Is Peace On Earth A Possible Reality
Global Peace and Unity
Give Peace A Chance
As we begin the holiday celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah,and Kwanzaa the themecenters around "Peace on Earth”. When you say the word "Peace" what is your firstthought? Is Peace just a word with no real meaning behind it? Is peace a word whensaid means the opposite of war? Are we so attached to war that we have no idea aboutwhat is"Peace"? Peace was the motivation and inspiration in the music written by thelate John Lennon of the Beatles who said "Imagine all the people living life inpeace. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'lljoin us, and the world will live as one".The question I ask is can we really give peace a chance so we can live a life of "Peace on Earth"?Peace has always been among humanity's highest values. Peace is a quality thatdescribes a society or a relationship that is operating harmoniously. If we look atAmerica's historical involvement in major wars we can see how long we have lived inpeace. 1914-1918 World War I (21 years); 1939-1945 World War II (5 years); 1960-1975 Vietnam War (7 years); 1990-1991 Persian Gulf War (15 years); 2001 Invasion of Afghanistan (10 years);2003 Invasion of Iraq. Since World War I up to 2009 we have experience peace in America a total of 58 years and 95 years of war. This is a sad reality.Is the celebration of"Peace On Earth nothing but a habitual holiday activity? The celebration of the holiday is a reflection of our spirtual connections and understanding through the written words found in the Bible, Torah and Qur'an,which talks about war and peace.The word peace is mention in the King James verse of the Bible 356 times; American Standard Bible 400 times; The Qur'an 67 times; compared to the word war being mentioned in King James version of the Bible 1225 times; the American Stardard Bible, 1111; and The Qur'an 36 times. In a quote by Howard Nemerov a publicist, "Religion and science both profess peace,but each always turns out to have a dominant part in any war that is going or contemplated. How can the cause of war be the cause for peace? This leads to my next question What is Peace? Peace has multiple meanings safety, welfare, prosperity, security, fortune, friendliness. The personalized meaning is reflected in a nonviolent lifestyle, which also describes a relationship between any people characterized by respect, justice and goodwill. This latter understanding of peace can also pertain to an individual's sense of himself or herself, being "at peace" with one's own mind.The early English term is also used in the sense of "quiet", reflecting a calm, serene, and meditative approach to the family or group relationships that avoids quarreling and seeks tranquility — an absence of disturbance or agitation.Peace is a universal word understood in many languages when shared can radiant aharmonious connection of being in oneness.For example peace in Hawaiian is Aloha;Hebrew is Shalom; Arabic is Salam; Spanish is La Paz; Yoruba is Alaafia; and Swahilliis Amani, or as a farewell in English the word peace is used especially for the deadas in "Rest Peace". Can we have Peace On Earth in our life time? The late Jimi Hendrix said "“When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”Purposeful Effort Achieved Cooperatively Endures