Is it ever black & white?


   Let the discussions begin  



funkylukecosmicart says:

to day ... peace is .. peace of mind...
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Speak YOUR Peace  says:

Well I'm in ME visiting and right now PEACE means finding your true
friends. Celebrating that technology can bring people together-can help
connect people with common interest who might never meet otherwise.
This morning I woke up and started making a peace sign, with fruit and
eggs, on the breakfast table. The two kids came in and started helping
and I realized they are willing to help and know Peace is a good thing.
But what is it?

At the most, it's seems like when we are as close to divine action as
we can be. Like when our actions demonstrate that we consider love,
acceptance, compassion, and tolerance the foundations to our human
experience. When there can be conflict without anger, torture,
judgement and power struggle. (I don't always agree with my mom, but I
don't bomb her or stop talking to her)

At the least, it's waking up, stretching and trying to live to my
potential. Eliminating things from my life that support negative
enterprises.

Just some thoughts, from ME.
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Hotash says:

sooooo
here is a bit of thought (further provoked) by this discussion
i think this is an awesome, awesome question that needs to be asked. . . .
and it also demands a big bit of thought.

in fact, sadly, i must admit i did not know that peace is the opposite or war.
i have always thought of peace on a much smaller basis. . .
i have started to really think about the word 'peace' & the symbols
around our world (after being invited to the group) that represent
peace.

i found i have symbols of peace all around my house, my car, my key chain, my laptop. . .but really, i didn't have a decent grasp on the word 'peace' defined. i found out i had no idea why/how the common symbols of peace came about so i did a bit of online research and was happy to find that others had put the thought into this question already. (yay for the internet &
the wealth of information)

anyway, what i found is even though i have a decent education, live in
a very liberal area of the USA, & have peace symbols all around me,
i truly didn't 'know' peace, in fact, i realized that i needed to
'know' more.

so what does peace mean?

clearly, it has a slightly different meaning/feeling to everyone of us.
i imagine this is based on many things, culture, education, family
values, experience, & history (to name a few) but the basis is the
same-to co-exist without war, killing, & overpowering a fellow.

to teach peace
- wow -
i too agree that it begins young & i feel it has a huge responsibility to begin in family groups

-teach our children to respect their world & that which lives in it
and you will have the groundwork for peace, respect and tolerance.

peace seems more complicated than it should be and i wonder why?

-is it because we don't really know or understand peace?
-is it because we don't teach peace?
-is it because we believe different levels of peace?

it's ever clearer to me that this is no simple question & there
truly is no simple answer or we would not be seeing the things we see
in our world, our countries, our cities, out towns and our families.

across the world individuals need to know peace in order live peace and
in order to know peace someone must teach peace-we must learn peace

on an education side note:
in all my 'hippie' living/education i do not remember a word about peace. . . expect as taught by my father

the question i ask myself on many levels of my life is

can peace = tolerance?

then the key would be to practice this belief. . .

HERE are some more thoughts on the ‘define peace’ question
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Wicked. says:

I agree with 'Hotash',

but in contrast to him,

i have always thought of peace as "anti-war" and have just began
thinking of Peace as more than that. Peace, to me, is when Im with my
closest friends, and we're just walking around town. I dont have to
worry about anything when Im with them... It's a good feeling. But for
the whole world to have that... It would be great, but quite frankly,
it's pretty obvious that it's not going to happen in the near future. I
believe that with ignorance comes violence, and we've had too many
ignorant people in office *cough* bush *cough* for too long. It's going
to take a long time rewinding what we've done.

Oh, also, a quote that i believe makes COMPLETE since:

"Peace isn’t the absence of violence but rather the presence of justice."
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staygraphic says:

Peace will be NOT having to worry about what our Government (or the "powers that be") is up to.

PEACE will be found when our Leaders can be TRUSTED to do the right
thing for the little guy (be they human or other life form), and with
the least amount of damage to the environment.

Today, in this moment, I am finding Peace within while acknowledging that I am not alone in wanting Peace.

We all have moments of Peace, the trick will be to take everyone's moment and help others make that a global priority.
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Speak YOUR Peace  says:

'Hotash', I want to kiss you. Those links are wonderful. One thing I
keep discovering with my "peace work" is that SO many people out there
are working really hard to create Peace. OMPS is a wonderful site bc
it's easy access and quickly on its way to being a major hub-something
we need to connect all these peacemakers in the world.

I am working on a documentary that focuses on that one question, "How do YOU define Peace?"

This question absorbs most of my waking time now. I traveled a REALLY
long distance to ask that question to A LOT of people, and I'm no where
near done recording or documenting replies.

7 months ago I was inspired by an art exhibit-John Lennon's Instant
Karma. A quote caught my eye, "If a billion people were thinking about
Peace, there would be Peace in our world."

