Peace Train

K, a neighbor I talk to every year and a half or so, wound up standing in front of me on the F platform, so we talked about the Middle School where both our daughters attend, the Willie Mae Rock Camp that I keep hearing great things about, and an unfortunate grade 6 science teacher. On the train, his hand gripped the steel pole, a pink swath blocking the metal, a finger bearing a silver peace ring. He is active with a group called The Peace Alliance which I gather aims to create a U. S. Department of Peace.

K told me about work done in a prison in Washington State where some sort of alternative to violent conflict was introduced. They expected the program might reduce the rates of assaults within the group participating somewhat, but no one was expecting that it would reduce them to zero. As he told me the story my heart liquified there on the subway and I began to wonder about what sort of program it was exactly, but I have no answers yet. I think it would be amazing to get a handle on the nuts and bolts of something so powerful. I guess that's what a Department of Peace might do.