Today, 21st September, is the International Day of Peace, also known as Peace Day. It was brought into being by United Nations Resolutions in 1981 and 2001. Each year, hundreds of students take part in a student observance of Peace Day at the United Nations which includes Messengers of Peace.
"The people of the world have asked us to shine a light on a future of promise and opportunity. Member States have responded with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development... It is an agenda for people, to end poverty in all its forms. An agenda for the planet, our common home. An agenda for shared prosperity, peace and partnership." stated UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.
But is this mere utopia?
Let's see if unforgettable and undeniable peace makers can help us find the answer
1. Dalai Lama
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| from Brainy Quotes |
According to the Dalai Lama, step one is "start from yourself", make peace inside yourself. Do you agree with him?
2. Buddha
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| from Brainy Quotes |
The Dalai Lama's Master, Buddha himself, focused on words and their power. As Roland Barthes said, "words are never innocent", they are powerful weapons. Hence, they must be chosen carefully and must be used to bring peace.
3. Martin Luther King Jr.
"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
Well, Martin Luther King Jr. obtained so much with his non violent strategies in the 1960s! Pity that, if he was alive now, he would be really disappointed by many of his own fellow Americans and would be marching again asking haters to stop.
"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding."
... and understanding cannot be achieved without knowledge and the capacity of thought. This is why education is a key brick to build a peaceful world and should be focused on shaping the future peace makers.
5. Mother Theresa
Yes, smile! And work hard, I'd add. This is what Mother Theresa did all her life through.
6. Nelson Mandela
"If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy.
Then he becomes your partner."
Not an easy task but an indispensable one in order to gain peace. Reconciliation was the first step of Mandela after he became the President of South Africa.
7. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."
I can't stop thinking the world would be very different if we had more political leaders like him. Maybe his tragic, unfair death has created the myth more than his real political actions, but I do believe he was basically a great peace defender and an enlighted president.
7. Jimi Hendrix
"When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
You don't have to love his music to embrace, totally embrace, his view of the ways of the world. Jimi Hendrix nailed it and these words must be treasured.
8. John Lennon
"Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one."
This song, Imagine, has become a world-wide known hymn to peace. One we should never stop singing and, morever, one we should never stop believing in.
9. Eleanor Roosevelt
"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it"
Politician, activist and diplomat, Anne Eleanor Roosevelt lived in very complicated times and was the American first lady for long. I bet we can trust her word.
10. Mahatma Gandhi
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"
Apparently, with Gandhi's words, we are back to the opening idea in this post. Peace starts with ourselves, from each one of us. Let's start today. Happy Peace Day, dear friends.
Happy Peace Day!
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