The commitment to peace

In the days following the start of the war in Ukraine we often came across some questioning glances and received various questions about what was happening.

Someone was worried about understanding what was happening in Italy and at the Arsenale, how we were experiencing this very special situation, with the attitude of someone who has a piece of family there too and wants to make sure he is fine.

Someone else was struck by the great mobilizations to ask for peace, which, seen through the eyes of those who unfortunately are used to having war close to home, created a certain astonishment.

Given the many questions and the concern that also reigns here for the economic impact that what is happening will have (many Middle Eastern countries imported most of the wheat they use for their livelihood from Ukraine and Russia) we decided to share what is happening at the Arsenale in Turin both with our employees and with the volunteers, to help us find together signs of hope even in a difficult time like this. It was nice to see questioning looks filled with amazement and gratitude for everything that is happening in the courtyard of the Arsenale. Seeing that good also encourages us to say that no one wants war and all the problems, hardships and enormous sufferings it brings with it.

We retraced together Ernesto Olivero's reasoning about weapons that kill six times to remind us that we cannot get used to war or accept that it is normal. And looking at the images of the trucks that departed from the Arsenal it was clear that we can be a response to the war, even if it often seems impossible to us. After the meeting, several people approached us and asked us how they can lend a hand, how they can translate what we have said to each other in everyday life.

Our commitment to peace now more than ever involves welcoming the little ones, teaching them peace through our behavior: respect for everyone, friendship, kindness. From being more aware that it is given to us to build peace starting from ourselves, from our attitudes, from our family, from the workplace because, if we all strengthened ourselves in rejecting the logic of violence, selfishness, injustice , the war would find no ways to slip through and gather support. Perhaps in the eyes of the "adults" it may seem utopian or simplistic, but we know from experience that this is not the case, there is no other way than this to hope that peace will return to inhabit our land. Someone the next day came with an offer, someone else got involved in the chain of prayer for peace, someone else thanked us by saying that this sign of good was needed in a time when it seems to you that evil comes. out on all sides.

We do not yet know where all this will lead us, but having experienced first-hand that peace is the desire of many of all nationalities, religions, social conditions and living in all latitudes, encourages us to continue to look for it every day with strength.


Arsenal of Encounter
NP April 2022