Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76Plough Quarterly • Summer 2015 53 helped put up three tons of potatoes, three tons of wheat, and 1500 quarts of tomatoes, and we helped milk seven cows for cheese, butter, and cream. With hand tools we cut and split the firewood that heated our homes and water. All members of the Ark take a vow of poverty and live below the taxable income level, and so do not have to pay war taxes. Once a year, at the feast of Saint Michael, the Ark also gives away all the money in its coffers. This was the closest thing to the Peaceable Kingdom that we have ever experienced. We witnessed a new society built on faith and sharing, not on riches and possessions. We saw the Sermon on the Mount lived out: “Do not worry, saying ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ . . . but strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:31–33). At the Ark, our lives did not require wars for oil and materials from across the world, oppressive labor, pollution, and the killing of creation. Work with our hands was a prayer to God, and the seeds of war were removed from our lives. Challenges in Peacemaking There are social and political risks in taking God’s will for peace seriously. If we are called to live like Jesus and the early Christians, we must pray for the love that casts out all fear. We are called to name, unmask, and resist the systemic evils that cause war, and to stop cooperating with all unjust social structures. To avoid this call, many Christians have chosen safer and less disruptive practices, such as charity. Charity is a wonderful thing, but we cannot pretend it will eliminate the seeds of war. How do we know that we have been disrup- tive with our peacemaking? Some of us here have been jailed for blocking roads to nuclear weapons plants and fracking stations. We have had death threats because of our peace witness during wartime. We have been verbally attacked and ridiculed for our simple lifestyle. Besides these outer challenges, of course, there are inner challenges as well. Despite our efforts to live peacefully, we at Still Waters Sanctuary still experience discord, anger, jeal- ousy, sexism, racism, fear, and greed on a daily basis. Some days it seems I cannot muster the love necessary to be patient with my children. Other days I treat my beloved wife with con- tempt and belittlement. For those of us pursuing radical simplicity, it’s all too easy to judge others–a temptation we must face and firmly reject. We also experience daily how we are still connected to the systems of waste, pollution, and destruction, despite our best efforts to build a peaceful world. While at the Ark, too, we experienced similar hypocri- sies, paradoxes, and shortcomings. Shall we give   “Much more than going into the street . . . the most efficient action and the most significant testimony in favor of nonviolence and truth is living: living a life that is one, where everything goes in the same sense, from prayer and meditation to laboring for our daily bread, from the teaching of the doctrine to the making of manure, from cooking to singing and dancing around the fire; living a life in which there is no violence or unfairness. . . . What matters is to show that such a life is possible and even not more difficult than a life of gain, nor more unpleasant than a life of pleasure, nor less natural than an ‘ordinary’ life.” Lanza del Vasto, Warriors of Peace, 1974 must pray for the love that casts out all fear. We are called to name, unmask,   “M living a life that is one, where everything goes in the same sense, from prayer and meditation to laboring for our daily bread, from the teaching of the doctrine to the making of manure, from cooking to singing and dancing around the fire; living a life in which there is no violence or unfairness. . . . What matters is to show that such a life is possible and even not more difficult than a life of gain, nor more unpleasant than a life of pleasure, nor less natural than an ‘ordinary’ life.”