Reflection
Each year the International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The UN General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals of peace, through observing 24 hours of non-violence and cease-fire. Today is not only the United Nations designated International Day of Peace but also the start of Climate Week.
This year, it has been clearer than ever that we are not each other’s enemies. Rather, our common enemy is a tireless virus that threatens our health, security and very way of life. COVID-19 has thrown our world into turmoil and forcibly reminded us that what happens in one part of the planet can impact people everywhere.
In March, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on all warring parties to lay down their weapons and focus on the battle against this unprecedented global pandemic. While the message is intended for armed parties, solidarity and cooperation across borders, sectors and generations are also needed to win this new fight against the worst public health crisis of our time.
As we struggle to defeat COVID-19, the world will be invited to unite and share thoughts on how to weather this storm, heal our planet and change it for the better.
The 2020 theme for the International Day of Peace is “Shaping Peace Together.” Celebrate the day by spreading compassion, kindness and hope in the face of the pandemic. Stand together with the UN against attempts to use the virus to promote discrimination or hatred. We can shape peace together.
From UN Information Bulletin
Prayer
Make me an instrument of your peace.
Action
Reject violence in all forms. Do nor participate in violent or hateful speech. Read some of the resources at UN International Day of Peace-Sept. 21
Suggested Reading
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
John 14:27
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Romans 12:18
Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace.
Pope Francis
Make me an instrument of your peace
where there is hatred, let me sow love,
where there is injury, pardon.
St. Francis
Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.
John F. Kennedy
Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.
Hafsat Abiola
To replace the old paradigm of war with a new paradigm of waging peace, we must be pioneers who can push the boundaries of human understanding. We must be doctors who can cure the virus of violence. We must be soldiers of peace who can do more than preach to the choir. And we must be artists who will make the world our masterpiece.
Paul Chappell
Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there. Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means; through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.
Dalai Lama XIV
Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.
Desmond Tutu
You never change anything by fighting the existing. To change something, build a new model and make the existing obsolete!
Buckminster Fuller
Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world.
Etty Hillesum
When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than avenge it?
Eleanor Roosevelt
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 Teresa