On May 6th I set up a Cause on Facebook: to raise $500 by today for the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. I set up a monthly $10 donation from myself, invited friends to join the Cause, and went on about my business, as one does.
To date, I’ve recruited 21 new members, donated $20, and raised nothing. At first glance that would seem discouraging- well, and it is, a little bit- but from another point of view it’s encouraging.
In his 2003 talk “Descent Into Limbo” at MIT for the May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture, Maurice Sendak refers briefly- lightly- but clearly- to the fact that since 1945 children’s literature has been written under the shadow of nuclear weapons.
That’s nearly 65 years that, somehow, story has had to take into account, and account for, this Monster that is so big, so inhumane, that it can eat worlds. 65 years. 1,690 two-week periods.
In two weeks I’ve recruited 21 new members out of the 170 or so people on Facebook that I’ve invited (more than once, and, yes, I’m going to invite you again). I’ve been in touch with people at IPPNW, talked about ICAN with neighbors and friends, retweeted updates from the Non-Proliferation Conference at the UN. I found Mr. Sendak’s speech, which has buoyed me immeasurably, reassured me that Story has its place in peace-making, and that my telling this Story here is worth while.
I’ve seen, joined, and promoted other Causes. One is Keep the Arts in Public Schools which is working with Americans for the Arts to raise $50,000 for arts education. It’s ironic, that we as nations can borrow so much money from our futures to protect or defend against nuclear weapons, but to bring arts education to our present peoples, we turn to the modern equivalent of the village well, the back fence, the neighborhood park.
Am I sad that my Facebook fund-raising didn’t raise any funds for my Cause this time? Yes. Am I feeling a bit more confident, that my efforts made 21 more people aware that there IS such a Cause as the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons? Without doubt.
Living is an art, and art is uncertain. What is certain is that without art, living is not lively.
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