World peace is one of those lofty goals that people have already dismissed as a fantasy. It would be nice to have but it isn’t realistic with opposing religions, world views and the antagonistic nature of humans occupying our planet.
World peace may not be achievable in our lifetimes, particularly with the volatile political and cultural situation in the Middle East, but many people are actively working to help bring about a social change that will lead the world into a state of universal peace. Some of the most obvious indicators of this is the steps world leaders have taken to establish worldwide political partnerships that help to dissolve the differences between individual nations and tie the futures of the people amongst many countries together. These agreements, including the League of Nations and the United Nations Organization, make it more difficult for individual nations to precipitate war or aggression upon other states because the most political, economical and social success is found when sharing goals and objectives.
Cooperation amongst the world superpowers in fields ranging from science, law, education, economics and health all help to build a foundation that will eventually lead to world peace. The need to show dominance or superiority should be quelled by the idea that the entire world should be considered an ally and a source of continued support.
And yet even the significant steps taken toward establishing a working world order since World War II have not been enough to convince most people that world peace is achievable. There are currently several wars that are engaged in throughout the world and aggressions between countries continue to swell. Some people believe that world peace may come only after some sort of unimaginable horror wipes out a portion of the earth’s people – another holocaust or a nuclear war. But as problems become more widely recognized as global, the need for peace will become more urgent.
World Peace: Is it Realistic?
Many well intentioned people over the centuries and millennia have been dreaming of the day when we can finally say we have achieved world peace. Coming off of two world wars and a nearly 50 year cold war, the yearning for world peace is now stronger than ever. The dream is a noble one-a world where we all live together in harmony and tolerance is the order of the day. But beyond the emotion of it, is it realistic to think that our world will ever achieve a lasting peace?
If we examine human history, the prognosis is certainly not very encouraging. We can go back thousands of years to civilizations that were very well organized and certainly must have had similar desires as we have today. So why were they unable to create this elusive lasting peace? Was lack of education the problem? Well, the Egyptians who built the pyramids more than 5,000 years ago were certainly very well educated. The Greek philosophers were also an educated bunch. They were certainly capable of coming up with solutions to the world’s problems. Why didn’t they?
What about us? How do we compare to our ancestors? What makes us so much more enlightened that we think we can do what they were unable to do? Is it our modern technology? How about our level of “tolerance” toward those with different viewpoints. Can any of these make the difference? I have to admit I’m skeptical.
As long as we have a world with imperfect human beings that have woven inside their DNA greed and selfishness and a natural yearning to have more than their neighbors, I don’t see how our situation will ever change. Humans have always been selfish and have always wanted to have more. Even in today’s enlightened society, we still seem to have more takers than givers. The challenge as I see it is to make sure that 100% of the world’s population develops an attitude and mindset of serving others above themselves. To me, that seems unrealistic, but I guess it doesn’t hurt to try.
How to Make a Peace Pole
Peace poles are one of the many symbols that are used to express a sense of worldwide unity and universal desire for peace on earth. Peace poles are often used to give children and youth a tactile, physical representation of the common goals that peoples from every nation have – world peace. Making a peace pole is also a fun activity because it gets people involved in creating something that they can have pride in, which helps to reinforce the ideas that the peace pole represents. This pride translates to a desire to participate in gatherings, moments of silence, prayers or other ceremonies (such as those that occur during the International Day of Peace or the World Peace Flag Ceremony) that are usually centered around peace poles.
The most typical material for the pole is a cedar pole measuring between 3.5 feet and 4 feet tall, but any similar wooden pole will do. Cedar has excellent resistant to rot and is easy to find at lumberyards. Cut the top of the pole with a compound miter saw at 45 degree angles to make a pointed top. Sand the entire pole to make sure it’s smooth to the touch – you will probably need both 80 grit and 220 grit sanding paper. Using a tack cloth afterwards will help to remove any remaining dust. Applying two or three coats of urethane to the entirety of the pole will help protect it from natural elements. Lightly sand between coats to keep the pole looking as nice as possible.
Language plates and other decorates are available through a couple different online shops but feel free to add whatever adornment you feel best projects the ideals of world peace and universal unity. To maintain your peace pole, sand the entire piece of wood with 220 grit sandpaper and apply a coat of urethane every couple years. This type of care extends the pole’s lifetime significantly.
