Blog Blast for Peace
Posted: Wednesday, June 06, 2007 by Travis Cody in
6 June 1944...D Day...The Longest Day.
Does it seem odd to you that on a day reserved for expressions of peace, that I would choose to remind you of a time of great war? It seems fitting to me.
On this day, 63 years ago, a generation of men began the effort to reclaim a continent from a tyrannical despot determined to wipe out entire cultures and the people who revered those cultures.
They were ordinary men who did extraordinary things, because those were the things that had to be done. And when it was done, they returned to their homes to live in the peace for which many of their fellows sacrificed their lives.
But one can study the history from 1945 through 2007 and see that peaceful times have been periodically interrupted. In fact, one can study the width and breadth of recorded history and find that mankind is defined by it's wars and periods of strife.
It is simply so. Should we not defend what is ours from those who would try and take it from us? Should we not come to the aid of those who ask us to help them defend what is theirs? Should we not stand in defiance of tyranny and oppression?
Do we take a stand? Draw lines in the sand? Cross a line drawn by others?
Is there a way to be who we are, and cherish what we have, and believe what we will, in peace with others who may be different, and cherish different things than we, and believe something we don't understand?
Can we exist happily and peacefully, rejoicing in the infinite diversity of life on this planet we share?
I cannot answer these questions today. But that doesn't mean that I should stop asking them. Peace is a constant and worthy struggle.
Peace Globes fly across the bloggosphere today. The words written beneath these Globes inspire thought and questions. We must think about peace, talk about peace, and find peace.
We must listen to words about peace. And we must never be afraid to consider another way. Today's reality does not have to be tomorrow's.
"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies." Moshe Dayan (1915-1981)
"Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding." Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
"I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it." Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)
"One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means." Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)
"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." Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)
"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there." Mother Theresa (1910-1997)
Peace from my family to yours.
Please cruise by Peace Globe HQ at Mimi Writes to get your own Peace Globe, as well as to view Globes and posts from bloggers around the world.
Peace be wif yous!