Message of Peace

[justsimon]

I want this thread to be a message of peace so please post your quotes, stories, videos, music or pictures. I'll start us off:

"Peace is always beautiful." - Walt Whitman​

"We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but on the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody, that is far superior to the discords of war. Somehow, we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative nuclear arms race, which no one can win, to a positive contest to harness humanity's creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all the nations of the world. In short, we must shift the arms race into a peace race. If we have a will - and determination - to mount such a peace offensive, we will unlock hitherto tightly sealed doors of hope and transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment." - Martin Luther King, Jr.​

"One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing; that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one." - Agatha Christie​

 

[metta]

Thank you for the post

 

[metta]

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants, and murderers, and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end they always fall. Think of it ... always.”
(Mahatma Gandhi)



"What a power is love! It is the most wonderful, the greatest of all living powers. Love gives life to the lifeless. Love lights a flame in the heart that is cold. Love brings hope to the hopeless and gladdens the hearts of the sorrowful. In the world of existence there is indeed no greater power of love. When the heart of man is aglow with the flame of love, he is ready to sacrifice all - even his life....."
(Abdu'l-Bahá )


"Change yourself and you have done your part in changing the world. Every individual must change his own life if he wants to live in a peaceful world.
The world cannot become peaceful unless and until you yourself begin to work toward peace. It is only by removing hate from our hearts, that we can begin to live a harmonious life.
(Paramahansa Yogananda)


"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
(Margaret Mead)

 

[confusedboy23]

"In spite of everything, I still believe people are really good at heart" - Anne Frank

"It takes no more time to see the good side of life than it takes to see the bad" - Jimmy Buffett

 

[crlcxll]

Let there be peace on earth


Let there be peace on earth,
and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on Earth,
the peace that was meant to be.



With God as our Father,
brothers all are we,
Let me walk with my brother,
in perfect harmony.



Let peace begin with me,
let this be the moment now.
With every step I take,
let this be my solemn vow,



To take each moment and live each moment
in peace, eternally.
Let there be Peace on Earth,
and let it begin with me.

=========================================

Knowing that Love and Peace are intertwined, let us know that All is accomplished and is being demonstrated NOW and in each new NOW. I wish everyone who visits this wonderful sanctuary of a thread days filled with many gentle realities and moments of joy and continuing peace.....

 

[ozguy]

"If the human race wishes to have a prolonged and indefinite period of material prosperity, they have only got to behave in a peaceful and helpful way toward one another."
-- Winston Churchill

"I prefer the most unfair peace to the most righteous war."
-- Cicero.

"The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war."
-- Desiderius Erasmus

"I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent."
-- Mohandas K. Gandhi

"Peace is a journey of a thousand miles and it must be taken one step at a time."
-- Lyndon B Johnson

"Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind...War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today."
-- John F. Kennedy

"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures."
-- John F. Kennedy

"At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"All we are saying is give peace a chance..."
-- John Lennon

"And so this is Xmas for black and for white, for yellow and red, let's stop all the fight."
-- John Lennon

"The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."
-- Abraham Lincoln

"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way."
-- A.J. Muste.

"Much violence is based on the illusion that life is a property to be defended and not to be shared."
-- Henri Nouwen

"This is the way of peace: Overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."
-- Peace Pilgrim.

"The way of peace is the way of love. Love is the greatest power on earth. It conquers all things."
-- Peace Pilgrim

"One little person, giving all of her time to peace, makes news. Many people, giving some of their time, can make history."
-- Peace Pilgrim

"Five enemies of peace inhabit with us -- avarice, ambition, envy, anger, and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace."
-- Petrarch (14th century)

"If you wish to be brothers, let the arms fall from your hands. One cannot love while holding offensive arms."
-- Pope Pius VI

"Peace, like charity, begins at home."
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

"More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginning of all wars -- yes, an end to this brutal, inhuman and thoroughly impractical method of settling the differences between governments."
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt.

"Peace is not only better than war, but infinitely more arduous"
-- George Bernard Shaw

"The arms race can kill, though the weapons themselves may never be used...by their cost alone, armaments kill the poor by causing them to starve."
-- Vatican statement to the U.N., 1976

"Observe good faith and justice toward all nations. Cultivate peace and harmony with all."
-- George Washington

"Peace is our gift to each other."
-- Elie Wiesel

"There must be, not a balance of power, but a community of power; not organized rivalries, but an organized peace.
-- Woodrow Wilson.

 

[gaybot9000]

i don't have any quotes but i do think that it's easier to talk of peace when you're not yourself caught up in any sort of war/conflict
also i think women and us gays have an unfair advantage in the 'peace spreading' department. we simply have different programming

 

[justsimon]

More before I go to sleep...

 

[ozguy]

Some messages of peace from the Bible .....

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.
- John 14.27


May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
- Numbers 6.26


And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philippians 4.7


Thou dost keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusts in thee.
- Isaiah 26.3


Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!
- Luke 2.14


For Christ Jesus is our peace, who has made us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall of hostility.
- Ephesians 2.14


They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
- Isaiah 2.4


Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
- Matthew 5.9

 

[antdak]

From the movie What About Bob? Dad: " I want peace and quiet around here!"
Son: "Ok, I'll be quiet."
Bob: "I'll be Peace!"

