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Peace Poles: the Mantra of Peace
an article by Peter Stolzman
On June 5, 2003 I was honored by having a Peace Pole dedicated in my name. Three community groups in Branford, CT came together to do this, the Rotary Club, Amnesty International of Branford High School and the Branford Education Association. It was a day that I will always remember and cherish as it was so unexpected, so special and so humbling.
The Peace Pole was a new idea for me but I'm certainly an advocate of them now. The World Peace Prayer Society is behind the concept by promoting a simple prayer, "may peace prevail on earth". This statement is written in different languages over the sides of the pole and serve as a constant reminder of what we should be working for in the world. More on the society and the peace pole project can be found at www.worldpeace.org.
The pole that I was honored to have dedicated in my name is in English, Japanese, Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Polish, Hausa and Sign language. English and Japanese are on every pole but the other languages were chosen by me and reflect aspects of my life. Because I was able to select the languages the pole became even more personal.
In presenting this pole several very important things happened. Members of the greater community were able to galvanize their energy and enthusiasm in a positive activity. The public was reminded of the need for peace through publicity generated by the presentation of the pole. A permanent display celebrating peace has become part of the town. And a statement was made by people who needed the feeling of being heard.
Peace Poles can be created to celebrate events, persons, in fact anything. The message is positive and constant and serves to begin to balance some of what we see happening around us. Planting a peace pole has so many positive aspects to it that I would encourage others to explore having one for your town. More than 200,000 have been dedicated world wide and the numbers are growing. With each one the momentum builds and positive expressions of peace are reinforced. Such a simple idea and so powerful. Try it.
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DISCUSSION
Question(s) related to this article:
Can Peace Poles work?,
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LATEST READER COMMENT:
Yes Virginia Peace Poles work! Are they the complete answer to world peace? No of course not, however they are a wonderful building block for a foundation to build world peace on. They provide a constant visual reminder to everyone that sees one. Quietly but constantly making people think about the possibility of world peace and how nice it would be. G.B. Shaw said:
| Quote | | [/QUOTE][QUOTE]Imagination is the begining of creation, you imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine; and at last you create what you will |
When you stop to think about it it makes sense. 200,000 peace poles around the world daily viewed by how many millions? Every one desiring/imagining/willing world peace! That is truly a significant foundation block.
The Peace Poles have a kind of magic as well. Everyone trats them with a kind of reverence. . ...more.
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