Ideas for Celebrating the International Day of Peace
The International Day of Peace was created in 1981 when the United Nation resolved to observe Sept. 21 each year for the purpose of fostering peace throughout the world through focusing on common goals, alleviating tensions and recognizing causes of conflict. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has used the International Day of Peace to call for a nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. UN member states have also been urged to commemorate the International Day of Peace with a global ceasefire in any sort of warfare that they’re engaged in.
However, there are plenty of activities that regular citizens, from children to adults, can engage in to celebrate the International Day of Peace. One of the most popular options are a moment of silence at noon on Sept. 21. A minute of silence is a powerful sign of unity for participants but it’s also easy to implement in schools, homes, offices and places of worship as a non-intrusive message that peace is important. Some people, instead, will ring a bell or light a candle – each has their own connotations of bringing the message of peace.
Schools and other organizations have had significant successes with Peace Poles or with a World Peace Flag Ceremony to proclaim their allegiance to the idea of peace. Children and youth respond especially well to a concrete idea like creating a pole or having a ceremony to commemorate peace instead of an abstract moment of silence. Parades, parties or making pinwheels for peace are other activities that are popular with young people.
Local government officials often use proclamations to spread the message about the International Day of Peace. Vigils for war victims and others that have fallen in the quest for peace are also popular on Sept. 21. Vigils can be celebrated on the local level with an event at a local park or lake.
World Peace Prayer and Flag Ceremony
The ritual’s main point is to show that we all have something in common – the wish for peace around the world – that cross national boundaries, religious ideals and other ideologies. The idea, in essence, is that peace is something that we all strive for, despite personal politics or beliefs.
The ritual began in Japan where it was first organized in 1983. By 1986, the World Peace Prayer and Flag Ceremony had gone global and an international version of the ceremony was help in Los Angeles. Since then, organizers have helped to bring the peace ceremony to every continent of the world and most major cities in hopes that the global scale of the ceremony would bring attention to the idea that founded it – that is, that everyone truly wants peace, no matter what country or region you were born in or reside.
Aligning with the desire to be a ceremony that everyone can participate in, despite personal beliefs, the prayers that are used during the ceremony are not restricted or even reference a particular religion (usually). In fact, prayer may not be said in any way that you’re familiar with, particularly if you use prayer as part of a religious ceremony. The prayer during the World Peace Prayer and Flag Ceremony transcends denominations and religions and instead expresses a declaration of love for one’s fellow people and compassion for anyone who walks the earth. A typical prayer is “May peace be in (name of country); May peace prevail on Earth.” The declaration is used to make one feel united with everyone else who repeats the same words.
Some may feel that since the rise and untimely death of John Lennon, world peace has become more desirable. Many of us may not attribute credit to John for the familiar quote to “make love, not war.” His mission to improve worldly interactions among us all began with The Beatles succession of later albums including “Rubber Soul.”
During the height of The Beatles popularity, Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono planned a peace movement in Amsterdam that would intrigue the generations to come. At the time the two of them were on their honeymoon but used their room to protest the war by having a bed-in. So many news stories had been cast about the Vietnam War progression and they wanted a way to attract some media attention for a good cause. They knew the bed-in certainly wouldn’t stop war coverage, but they were making an anti-war statement.
John’s other acts of world peace also included using his inquisitive nature and songwriting abilities to create tracks such as “Imagine” and “Give Peace a Chance.” Both of these songs dealt with John’s vision and interpretation of the world’s times and struggles. Imagine didn’t just make mention about no war. It conveyed what the planet would be like with no existence of malnutrition, fighting, selfishness or ill intent. “Give Peace a Chance” is self-explanatory. While many of us may view song lyrics as a trivial measure, Lennon has remained a legend for some who remember his message.
It’s no secret that he didn’t agree with the Vietnam War campaign. In fact, many disagreed with it and still might since that era. The United States government didn’t like so much publicity about his opinion and had once considered sending John back to England. In the end he remained which enlightened many of his music fans. It’s been said that heroes are remembered for the time they’re here, but a legend remains in our hearts beyond our own lifetimes.
The Innocent Victims of War
Wars have raged since time began, or so the history records show. Regardless of the reasoning behind a conflict, there are always innocent victims that tend to get caught in the middle and are helpless to defend themselves. Children are often the least thought about, yet the most impacted. Images of war torn regions are hard for everyone to look at, but when you look deeper into the people’s lives in these regions, you will almost always find children that are in danger. It may be actual physical danger, or it may be the hopelessness of the situation that their parents find themselves in.
