Peace

[ravenscape]

Tonight, I am moved to reflect on peace and the role that religion, spirituality, and morals can play in the pursuit of peace.

Please share some quotes, lyrics, or holy writings about peace that are of meaning to you.

From religioustolerance.org

Peace:

Mahatma Gandhi: "The pursuit of truth does not permit violence being inflicted on one's opponent."

Thich Nhat Hanh: Buddhist monk and peace activist: "How do you want to create peace, if there is no peace inside yourselves?"

Martin Luther King, Jr.: "We must learn to live together as brothers, or we are going to perish together as fools."

Hans Küng: "There will be peace on earth when there is peace among the world religions."

John Lennon: "Imagine there's no countries. It isn't hard to do. Nothing to kill or die for, no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace..." (From his song "Imagine.")

Peter Retzinger: "I believe that love, kindness, compassion, tolerance, and peace can be implanted in the psyche of man only when fear, paranormal illusion and ignorance are removed. We can then shift our attention more to matters of peace, rather than to matters of war."

Oscar Romero: "Peace is not the product of terror or fear. Peace is not the silence of cemeteries. Peace is not the silent result of violent repression. Peace is dynamism. peace is generosity. It is a right and it is a duty."

[font=trebuchet ms,arial,helvetica]Joan Walsh,poet: "Peace is the harvest of love as war is the fruit of hate." [/font]



"We must be the change we wish to see"
--Mahatma Gandhi

 

[Plan 9]

Last Night I Had The Strangest Dream


Last night I had the strangest dream
I'd ever dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war

I dreamed I saw a mighty room
Filled with women and men
And the paper they were signing said
They'd never fight again

And when the paper was all signed
And a million copies made
They all joined hands and bowed their heads
And grateful pray'rs were prayed

And the people in the streets below
Were dancing 'round and 'round
While swords and guns and uniforms
Were scattered on the ground

Last night I had the strangest dream
I'd never dreamed before
I dreamed the world had all agreed
To put an end to war.


words and music by Ed McCurdy
TRO-©1950,1951 & 1955 Almanac Music, Inc. New York, N.Y.
Copyrights renewed

 

[Rae]

Peace before us,
Peace behind us,
Peace under our feet.

Peace around us,
Peace, surround us,
Let all about us be peace.
--UU hymn

Shalom havayreem, shalom havayreem, shalom, shalom.
Lehitraot, lehitraot, shalom, shalom. -- Closing hymn at Rockford UU Church; Jewish peace song

 

[Arthra]

"Today the world of humanity is in need of international unity and conciliation. To establish these great fundamental principles a propelling power is needed. It is self-evident that the unity of the human world and the Most Great Peace cannot be accomplished through material means. They cannot be established through political power, for the political interests of nations are various and the policies of peoples are divergent and conflicting. They cannot be founded through racial or patriotic power, for these are human powers, selfish and weak. The very nature of racial differences and patriotic prejudices prevents the realization of this unity and agreement. Therefore, it is evidenced that the promotion of the oneness of the kingdom of humanity, which is the essence of the teachings of all the Manifestations of God, is impossible except through the divine power and breaths of the Holy Spirit. Other powers are too weak and are incapable of accomplishing this."

("The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by Abdu'l-Baha during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912", 2nd. ed. (Wilmette: Baha'i Publishing Trust, 1982), pp. 11-12)

 

[humblemuslim]

008.061
YUSUFALI: But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things).

005.016
YUSUFALI: Wherewith Allah guideth all who seek His good pleasure to ways of peace and safety, and leadeth them out of darkness, by His will, unto the light,- guideth them to a path that is straight.


025.063
YUSUFALI: And the servants of (Allah) Most Gracious are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, they say, "Peace!";

 

[Green Man]

More people have been slaughtered in the name of God and religion than any other single cause in the history of man.

 

[Hydra009]

"Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. And however undramatic the pursuit of peace, the pursuit must go on."
- J.F.K.

"Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people."
- Jawaharlal Nehru

 

[ravenscape]

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

Peace is the marriage of the people and the planet, with all attendant vows.
~~ Anonymous

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.
~~ Black Elk

We know how to organize warfare, but do we know how to act when confronted with peace?
~~ Jacques-Yves Cousteau

If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies.
~~ Moshe Dayan


Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.
~~ Albert Einstein

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

There was never a good war or a bad peace.
~~ Benjamin Franklin

 

[Tariki]

"Inside the Great Mystery that is, we don't really own anything. What is this competition we feel then, before we go, one at a time through the same gate?"

Rumi (tr. Moyne and Barks)

 

[The Seeker]

"Those who profess to favour freedom yet deprecate agitation are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will..." - Frederick Douglass

 

[ravenscape]

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.

Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Isaiah 2.4

He it is who sent down peace of reassurance into the hearts of the
believers, that they might add faith to their faith.

Islam. Qur'an 48.4

Our Father, it is thy universe, it is thy will:
Let us be at peace, let the souls of the people be cool.
Thou art our Father, remove all evil from our path.

African Traditional Religions. Nuer Prayer (Sudan)

During the short eons of swords,
They meditate on love,
Introducing to nonviolence
Hundreds of millions of living beings.

