MORNING OPEN THREAD
Bringing the Light —
one of the most ancient human traditions.
Whether it’s building a fire or lighting a candle,
it has been a way to focus our minds and spirits
on the positive for hundreds of thousands of years.
“If you want to end the war then instead of sending guns, send books. Instead
of sending tanks, send pens. Instead of sending soldiers, send teachers.”
— Malala Yousafzai, 17 year-old Noble Peace Laureate
“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, Nigerian Human Rights Activist
“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
Welcome to Morning Open Thread, a daily post with a MOTley crew of hosts who choose the topic for the day's posting. We support our community, invite and share ideas, and encourage thoughtful, respectful dialogue in an open forum.
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PLEASE NOTE:
Tonight is the Peace December Candle Lighting Ceremony
at 7:00 PM EST – Light a Candle for Peace
http://peacedecember.org/
So grab your cuppa, and join in!
Every December for many years, my husband and I have written a holiday letter to family and friends instead of sending cards. We note the highlights of our year, as well as the sad news. Looking back over all these letters, they become minute windows into our small world. A number of the letters are almost interchangeable because some years were such quiet ones for us. Others are singular expressions of triumph or disaster.
But however quiet or eventful our year has been, we always sign off with a wish for a More Peaceful World in the coming year.
This year, that wish seems even farther out of reach, so I find myself pondering what one person can do to bring the dream of Peace even a single small step closer to reality.
Of course in my younger days I marched and sat in for Peace, and I have been writing letters, signing petitions, making modest donations to worthy causes since the 1960s, and voting since 1970, but I thought a year-end search for something else to try just might spark some inspiration.
So I did some wandering around on the internet, and saw Peace December’s website. I like the idea of a group that approaches peace as beginning with conflict resolution in individual households and spreads out from there in wider and wider circles. They’re enlisting people of all faiths and no faith, and have a message board where people can find other like-minded peace groups in their area.
The timing was also good – they have an annual Candle Lighting for Peace to begin the December Season, and this year it falls on the very day I am posting this piece. So if you’re inclined, please light a candle for peace tonight – 4 p.m. PST, 5 p.m. MST, 6 p.m. CST, and 7 p.m. EST.
What good will lighting one candle do?
Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy are among several others credited with: “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” It’s also claimed as Amnesty International’s inspiration for their logo.
For me, lighting a candle this day will be a symbol of renewed resolve, and a connection with the many others out there in the dark who are also dreaming for peace. Another tiny step on the long journey toward making 2016 the year when there will be More Peace in the World.
Imagine
Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one
As Han Solo said, “Never tell me the odds.”
Sources and further reading:
I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, © 2013 by Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb, Little, Brown and Company
Imagine plaque in Strawberry Fields, Central Park, NYC
www.centralpark.com/...
Han Solo, Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)