By Louise Diamond
In 1981, the United Nations established the International Day of Peace
– one day set aside every year for people from all over the world
to focus on ‘the celebration and observance of peace.’ That
day, September 21 every year, is fast approaching.
In its original declaration of this Peace Day, the UN used the phrase
‘a living instrument in the service of peace...’ I find this
an extremely compelling phrase for describing those of us dedicated to
bringing peace to our world.
What does it mean to be ‘a living instrument in the service of
peace?’ An instrument is a tool, a vessel or a vehicle. A ‘living
instrument’ suggests a tool that is alive to its own potential for
effective action; fully aligned with being used in the best possible way,
for the highest possible good. To be ‘in the service of’ means
to give one’s small will over to a larger goal; to work for; to
give one’s all to.
Therefore, to be ‘a living instrument in the service of peace’
I give myself – my skills, my time, my effort and action –
to realizing the great vision of peace on earth that we all hold so dear.
No single action can fulfill such a vast vision by itself, but the combined
acts, over time, of more and more of us can make a huge difference.
A vision without action is empty; action without vision is aimless. A
vision celebrated with purposeful action is power-full. We CAN change
the world. We CAN shift our society from a culture of violence to a culture
of peace. We CAN make peace the organizing principle of our collective
presence on this planet; make peace the way we live. We can do this, if
each of us will do our part.
We no longer have the luxury of putting off this work for peace to another
day, when it may be more convenient in our busy lives. We can no longer
wait for others to do it for us. The moment for peace, the moment of choice,
is now – urgently now.
The human family has embroiled itself in an interlocking set of conditions
and situations in places like North Korea, Afghanistan, Israel and Palestine,
the Congo, Iraq, Columbia, Georgia, Kashmir, and elsewhere that can crack
open the heart of the world and spill out an unfathomable wave of destruction
and despair. The human family has grown hatred and genocide to astronomical
levels (literally astronomical, as we make plans to use even outer space
for ever-more-deadly weapons). We have despoiled the earth, the oceans,
the forests, and the air we all must share to the point where the sustainability
of life for future generations is deeply in question. We have unleashed
a recurring cycle of terror and revenge that can only strangle us all
in the vise-grip of escalating horror.
I say ‘we’ have done this, not this person or that politician
or such-and-such a group has done this. This is not to absolve anyone
of accountability for terrible deeds they may have committed, or to spread
communal guilt. Rather, it is to establish that human beings, collectively
and individually, have free will, and if we each do not actively choose
to step off the downward, devolutionary path of war and violence and consciously
step onto the upward, evolutionary path of peace and nonviolence, then
we are colluding with the prevailing direction humanity is taking, and
feeding that flow.
The International Day of Peace is an invitation to each one of us, to
make this choice to be part of changing the direction of the human journey.
It is the perfect opportunity to use one small moment in our busy lives
to be living instruments in the service of that peace. To paraphrase Rabbi
Hillel, ‘If not me, then who? If not now, when?’
There are a zillion and more ways to honor this day. Whether quietly,
by yourself, or in concert with others; with prayer and meditation or
with nonviolent action; with a silent vigil or a street fair; by lighting
a candle or a community bonfire; by writing a letter to your local newspaper
or reflections in your personal journal; by forgiving one who has hurt
you or apologizing to one you have hurt...however you choose to be a living
witness of peace on this day is just fine. How you do it is less important
than that you do it.
There are several wonderful national and international events celebrating
Peace Day that you can participate in. Among other things, you might take
a Peace Pledge; organize your faith community for a 24-hour prayer/meditation
vigil; or encourage local or global leaders to honor a daylong ceasefire
from acts of violence. I refer you to the following websites for more
information on these and similar activities:
When one billion people around the world are all focusing their attention
toward peace on the same day, a powerful pulse of energy will cascade
throughout our planetary home, awakening minds and hearts in every continent
to the potential for us all to be living instruments of peace in our daily
lives.
Though the UN has declared this one day of peace for all humanity, our
work for peace within ourselves, for peace in our families and our communities,
at the workplace, in our nation and among all peoples of the earth transcends
the efforts of a single day. After September 21 comes September 22, and
then September 23 and 24. Each person, each act, each day makes the peace
path just a little bit stronger, a bit wider, a little deeper. One day,
soon, that peace road will become a superhighway. On that day, the human
family will no longer need a special International Day of Peace, for peace
will shape all our days. Until then, let us tune ourselves as instruments
of peace, and carry on!
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