In the midst of great battles
They remain impartial to both sides;
For bodhisattvas of great strength
Delight in reconciliation of conflict.

Buddhism. Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti 8


Peace be to earth and to airy spaces!
Peace be to heaven, peace to the waters,
peace to the plants and peace to the trees!
May all the gods grant me peace!
By this invocation of peace may peace be diffused!
By this invocation of peace may peace bring peace!
With this peace the dreadful I appease,
with this peace the cruel I appease,
with this peace all evil I appease,
so that peace may prevail, happiness prevail!
May everything for us be peaceful!

Hinduism. Atharva Veda 19.9.14


Tao invariably takes no action, and yet there is nothing left undone. If
kings and barons can keep it, all things will transform spontaneously. If,
after transformation, they should desire to be active, I would restrain
them with simplicity, which has no name. Simplicity, which has no name, is
free of desires. Being free of desires, it is tranquil. And the world will
be at peace of its own accord.

Taoism. Tao Te Ching 37

 

[Plan 9]

UNIVERSAL SOLDIER



He's five feet two and he's six feet four
He fights with missiles and with spears
He's all of 31 and he's only 17
He's been a soldier for a thousand years.


He's a Catholic, a Hindu, an athiest, a Jain,
a Buddhist and a Baptist and a Jew
and he knows he shouldn't kill
and he knows he always will
kill you for me my friend and me for you.


And he's fighting for Canada,
he's fighting for France,
he's fighting for the USA,
and he's fighting for the Russians
and he's fighting for Japan,
and he thinks we'll put an end to war this way.


And he's fighting for Democracy
and fighting for the Reds
He says it's for the peace of all
He's the one who must decide
who's to live and who's to die
and he never sees the writing on the wall.


But without him how would Hitler have
condemned him at Le Val
Without him Caesar would have stood alone
He's the one who gives his body
as a weapon to a war
and without him all this killing can't go on.


He's the universal soldier
and he really is to blame,
Except his orders come
from far away no more
They come from here and there,
and you and me
and, brothers,
can't you see
this is not
the way
we put
an end
to war.




(Buffy Sainte-Marie,
with lyrics altered
by Donovan, 1965
© Caleb Music-ASCAP)

 

[Cassiopeia]

In the still small hours of the morning,
I heard a tiny call,
Just above a whisper,
Most precious and dear,
I waited till I could hear the sound no more,
And went most cautiously to peer,
Into the cradle that held my daughter so tiny,
Upon seeing that she had fallen back to sleep,
I knelt then beside her bed and watched her infant chest,
Rise and fall like that of a sleeping dove,
So beautifully, so serenly,
With the miracle of that above,
In that moment I knew nothing of the world,
Nothing but peace and wonder,
As I sat in the quiet of the moonlit room,
Knowing that this would be forever the place,
Where joy had truely found me,
And love is fulfilled by grace.

Author...myself..KMB



This is my peace, knowing that my children though I only write of one, my first born, and the joy and wonder of their lives has graced me with more knowledge and growth than I ever thought possible. Indeed when I reflect up on the blessing of being their mother, I am so filled with gratitude and peace that I should be so lucky to be surrounded by three of the most amazing people I have ever had the fortune to meet. Loving them and helping them has truely been that which saved my life.

Peace, Casi

 

[ravenscape]

Author...myself..KMB

Beautiful!

 

[Plan 9]

oh, my. That is lovely Casi! Thank you for posting it!

 

[Bevlina]

[font=arial, sans-serif]PEACE BEGINS WITH ME [/font]
[font=arial, sans-serif]By Richard D. Marco III [/font][font=arial, sans-serif]

Peace begins with me
Starting over and breaking free.

Peace begins with me
Opening my eyes and beginning to see.

Peace begins with me
Curious about what I am going to be.

Peace begins with me
Knowing I no longer have to flee.

Peace begins with me
Having self dignity.

Peace begins with me
Taking on more responsibility. Peace begins with me
Because peace is being happy. And this is why peace begins with me!

[/font]

 

[Rae]

Deep peace of the running wave to you.
Deep peace of the flowing air to you.
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.
Deep peace of the shining stars to you.
Deep peace of the infinite peace to you.

adapted from - ancient gaelic runes

 

[9Harmony]

"The cause of eternal glory to man is faith and certainty and then living (or acting) according to the behests of His Majesty the Eternal God. My hope is that thou wilt attain to the three. As long as thou canst, wish thou the most great peace for all mankind: Associate with all in perfect love and kindness; hold all dear and count all friends and familiar ones; know no enemies; imagine no strangers. Thus mayest thou be a mercy to the people of the world and a source of bounty to the world of humanity." -Tablets of `Abdu'l-Bahá, p. 667

 

[skylark1]

How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
"Your God reigns!"
Isaiah 52:7


Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9


Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:7

 

[9Harmony]

"October 1985
To the Peoples of the World:
The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet—in the words of one great thinker, “the planetization of mankind”."

-The Promise of World Peace, The Universal House of Justice, p 1

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/uhj/PWP/pwp-1.html