One goal is a movie inviting Americans to save democracy by reversing polarization

By Marty Cheek

Marty Cheek

As you hunt for the perfect presents for loved ones during your holiday shopping excursions, consider giving your children — and every child on Earth — the greatest Christmas gift that can ever be given. Give them a future filled with hope. Give them a world forever free of wars and other acts of violence between nations.

Despite what many people think, global peace is 100 percent possible. Humanity can achieve such an audacious vision by Christmas Day in the year 2040. The first step is the hardest: We must unify in the belief that we really, truly can successfully create a world without wars. When we believe in the vision we will achieve the impossible.

For millennia people have longed for global peace. Our 21st century civilization now has technology we can — and must — use to make that ancient dream a modern reality. The Silicon Valley region where we make our home helped to build those tools through the power of the Internet.

Unfortunately, we are now using these tools of digital communication to divide us increasingly into fighting factions. Let’s end this trend. Let’s use the world wide web far more wisely. Let’s use it to build together a better life for everyone on our planet. Let’s use it to unite as one human family.

We founded Life Media Group, the publisher of Morgan Hill Life and Gilroy Life, a decade ago as an experiment in transformative media innovation. We had a vision that by improving news, marketing, education, and arts and entertainment media, these resources can be used far more creatively. Media can empower us to stop fighting and start uniting.  Our vision is to use media to protect and enhance our community’s quality of life. Our readers support our vision.

As Life Media Group starts its second decade Jan. 1, we plan to be far more ambitious in our journalism endeavors. We invite you to help us take media resources to an exciting higher level of quality. The projects we intend to launch include:

  • Improve our education system by empowering K-12 and community colleges students to write far more effectively using journalism skills.
  • Build the brands of small local businesses and increase their revenue by providing them with cost-effective and easy-to-use online marketing tools that exceed social media advertising.
  • Save our free press by training military veterans and at-risk young people to serve as the next generation of journalists and the storytellers of their communities.
  • Promote an appreciation of the arts in young people to help them better understand their own humanity and value all cultures on our planet.

One goal we hope to accomplish in 2023 is the production of a movie inviting all Americans to save democracy by reversing our political and social polarization. We intend to work with filmmakers to use cinematic artistry in a comedy-documentary film starring seven cute youngsters ages 7 to 17. The kids will humorously ask adults to take action to give them hope for a better future. They demand that the grown-ups stop fighting and start uniting. Based on the book “Vision-2020: Be a Hero for Humanity,” the film will be released Sept. 21, the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.

Let’s be honest. Achieving global peace won’t be easy. It also won’t be cheap. It will cost at least $1 billion to build the media tools and market the message that humanity must achieve a world forever free of wars. Compare that cost to this year’s $801 billion budget to fund America’s military. The price for peace provides a much greater return on investment.

Where will the money come from? We hope ordinary people who care about our country and truly desire global peace for all children will step up as heroes for humanity this holiday season. If you’re one of them, please generously contribute to Life Media Group’s vision for the future.

At Christmas, we tell the story of a baby boy born 20 centuries ago in a manger. The child grew up to share the message of agape, the highest form of love. On Dec. 25 more than two billion Christians will celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace. There is no better way for all of us to honor his mission and message than by striving to give to humanity by his birthday in 2040 what will be history’s greatest gift: global peace.