INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE – A CALL TO CONTINUE OUR JOURNEY AS
PEACEMAKERS
By Sr. Brenda Walsh, Racine Dominican
This year, 2013, September 21st
is designated as International Day of Peace. Each year, the United
Nations invites all people and nations around the world, to hear
and respond to the call to create a peaceful world. This Day of
Peace was established in 1981 by the UN General Assembly. It was
“designed to create a specific time each year, to concentrate the
efforts of the UN and its Member States as well as the whole human
race, to promote the ideals of peace and to give positive evidence
of their commitment to peace in all viable ways.”
This year there is a specific call
to address and eliminate bullying and to practice civil discourse in
homes, schools, churches, communities and government, or wherever it
is practiced. The call to practice and live peace is for all human
beings, regardless of age, color, creed, class or place of origin.
All are invited to participate. Peace is badly needed all over the
world at this time. We must believe that peace is indeed possible
and the Spirit will show us the way to live in peace and harmony
wherever we are.
What are some of the ways that
groups can be engaged in creating a just, peaceful and inclusive
society?
The first and most important thing
is to pray and reflect on the meaning of peace and ways to be
involved. Invite God to remove all the obstacles in our minds and
hearts and allow God’s peace to fill them with light, hope and
peace. Include all people in this endeavor. Each has something to
offer to make peace a reality in our time and place. Gather in small
groups and choose some way they can be involved.
Educators have an important part
to play in working for peace. Ban Ki Moon, Secretary General of the
United Nations, said:”It is not enough to teach children to read,
write and converse. We must teach them to have respect for
themselves, for others and for the world in which we live.” Children
need to learn ways to be respectful to each other wherever they are.
They can create posters and share their plans for peace-making.
Reach out across lines of color, class and creed and demonstrate
that peace is possible. Teach children ways to be civil and
respectful in their relationships. Plan activities to learn about
and share their efforts at peace-making. Plan a celebration to share
how they are working for peace and harmony. (Do a Google Search for
World Peace Day 2013.)
What can Faith Communities and
other organizations do to work for peace? Mahatma Gandhi once said
that “We must be the change we want to see happen.” We can learn
about ways to address anger and resentment and participate
creatively and peacefully in our interactions. Conflict Resolutions
Skills are available for children and adults to learn about ways to
have peaceful interactions and to resolve conflicts.
Commentaries on the need to work
for peace can be sent to media at a local, state or national
level. Writing to legislators at all levels about justice and
peace issues is very important. Encourage them to choose peace and
not war to solve problems. Explain to them that violence only begets
more violence. The money used for wars is needed to help those
struggling with life issues and ways to live with human dignity and
have needed resources. Margaret Mead once reminded us, “Never doubt
that a small group of committed, thoughtful people can change the
world. In fact it is the only thing that ever has.” All of us need
to confront continuing and expanding poverty, dependency, hostility
towards immigrants and refugees. How can we resist a culture of
growing violence at every level of society? We as a nation continue
to use violence as a means of solving problems. By looking at the
underlying causes of violence, we can help stop using bandaid
solutions in solving problems. We need to work to identify what
caused the problems in the first place, and then to choose a
different path.
Diverse groups can come together
and share ideas and plans and design life so that no one is excluded
from it. Create communities where people can live in harmony and use
their diverse gifts to bring new life to our world. Think of the
common good. What kind of world do we want to leave to future
generations?
People anywhere can celebrate the
International Day of Peace. It can be as simple as lighting a peace
candle, engaging in prayer and meditation on peace, working with
children and families to create peaceful ways of living and
relating. This is the work of a lifetime. Take this opportunity to
bring peace to our relationships, our nation and our world. Imagine
a world that is peaceful, and have children and other groups express
it in words and actions. Npo effort is too small to make a
difference.
A RENEWED CALL TO CREATE A CULTURE OF
PEACE
by Sr. Brenda Walsh, Racine Dominican
In
recent times, there is an increase in violence at local, state and
national levels. All kinds of violence plagues many communities,
leaving some people wallowing in darkness and despair. The solution
belongs to the entire community . Each one of us, regardless of
age, condition, class, culture or religious affiliation must be
part of the solution.
As we
prepare for the International Day of Peace, it is a good time to
reflect on the issue and plan to do our part to create a peaceful
community, nation and world. To accomplish this task successfully,
we must spend time each day in prayer and contemplation and invite
God to direct our path, show us how to remove the obstacles, and
allow Divine Light to replace the darkness.
The
United Nations Education Program – UNESCO- provides excellent ideas
to help us to create a culture of peace and non-violence.( For the
full report go to
http://.unesco.org/new/en/bureau-of-strategic-planning/them) .
We are reminded that wars begin in the minds and hearts of people.
It is in the same place that the defense of peace must be
constructed. The peace we build must be built on a secure
foundation, not just on political and economic arrangements , but
upon an intellectual and moral solidarity with all of mankind. This
has been a long-time endeavor of UNESCO – o promoter of mutual
understanding while working to eliminate discrimination, intolerance
and violence. We are called to learn to live together by fully
participating in the infinite wealth of the cultures of the world
and by averting the fear reflex when confronted with “otherness.”
This calls for a genuine and lasting dialogue, to rethink the values
of cultural diversity and to bridge cultural and religious barriers
as well as to break stereotypes and to turn people away from
violence . We must also rethink our relationship to the economy , to
society, and the environment, because the future challenges of
humankind do require collective response. This kind of solidarity
can result in a culture of peace and non-violence. Sustainable
development will help people live their lives with dignity, peace
and hope.
What can
we do to create a culture of peace?
Adults
must model for children and youth what it means to live in peace.
Show them there are other ways to solve disputes besides engaging in
violence. They can be taught peace -making skills, and conflict
resolution can be taught in schools and other groups to help people
create peace in hearts, homes and communities. Often our nation
uses war and conflict as a way of solving problems. Write to
legislators and urge them to find peaceful ways of solving problems
and diverting some of our resources toward peace-making and justice
issues. We need to learn from people of other cultures and respect
and use their gifts in our communities. Review and reshape the ways
we relate to them. Work toward respect and peace in our homes, in
our interactions and relationships with them. May God’s peace fill
our hearts, our homes, our nation and our world.
Faith
communities can reach out to people, those standing on street
corners or belonging to gangs and give them soul food to meet their
needs and help them redirect their lives. Don’t be afraid to
challenge their behavior and show them ways to practice peace.
We must
believe peace is possible and continue the peace-making endeavor in
all its forms. Involve the whole community in coming up with
solutions. Think of a pebble cast into the water. It will create
ripples. Each ripple joined with others can create a force for good
and made a big difference. May we continue our journey with peace,
faith, hope and love. No effort is too small to make a difference.
With God’s help we can transform our communities and world from one
of violence and war to one of peace and dignity for all.
