by Paul Lenda
September 21st marks the International Day of Peace, a day which the United Nations had established in 1981 in order to promote peace and as of 2002 has marked it as being the permanent annual date for the International Day of Peace. Of course, every day should be a day of peace but the significance is that officially marking a day by the global community to be a day where we focus efforts and mindfulness on creating more peace in society shows us that there is a global intention towards resolving disputes and conflicts not through force but through understanding.
I was a part of the Vigil for International Peace this weekend which was one of several events happening in New York City promoting the International Day of Peace. I chose to be a part of this event because I wished to be a co-creative element in a space that was promoting peace and also to bring forward my own peace-centered message uniquely tailored to the event, which was also a tribute to John Lennon (Strawberry Fields was just a stone’s throw away from where the event was). Below is the short talk I gave for those who didn’t get a chance to see me share it live.
Co-Creating a World of Peace
On this day of international peace, let’s reflect on how peace will be able to enter into the hearts of humanity. It’s not enough to be mindful of the intention for peace. We should back that intention with action through the ways we interact with one another.
There is an ancient Hawaiian Huna process called Ho’oponopono. This is essentially a code of forgiveness that has as a direct result of it an inner peace that then reflects as outward peace as others acknowledge these four statements:
I am sorry
Please forgive me
I love you
Thank you
If you meditate on these powerful transmissions, you can not only heal wounds you have given yourself, but also wounds you have given others whether consciously or otherwise. We are all going through life facing difficult circumstances. Life is complex enough, let’s not make it any more difficult then it already is. Let’s unite under the common bond we have which is our entrance and departure from this blue marble. If we look at the struggles we are all facing personally we can relate to the struggles every other one of us is facing and empathize with this truth.
John Lennon while getting inspiration from the Buddha once said the following:
There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.
We can create a peaceful world because we are the key-holders to our destiny. We are the ones who can manifest a social transformation that mirrors the qualities of peace, harmony, and unity. The choice is inevitably ours to create a world where we celebrate life and not death. The choice is ours to sow the seeds of peace and take great care that they take root. Together, we can accomplish what has seemingly been a pipe dream for far too long. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. Let’s create a world filled with peace by living a life of peace.
