Today, we find ourselves regularly barraged with headlines that make us ask, "What is happening in our nation and world, and can we do anything to stop the madness?" This month, we were told more than 43 million Americans, a fourth of these children, are without health insurance, an increase of more than 3 million in the last year. Millions more are underinsured.

By contrast, we are spending more than $1 billion per day on defense, funding Cold War relic weapons systems and weapons of mass destruction, including new nuclear weapons. Where is our credibility when we do this at the same time we state a desire to rid the world of these weapons? Is this what national security looks like?

We also are advised that, once again, the United States leads the world in sales of conventional weapons to developing nations, an increase of 10 percent from 2001; we provide nearly half of all new arms transfer agreements and deliveries. This fact alone ignores that part of civilization is crying out in desperation to meet the critical basic human needs of clean water, health care, education and housing. Many of these armed nations have not embraced internationally accepted human rights policies, reinforcing the falsehood that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Which will be tomorrow's Afghanistan and Iraq guaranteeing the future loss of American and international lives?

Our addiction to more weapons and their continued development and sales gives a false sense of security, ultimately, benefiting only those involved in these sales, including those in our present administration, giving rise to a state of perpetual war. This continuing disastrous spiral is not sustainable and imperils our future.

Our survivability demands a shift in our thinking. But how? Is there hope? Can we move beyond the fear instilled in us daily by the above policies, the color-coded alerts and infringements of liberties by the Patriot acts?

We have two choices: to continue the present course, financially and morally bankrupting our nation and future generations, or moving in a new direction. Fortunately, there is a vision and a movement to address these issues. It has been outlined in an incredible document: the Earth Charter.

The Earth Charter is a statement of global interdependence and shared responsibility for the well-being of the human family and the planet. It provides a blueprint for achieving a sustainable future and a practical way to create a safe, secure and peaceful tomorrow.

The drafting of the Earth Charter followed the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. It is the most collaborative document in history resulting from a global, grass-roots drafting process that involved more than 100,000 people in 78 countries over the course of 12 years. It was launched at the Hague Peace Palace in June 2000. The sources for the Earth Charter include contemporary science, international law, the world's religions and philosophical traditions, the global ethics movement, numerous nongovernmental declarations and people's treaties issued over the past three decades, and best practices for building sustainable communities.

The mission of the Earth Charter is to establish a sound, ethical foundation for the global community and to help build a sustainable world based on respect for nature, universal human rights, and a culture of peace.

Ultimately, we must decide. The time is now.

Quoting from the Earth Charter, "Let ours be a time remembered for the awakening of a new reverence for life, the firm resolve to achieve sustainability, the quickening of the struggle for justice and peace, and the joyful celebration of life."

Saturday marks the third annual Earth Charter Community Summit. This summit will link, via webcast, 30 cities in the United States with each other and four countries, India, Scotland, Belgium and West Africa. The intent of these summits is to educate and to celebrate the principles of the Earth Charter, and to explore ways to implement them into the local communities.

Ventura will be one of only two cities in Southern California to host the Earth Charter Summit.

Robert Dodge is a Family Physician in private practice in Ventura, Calif. He is co-chairman of Citizens for Peaceful Resolutions and president of Ventura County Physicians for Social Responsibility.

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