Meet Brad Wolf

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brad Wolf. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brad below.

Brad, so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?

I am a retired lawyer who for the last ten years has worked fulltime leading peace and social justice groups to stop war and ease the suffering across the globe. I find great purpose in such work. In fact, while I have been a lawyer, a professor, and a college dean, nothing has provided me with a stronger sense of purpose than this work. By looking through the lens of my own comfort and security as an American, I was able to see the injustices and sufferings inflicted on so many others.
I work with colleagues from around the world to educate the public through speaking, writing, mobilizing, and rallying, Systemic injustices create horrific living conditions for far too many people. For those like myself born in the comfort of the United Stares, we have a special responsibility to help alleviate these conditions since too often it is our abundant and extractive lifestyle which causes such dire conditions elsewhere.
I recently used my legal background to help organize a people’s tribunal to present evidence to the public on the role of U.S. weapons makers who create a war narrative in the media so they can sell more weapons and generate enormous profits. This of course enriches their corporate shareholders but results in immense suffering of vulnerable populations and creates an unstable world of massive arsenals of weapons.
I believe that most people are well-intentioned and if given the facts they will make the right decision about how they wish their tax dollars to be spent and how they wish their country to conduct a just and peaceful foreign policy. Our goal is to present the facts and help inform and empower the public. I also work with the Korean victims of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to highlight the horrors of these events to emphasize that such an act must never occur again. Koreans were forcibly removed from their homeland by the Japanese and put to work in Japan during World War II. When the atomic bombs were dropped, over 70,000 Koreans became victims of these atomic attacks. These are the stories that stir my soul.
Working with others, whether they be peacemakers in the U.S. or victims from vulnerable populations, has enlarged my worldview, deepened my faith, and strengthened my purpose.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I hope to open minds through my writings, public speaking, and nonviolent public actions. I have great faith in the power of nonviolent resistance and believe we must create a mass movement of people committed to healing the world rather than ignoring it or, worse yet, exacerbating the problems through division and hatred.
The current global system in woefully unfair and we can stop the endless cycle of war, poverty, and suffering. I attempt to do this by working with many peace groups and people from around the world to educate and energize the citizenry to demand change. The People’s Tribunal to hold U.S. weapons makers accountable for fomenting needless war created over 30 educational videos which can be found at www.merchantsofdeath.com.
The People’s Tribunal for the Korean victims of the 1945 atomic bombings has all its information and opportunities for involvement at www.abombtribunal.org.
I had the honor to edit a book on the writings of legendary peace activist Philip Berrigan which was published by Fordham University Press and can be found at www.philipberrigan.com.
All of these are efforts to heal the wounds of the world and make peace a reality rather than a distant dream. This can be done through nonviolent resistance. We have seen the successes of this approach in ending Segregation in the United States, ending the Vietnam War, and in overturning numerous repressive governments around the world.
This type of nonviolent resistance may come in the form of writing, rallying, even risking arrest in order to highlight an important human rights issue.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

Reading, listening, sacrificing, and then acting with loving intent are critical skills. Acting with peace and compassion and always with nonviolence will place you with good people doing good work. Go to places that are foreign to you, perhaps even frightening to you. Go with an open heart and a listening mind. Do not seek to immediately fix it but rather seek to understand. You must feel it in your heart and soul before you act. It’s critically important to step away from ourselves and see the world through the eyes of others. We need to be aware of how our lifestyle has been achieved and the human cost to others to maintain it. Too often we think it is through our own hard work rather than by the harsh international systems in place. Once we realize that we could have easily been born across a border in a war-torn land, we might then approach the stranger with greater compassion and understanding. Each of has great potential to make positive change. And that is why we are here. That is the journey. We find and save ourselves through contact and solidarity with others, especially those who are suffering in the breach.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

In the journey for peace and social justice we are always looking for others with whom to collaborate. Every person has something to offer, some skillset that can be utilized once their soul has been stirred by the desire to create a better world. Visiting any of the websites previously mentioned here or by visiting the numerous peace and social justice websites such as World Beyond War, Peace Action, or Pax Christi. There is no shortage of work to be done in the peace business and so I encourage all people who desire a purpose in life, who want to bond with others on the deepest emotional level, who want to better understand their world and their place in it, to become involved and take positive action. Averting our eyes or seeking distraction in entertainment or riches will leave you empty and lost. The true journey takes a different path, perhaps harder yet far more rewarding.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://abombtribunal.org/
• Other: https://merchantsofdeath.org/
  https://philipberrigan.com/

Image Credits

Brad Wolf