|
Every Day a Peace Day
The International Day of Peace, September 21, was a great success, with more than 3,500 activities in 200 countries for a culture of peace. Millions of people joined their hearts and minds through prayer, celebration, and action on that one day, with the magnetism of that powerful collective force attracting and generating great peace blessings for the planet.
One day for peace is terrific, and 365 days for peace is even better. I strongly encourage you to make every day a peace day in your life, so we can build on what we have created and quickly grow the global movement for a culture of peace that is now gathering momentum. Our times demand of us immediate and effective action. Please do something for peace every day! The Peace Book: 108 Simple Ways to Make a More Peaceful World, is a good resource and guidebook for the kinds of activities that can make a difference. [For more information on The Peace Book...]
Nobel Laureates’ Call to Action
Ten Nobel Peace Laureates met with 3,000 youth in Denver recently for a high-energy conference that highlighted the Laureates’ new Global Call to Action and inspired everyone present to ‘get up, get going, and do something’ to change the world in the next ten years.
Sponsored by PeaceJam to celebrate its 10th anniversary, this event produced many memorable ideas. Some highlights:
H.H. the Dalai Lama spoke about the need to develop unbiased compassion – that is, compassion and true caring for everyone unconditionally. He also said that prayer alone is not enough to make the world a better place. He added, “I usually believe our action – with clear vision – is more important than prayer.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu said that we live in a moral universe, where good will inevitably replace evil. Describing Americans as extremely generous, he invited us to export our generosity, not our bombs.
President Oscar Arias, of Costa Rica, spoke of human security, reminding us that the scourges of poverty, hunger, and disease, for instance, are much more threatening to the human family than terrorism.
Rigoberta Menchu Tum asked us to remember Mother Earth – that life is not just humans but the natural world as well, and we must bring peace for the whole fabric of creation.
Betty Williams simply exhorted us to ‘Take your country back!’
The Laureates also unveiled their Global Call to Action, identifying ten areas of greatest challenge for creating a world of peace, and inviting people to put their energies into addressing these problems in the next ten years. They are:
- Unequal access to water and other natural resources
- Racism and hate
- The spread of global disease
- Extreme poverty
- Social justice and human rights for all
- Rights for women and children, and their roles as leaders
- Environmental degradation
- Nuclear weapons and the international arms trade
- Disarming our “armed consciousness”
- Focus on human security to create true security
Building a Culture of Peace Conference in May
The state of New Mexico is sponsoring a conference on May 16-17, 2007 called ‘Building a Culture of Peace.’ I have been asked to design this event, which will be an international working conference for peacebuilders to think together and strategically plan together on how we might actively engage citizens, institutions, and governments in growing the movement for a true culture of peace in our society. We will share more information on the conference as it develops, but for now, save those dates!
If you are not currently on our E-mail list, enter you email address below.
|
