The bombs continue to fall and the children are dying. When will it end?
Despite talks of peace, posturing, and grandiose deal-making in the two most significant and deadly conflicts happening right now in the world, the violence has resumed at full force in both Gaza[1] and Ukraine[2]. Hundreds of Palestinians are dead as Israel resumes their war campaign and tightens their siege by shutting off power and humanitarian supplies. A crisis remains underway with an imminent risk of more deaths among the innocent. In Ukraine, waves of aerial attacks continue to terrorize cities and innocent civilians throughout the night with missiles and drones. One can only imagine growing up in a world where the noise of what sounds like a descending swarm of bees becomes a series of deafening explosions.
The end is just as distant as it was when these conflicts began. It’s time for change and a hopeful tomorrow.
The narcissistic men of power dictating unrelenting terror and violence had their moment. Their message was heard through their surprising acts of evil. The world took notice and watched in horror over their heinous crimes knowing there was little we could do apart from descending into global chaos. These insecure “strongmen” earned their place in history by launching diabolical plans fit for a movie where the antihero reigns victorious over his emotional trauma while renewing the nationalistic pride of a distant past. Yet here we are, continuing to posture over peace talks and the coddling of childish men who hold the lives of the innocent in their clutches.
It’s time for new voices—the voices of the unheard and oppressed. Bring in the women and the children.
Bring those who suffer the most under the carnage of these insecure and domineering men to the table. Fill the halls with them. Let them share their stories of their homes, their families, and their livelihoods that have been taken. Let them be the names and terrorized faces shaped by these men of power and their selfish desire for control. Let their tears stream down from their faces and fall on the table as they tell these strongmen who hide behind wealthy donors and lethal weapons to cease their insanity. Let them be the voices of the consequences of their relentless bombardments on their children and their future. Let their wailing remind them of the pain and suffering that their thirst for war, hatred of their neighbor, and ideological superiority has wrought and further deepened the divide of generational distrust and bitterness. Let their hollowed-out faces from malnutrition and despair burn in the minds of these men of war who are insistent on resuming violence against humanity over understanding and compassion.
The self-destructive nihilism that runs through the veins of the rising male-dominated class of vengeance will most certainly be our demise. Out of the depths of a demoralized heart where the light of meaning is lost, the nihilist has one goal: to bring everyone else into their distorted and angry reality by dismantling the systems and institutions they once believed in.
The world of tomorrow is built on the ethos of today. For the nihilist, their world is built on revenge. But for believers of a better tomorrow, our’s is built on hope.
Hope believes in the intrinsic goodness, creativity, and belonging of every person. Hope believes in the beauty of human individuality and our dependence on one another on a shared planet. Hope believes the future is built on collective resilience and trusted collaboration. Hope believes that meaning is forged in our quest for a more holistic, open, progressive, and equitable future for everyone, everywhere. Hope believes positive and sustainable change is possible. Hope believes a better tomorrow is coming.
It’s time for the lesser-heard voices of those suffering under the oppression of the powerful and angry to be welcomed and given the seats of decision-making at the peace table. It’s long past time to hear the women and children speak and negotiate their terms for peace.
[2] https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/21/europe/ukraine-russia-odesa-fire-trump-intl-hnk/index.html
Matt Till 
2 responses to “Bring In the Women and Children to Negotiate Peace”
A point that seems to be forgotten is that Rwanda’s reconstruction after their genocide it was that the women basically rebuilt everything – and they enjoyed some relative prosperity because of it.
I’d deff weave that in in any conversation about having women in positions of leadership.
Source: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14678802.2021.1974699
Wow, this is a very insightful and relevant application to breaking down gender-based hierarchies. Thanks for sharing!