that international wars halt for one year.
To date, about 40,000 people from 120 nations have signed up. Starting locally, the group convinced Santa Barbara, Lompoc, and Carpinteria city councils to issue proclamations of support. They were pleasantly surprised when the small Midwest town of Akron, Ohio did so as well. A number of local dignitaries have also endorsed them, and three dozen partners have exchanged logos with them. Every Friday, at High Mass in the Vatican, they say a prayer for "2020 a year without war."