shalom. fred. salaam. paix.

on this rainy friday afternoon i’m hanging out in a cafe, sipping a mocha latte, and thinking about peace.

did you know that today is the international day of peace? yep. it is.

after a letter campaign to the united nations, one man convinced the un to declare september 21 as an international day of peace. and by this, he did not mean just a day of peace, but he meant that all fighting and violence all over the world should cease. for at least one day the citizens of the world should lay down their arms, declare a ceasefire, and dream of a world where peace is the way. naive & dreamy, you say? perhaps. but, if we don’t try, then we’re cheating our world & each other, i think. of course i can’t control what any one else does, but i can do what i can do in my life to promote peace, non-violence, & acceptance. i can speak out. educate. and practice what i preach. and if what i say, write, do, think, feel, or show affects just one person, then perhaps i am paying peace forward. and perhaps that one person i may have affected will pay the peace forward too. it’s gotta start somewhere. why not start with myself?

when i speak of peace, i speak of it in 2 different ways. inner peace & peace among one another. but, i believe that it’s all connected. we can’t have one without the other. and, i truly believe that peace in the world begins with peace within our selves. i could probably write forever about that. but, instead of focusing on inner peace today, i’m thinking about peace as harmony among each other. peace, as non-violence… as a world that lays down its weapons and instead seeks to find ways to build bridges, have open communication, understand each other, accept differences, and thrive in the beautiful diversity that makes up the human race.

oh how i dream of a world that lives in peace. a world where there are no discriminatory films attacking and poking fun at other religions. a world where, when one is discriminated against, one does not respond with violence, but with his or her voice. a world where people fight for their equality & beliefs, but they fight with love & education instead of guns & closed-minds.

i believe a world of peace is possible. i believe that all we have to do is choose it for ourselves, and then make it a reality in our lives. imagine what the world would look like if more & more of us decided to live in peace & harmony.

just imagine….

“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
Black Elk

“If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world.”
Thomas Merton

“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.”
John Muir

“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”
― Jimi Hendrix

“Imagine that the universe is a great spinning engine. You want to stay near the core of the thing – right in the hub of the wheel – not out at the edges where all the wild whirling takes place, where you can get frayed and crazy. The hub of calmness – that’s your heart. That’s where God lives within you. So stop looking for answers in the world. Just keep coming back to that center and you’ll always find peace.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Peace comes from within.  Do not seek it without.”
― Siddhārtha Gautama

“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.”
― George Carlin

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life.”
― Virginia Woolf

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches

sending you light & love. and of course, peace.