A simple notion

At the base of I Am War is the notion that war can be resolved -- in our lifetime -- through creation. As Albert Camus wrote, history teaches us, "Instead of killing and dying in order to produce the being that we are not, we have to live and let live in order to create what we are."

Our hypothesis is that at the root of each war is a problem of scarcity. People who lack the resources to live comfortably (e.g. food, medicine, energy), or lack outlets for expressive thought, or lack an education teaching the futility of violence are bound to be pushed toward war.

Fundamental to I Am War is the notion that "people are not the problem." People are at war, yes; people are fighting, yes. This does not make them any less human, any less perfect. The state of war is perhaps a fundamental state of a human when stressed in particular ways, and we must acknowledge this if we are to succeed. The goal of I Am War is to create structures and supports above these very real, tangible problems that lead to war, so that these historic stresses will no longer touch us.

We recognize those who benefit from the status quo of war –- and the politics of fear and division –- will be slow to change. In the U.S. Senate, in 2002 the Iraq War was declared by a vote of 77 to 23; clearly, we have much work to do. We do not fault the politician for his irresponsible act; while he may be lacking in perspective, we believe he is but a reflection of the poisonous environment he lives in.

We know the solution to crime is not to put a man in a box for 30 years, alone, and hope that he somehow fixes himself under such conditions, in a place any sane man would turn insane; the solution is to help this man, to give him an opportunity to create his life, and not dwell on his unfortunate, past choices that cannot be changed.

"Security" is the antithesis of creation; the notion of security is never a proper, long-term solution. Security, like violence, is a symptom of failure. We believe the notions of more security forces, more regulation, more restriction, more censorship, and more monitoring are false. In the long term, security and enforcement only serve to build tension among people, restrain our dialog, and deny the humanity of our selves. Security -- whether provided by the state or the gang -- does not educate, does not entrust, and does not build.

To overcome this, we must create. We must build intelligent programs with a base of honesty. To say, "I am war," is to take a critical, meaningful step. "I am war" puts us at the center, puts us at a position to act. From a position of ownership -- not a position of guilt -- we are in a place to lead, to act, to cause peace. It is not the terrorist. It is not the politician. It is not your parents, nor your friends. It is you. It is me.

To solve the problem of war we need to do more than sign mere peace treaties; we need to build a supportive environment of creation. This is an enormous task, and will require work on every front, each enormous in its own right -- education, sustainable energy, sustainable food and nutrition, sustainable creation. This is why you will not find I Am War protesting in the streets, today. We believe we must change the ground politicians walk upon.

We are comfortable putting our trust in the human race. After all, it's who we are -- nothing more, nothing less.