If everyone would join together, regardless of their beliefs, many children could be saved. Tolerance to other religions and nationalities is a must when one decides to help a child that has a war raging around them, through no fault of their own. It may seem like an almost impossible task, to help children that live thousands of miles away from your own home, but taking one small step to help, can be the beginning of a new lifestyle for a child.
Ways to help are almost beyond the scope of the imagination. One includes giving to a charity that specifically aides children in a war zone. Using the research tools now available, check out each and every charity that you are considering donating to, to make sure it is reputable. Volunteering your time is another great way to help, even if it’s simply packing boxes with first aid supplies to be sent to orphanages. Helping innocent children should be one of the most high priority duties of all adults.
IS WAR EVER NECESSARY?
In a world in which tyrannies continue to exist, war may in fact sometimes be justified. In the same way it's necessary to fight to defend oneself when attacked, so too it's sometimes necessary to go to war to put down injustice, or even the possibility of injustice when its likelihood is great enough. Rarely, however, is this given as a primary reason. Even democracies seem to be roused to war only by self-interest.
Fair enough. But when any leader chooses war, he or she should do so with a heavy heart. As the original Buddha, Shakyamuni, once said when asked if killing was ever to be permitted: "It is enough to kill the will to kill." In other words, we should strive to kill the the idea that killing others should be anything other than the very last action we ever permit ourselves to take. Shakyamuni was a realist. He knew the world would always be filled with people bent on committing evil, people whose ideas about how to live involved oppressing and killing others, and though he felt compassion even for them would speak loudly and passionately about the necessity of standing against them in concrete, practical ways.
THE REAL BARRIER TO WORLD PEACE
The reason most scoff at the notion of achieving world peace is because if you buy the principle that individual human revolution is the real solution, then literally some billions of people would need to actively embrace the notion of devoting themselves to continual self-reformation. But—if you buy the principle that enough people becoming experts at living would create world peace, then you can't argue world peace is literally impossible—just extraordinarily unlikely.
I don't believe world peace will be achieved in my lifetime. But I do believe it won't be achieved in any lifetime after mine unless I make causes for it to happen now. How can I-and you-make those causes? As Gandhi famously said, by becoming the change we wish to see. Strive to become an expert at living. Be good to those around you in concrete ways. Create an island of peace in your own life. If you do, it will spread. If enough of us do this, our islands will meet, ceasing to be islands and becoming whole continents. World peace exists literally in the actions each one of takes in our own lives.
The most significant obstacle to achieving world peace isn't the extraordinary difficulty involved in becoming a genuine expert at living, though. It's that those most in need of reforming the tenets they hold in their hearts, who most need training in how to be an expert at living, are those least interested in it,
The only real lever we have to pull with such people is their desire to become happy. We must convince them to follow our lead by becoming so happy ourselves—so ridiculously, genuinely happy—that they decide on their own they want to be like us, that they want what we have. And then we have to show them how to get it. Good ideas are our weapons. When people come to deeply believe in notions that promote peace, peace will follow like a shadow follows the body.
To say this strategy is long-term would be an understatement. But all other solutions seem to me even less likely to succeed than the one I'm proposing here. You may think me as hopelessly naive as my younger self who thought war had already been eliminated for continuing to hope that widespread, lasting peace is possible, but as John Lennon famously sang, I'm not the only one. The ultimate dream of every Nichiren Buddhist is the accomplishment of world peace by the achievement of individual-happiness.
We need to summon the courage to even voice a commitment to the goal. We can't worry about if it can be done at all, or how long it might take. It can be done. It will take a long, long time. But the argument that it can't be done and therefore shouldn't be attempted is the argument of cowards. If there weren't people throughout our history who refused to listen to that logic, we'd all still be living in caves.
The undeniable reality is that the vast majority of people hate peace and they hate even more those who advocate it. The truth is often paradoxical. Jwp
The Prophet Elijah
1 Kings 18:16 So Obadiah went to tell King Ahab that Elijah had come, and Ahab went out to meet Elijah. 17When Ahab saw him, he exclaimed, “So, is it really you, you troublemaker of mankind?”
Jesus - crucified
Buddha
The Apostle Paul - executed
I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
St. Francis of Assisi
Abraham Lincoln - assassinated
Baha U Llah - life imprisonment
Mahatma Gandhi - assassinated
Martin Luther King
- assassinated
Yitzhak Rabin - assassinated
Nelson Mandela
- 27 years in prison
Dalai Lama - exiled
Joseph
Genesis 37:18 When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death.Genesis 37:20 "Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, 'A wild beast devoured him.' Then let us see what will become of his dreams!"
