A few months ago, a friend forwarded me an email from an organization looking for someone to help manage four online Zoom webinars. The message was remarkably clear about the role and the responsibilities. It gave me confidence that the organizers knew what they were doing, and I recognized that I had the experience to help.
I replied, and soon afterward, Peter J. Metz, Chair of Pax Christi New England’s Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (PCAN), contacted me. We quickly established a great working relationship, organized test sessions, and trained the volunteers who would help produce the webinars.
Peter and the team were a little surprised that I had volunteered despite not being a member of PCAN and not even living in New England. For me, however, it felt completely natural. It was simply another step along a journey I began more than forty years ago.
For decades, after finishing my regular work each day, I have dedicated my time to promoting humanism, peace, nonviolence, and the abolition of nuclear weapons. That commitment has transformed my life in ways I could never have imagined. Along the way, I have volunteered as an editor with Pressenza International Press Agency for more than fourteen years, convinced that giving people a voice and creating spaces for dialogue are essential parts of building a more human world. Saying “yes” to this opportunity was therefore an easy decision.
Over the course of the four webinars, I had the privilege of listening to more than twenty guest speakers. Scientists, historians, faith leaders, political representatives, activists, and other experts shared their experiences, research, concerns, and hopes. Each offered a unique perspective on the dangers posed by nuclear weapons and on the possibilities for their abolition. I could not think of a more meaningful way to spend those hours. (I encourage everyone to watch the webinar recordings on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PCAN-t4r and leave comments, ask questions, and continue the conversation.)
There is something fundamentally different about volunteering. Anyone can watch a webinar online, but being behind the scenes, making sure the technology works smoothly, helping speakers communicate their ideas, and contributing to a shared effort creates a sense of purpose that money cannot buy.
In some ways, I find this form of participation even more democratic than casting a vote. It is a direct way of helping people speak, exchange ideas, and express different perspectives on one of the greatest challenges facing humanity. The same spirit has inspired my work with Pressenza, where independent journalism becomes a form of civic participation by amplifying voices that are often overlooked and encouraging dialogue across cultures.
Too often, democracy risks becoming something passive, where citizens are reduced to spectators rather than active participants. Volunteering reminds us that democracy is also something we build together, one action at a time. Whether organizing a webinar, editing an article, planting a tree, serving meals, or helping a neighborhood association, participation changes not only the community but also ourselves.
In my view, the abolition of nuclear weapons is one of the defining issues of our time because they place the future of all humanity at risk. Simply put, nuclear weapons and humanity cannot coexist indefinitely. Devoting one’s life to their abolition is therefore far from meaningless. It is an affirmation of our confidence in the human future. Only human beings created nuclear weapons, and only human beings can abolish them. In their place, we can build something more beautiful, more compassionate, and more essential—a world that expands possibilities for future generations while helping us overcome division, fear, and discrimination.
None of us undertakes this work alone. We are part of a global human family that includes thousands of dedicated people—from Tokyo to Berlin, from Rio de Janeiro to New York, and in countless other communities around the world. Each contributes in their own way, often quietly and without recognition. Every act of service, no matter how small it may seem, becomes part of something much larger.
Responding to Peter’s email reminded me that meaningful change often begins with a simple “yes.” No special qualifications are required—only time, commitment, and the willingness to contribute. If humanity is ever to abolish nuclear weapons, it will not happen by accident or through the efforts of a handful of extraordinary people. It will happen because millions of ordinary people decide, in their own communities and in their own ways, to become part of the solution.
Sometimes that begins with nothing more than answering an email.