 

[Andreus]

Martin Luther King Jr on the vietnamese war......

We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood -- it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, "Too late." There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: "The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on."

We still have a choice today: nonviolent coexistence or violent coannihilation. We must move past indecision to action. We must find new ways to speak for peace in Vietnam and justice throughout the developing world, a world that borders on our doors. If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight.

Now let us begin. Now let us rededicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world. This is the calling of the sons of God, and our brothers wait eagerly for our response. Shall we say the odds are too great? Shall we tell them the struggle is too hard? Will our message be that the forces of American life militate against their arrival as full men, and we send our deepest regrets? Or will there be another message -- of longing, of hope, of solidarity with their yearnings, of commitment to their cause, whatever the cost? The choice is ours, and though we might prefer it otherwise, we must choose in this crucial moment of human history.
As that noble bard of yesterday, James Russell Lowell, eloquently stated:

Once to every man and nation comes a moment to decide,
In the strife of Truth and Falsehood, for the good or evil side;
Some great cause, God's new Messiah offering each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light.
Though the cause of evil prosper, yet 'tis truth alone is strong
Though her portions be the scaffold, and upon the throne be wrong
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and behind the dim unknown
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.

And if we will only make the right choice, we will be able to transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of peace.
If we will make the right choice, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our world into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.
If we will but make the right choice, we will be able to speed up the day, all over America and all over the world, when justice will roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
​

 

[Andreus]

No matter what part of the world we come from, we are all basically the same human beings. We all seek happiness and try to avoid suffering. We have basically the same human needs and concerns. All of us human beings want freedom and the right to determine our own destiny as individuals and as peoples. That is human nature. The great changes that are taking place in the world, from Eastern Europe to Africa, are a clear indication of this. ...

... As a Buddhist monk, my concern extends to all members of the human family and, indeed, to all the sentient beings who suffer. I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction.

Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.

The problems we face today, violent conflicts, destruction of nature, poverty, hunger, and so on, are human created problems which can be resolved through human effort, understanding, and a development of a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one another and the planet we share. Although I have found my own Buddhist religion helpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider our enemies, I am convinced that everyone can develop a good heart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion.

With the ever-growing impact of science in our lives, religion and spirituality have a greater role to play reminding us of our humanity. There is no contradiction between the two. Each gives us valuable insights into each other. Both science and the teaching of the Buddha tell us of the fundamental unity of all things. This understanding is crucial if we are to take positive and decisive action on the pressing global concern with the environment.

I believe all religions pursue the same goals, that of cultivating human goodness and bringing happiness to all human beings. Though the means may appear different, the ends are the same.

As we enter the final decade of this century, I am optimistic that the ancient values that have sustained mankind are today reaffirming themselves to prepare us for a kinder, happier twenty-first century.

I pray for all of us, oppressor and friend, that together we succeed in building a better world through human understanding and love, and that in doing so we may reduce the pain and suffering of all sentient beings.

Thankyou.

Tenzin Gyatso

14th Dalai Lama of Tibet December 10, 1989, Oslo, Norway, Earth

 

[ozguy]

Once known as the "war cake" (because it was popular during war times when eggs, milk and butter were scarce), now spiced up a bit and made into a healthy, cruelty-free cake for celebrating peace times!

CAKE OF PEACE

1 c brown sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 c raisins
2 Tbsp margarine or butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp powdered cinnamon
1/8 tsp powdered nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves

1 1/2 c flour
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c chopped walnuts


Place sugar, water, raisins, margarine, vanilla and spices in a heavy-bottomed saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for five minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 180 deg C (350 deg F) and grease one loaf pan. In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder and soda. Add to the cooled sugar mixture and beat well until batter is smooth and no trace of dry ingredients are left. Stir in walnuts and pour into loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for ten minutes in pan then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely before cutting.

Serves 10.

 

[justsimon]

"Our chiefs are killed...The little children are freezing to death. My people... have no blankets, no food...My heart is sick and sad...I will fight no more forever." - Chief Joseph​

"War is cruelty and you cannot refine it." - Gen. William T. Sherman​

"I would say that I'm a nonviolent soldier. In place of weapons of violence, you have to use your mind, your heart, your sense of humor, every faculty available to you...because no one has the right to take the life of another human being." - Joan Baez​

"The Holy Prophet Mohammed came into this world and taught us: 'That man is a Muslim who never hurts anyone by word or deed, but who works for the benefit and happiness of God's creatures. Belief in God is to love one's fellow men.'" - Abdul Ghaffar Khan​

 

[justsimon]

"Let not your zeal to share your principles entice you beyond your borders."

"What is more immoral than war?"

"Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain."

"Is it not a strange blindness on our part to teach publicly the techniques of warfare and to reward with medals those who prove to be the most adroit killers?"

- Marquis de Sade​

 

[ozguy]

 

[ozguy]

 

[ozguy]

 

[ozguy]

 

[justsimon]

"I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become reality. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word." - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.​