International Day of Peace

Image source: Foundation for a better life's facebook page

Today is International Day of Peace.  The definition for the day given on Culture of Peace Initiative’s website is:

“The International Day of Peace, a.k.a. “Peace Day” provides an opportunity for individuals, organisations and nations to create practical acts of peace on a shared date.  It was established by a United Nations resolution in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly.  The first Peace Day was celebrated in September 1982.

In 2002 the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace.

By creating the International Day of Peace, the UN devoted itself to worldwide peace and encouraged all of mankind to work in cooperation for this goal.  During the discussion of the UN Resolution that established the International Day of Peace, it was suggested that:

Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.  This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organisation, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organisation as a constantly pealing ball reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace.”

But what does this actually mean for me the individual and how does it affect my life and that of those around me?  I think the biggest problem that we face today is that everyone feels that it is not their responsibility and does not take ownership of doing what one can do.   For instance if we see someone in distress, how many of us actually stop and help the person out and how many of us actually walk away thinking someone else will help the distressed person?  The same goes with spreading love and peace in the world.  We would all like to believe that we are good human beings and that we do good  deeds – the question I ask is “do we do good to only those we love or do we good to any individual whoever it may be even those we dislike or disagree with?”

I find that it is easy to preach peace, goodness and so on, but something totally different to practice it in daily life.  And I believe this is because we see ourselves as an individual being not connected with those around us and somehow during the course of life on the earth plane our concentration becomes only on ourselves and not the greater good.  The truth is that we are all part of one source, we are all connected and what we do to ourselves or to others affects the collective.  And this is true whether we act with love, indifference, or injustice to another being. 

Peace, truth, love, joy are all interchangeable; all forming a part of the whole, the source from which all of us exist.  So I believe that what each one of us does affects the whole, the collective and we should never ever think that what we do or do not do does not matter or is too insignificant.  Whatever we do, even if it’s a simple thing of ignoring someone in distress, saying an unkind word, being indifferent to others suffering, helping someone, doing good deeds for strangers, a random act of kindness, etc. sends out energy – either positive or negative depending on what we do. And this ripples out to the world.

And just think if every person did what they could, even if it’s only a small thing, then how much better the world would be.  Think of all the positive energy that would be spread to everyone. 

Let’s start taking steps to bring peace within and without and touching each and every person we interact with in life.

In Love and Light

Image source: Foundation for a better life's facebook page