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 band aid 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. No 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.
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, a
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.