And I went Eureka! I decided to take that challenge. I am striving to host one billion definitions of Peace on this website:

www.peacescooter.com

Exploring cultural perspectives can't be done without listening, and
compassion. The website is up so that we can experience what Peace
means around the globe. Our corporations are developing a global
economy, but its up to us as the worlds peoples to develop global
community. Listening to different opinions and utilizing diversity,
instead of fearing it, builds common ground. Often we are separate
because our cultural differences are exaggerated; our similarities
bolster judgement towards others and we become fractured as fellow
humans on one planet.

And I too, 'Hotash' want to know what someone means when they put a
Peace sign on their car, or scooter ;) or sends a Peace photo here to
OMPS.

As you said, most of us don't remember being taught Peace in our youth.
Sadly, that education is absent in an institutional setting. One might
question, the "why" of that. But it seems easier to start change from
one's self, outward, immediately! Regardless of any and all global
injustice, the moment you begin to earnestly work at understanding and
embodying peace, you begin to create it.

Shifts happen!

Said shifts will happen much slower if we only view Peace as just a
symbol for anti-war. The symbol has to be taken and applied in everyday
life-especially to demand Peace from our ELECTED leaders.

NO matter how "ignorant" our leaders seem, we can't take on a herd
mentality and just laugh or groan at them. We need to question their
policies and LOUDLY DEMAND justice. But, 'Hotash,' you are right. We
have to know what we are demanding, and how to build space for it in
our immediate lives.

Every night at dinner, instead of a Prayer, we say what Peace means to
us. I have found through this Peace project that kids seem to have the
easiest time defining Peace. I ask all those reading this now to join
me in reaching the goal of one billion definitions. Visit www.peacescooter.com
or leave your definition here, I can put it over on the website myself.
My site stats show thousands of people visit-but they are shy because
the question is daunting. Stop on by and leave yours as many times as
you want, a billion is a lot of room!

Oh, today I created a youtube group, Speak Your Peace, www.youtube.com/groups_addvideos?name=speakyourpeace

If you are able-cut a video clip of your own definition and post it there!

It's fun and you can be a part of a shift in our thinking. As I say, I
would rather us make history by creating Peace, than become history in
its absence.

Everyone on this website is AMAZING. Mwuah!
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p???a (Prora)  says:

How about the Preamble to the charter of the UN as a starting point?

PREAMBLE

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED

to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of
methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common
interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives
assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full
powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present
Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international
organization to be known as the United Nations.
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OneMillionPeaceSigns.com  says:

Well a wow from me too!!! OK....I just grabbed the Gotta Have
Whiteboard and when no one was looking (they're absorbed in Real Work)
I added that we must have THIS DISCUSSION as a page....where pepole can add and comment and discuss...beyond flickr....tho we love flickr for
the vehicle to get this started!!!

My one minute disertation...I have Selfish Peace and I have Big Picture
Peace...my own selfish peace is the small version that Hotash wrote
of..the peace of knowing that my little immediate world is all ok and
happy....Big Picture Peace is the kind in the UN Preamble...the kind of
"anti-war" peace that I think we all decided the world may never have
really known. Probably both are important...yeah, sure they are...

There's a murderer loose in our little world right now..seriously....so
my Immediate Peace is kinda shaky...of the hyper vigilant variety...and
John Edwards bowing out...that disrupts my idea of Big Picture Peace
because (next to Kucinich) he was to me the anit-war possibility....my
minute is way up....I wish peace to you all and thanks for this moment
of it with you :)

zoey
fast of finger but getting glared at cuz they know I'm Peacing.
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rock2rye says:

I want the PEACE of God. Remember, There is no peace except the peace of God :]

PEACE OUT!
rye:]
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"I've done a couple of peace photos so far in this project. Tonight
I noticed that I have a bunch of peace signs throughout my house. I
knew they were there but tonight I guess I really noticed them more.

I've got a sticker on my front door window, another on my bathroom
mirror, I've got numerous bookmarks and a small crystal cube. I've got
the word "peace' in a frame on my wall. Heck, I even have a small
cutout of Santa flashing the peace sign - he's set on top of a poster I
have of Martin Luther King. I've got posters of my heroes on my office
wall . . . MLK, Gandhi, John & Yoko and Jim Henson all share space
in my home.

I guess I've given myself reminders galore - most I'm afraid to say, I
ignore daily. I get caught in my everyday struggles and start judging
others that don't see things the way I do. I sometimes see no peace at
all in a world gone mad.

I hope in those times, like now, I recognize that peace is not a thing
that "happens" to people. It's not something I can grab onto, I can't
share it with my loved ones and I can't force it on my enemies. Peace
is a force and a gentle stillness that lies within me. It is clarity in
a cloudy sky. It is constant, steady, unwavering and true . . . and it
is real.

It is mine - - always. I just need remember to see it. "
- staytunedradio
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