Creating Tolerance and World Peace

Some may feel that since the rise and untimely death of John Lennon, world peace has become more desirable. Many of us may not attribute credit to John for the familiar quote to “make love, not war.” His mission to improve worldly interactions among us all began with The Beatles succession of later albums including “Rubber Soul.”

During the height of The Beatles popularity, Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono planned a peace movement in Amsterdam that would intrigue the generations to come. At the time the two of them were on their honeymoon but used their room to protest the war by having a bed-in. So many news stories had been cast about the Vietnam War progression and they wanted a way to attract some media attention for a good cause. They knew the bed-in certainly wouldn’t stop war coverage, but they were making an anti-war statement.

John’s other acts of world peace also included using his inquisitive nature and songwriting abilities to create tracks such as “Imagine” and “Give Peace a Chance.” Both of these songs dealt with John’s vision and interpretation of the world’s times and struggles. Imagine didn’t just make mention about no war. It conveyed what the planet would be like with no existence of malnutrition, fighting, selfishness or ill intent. “Give Peace a Chance” is self-explanatory. While many of us may view song lyrics as a trivial measure, Lennon has remained a legend for some who remember his message.

It’s no secret that he didn’t agree with the Vietnam War campaign. In fact, many disagreed with it and still might since that era. The United States government didn’t like so much publicity about his opinion and had once considered sending John back to England. In the end he remained which enlightened many of his music fans. It’s been said that heroes are remembered for the time they’re here, but a legend remains in our hearts beyond our own lifetimes.

Perhaps world peace could be more easily achieved if people understood each other’s perceptions better and handled various situations in a more effective manner. This is one of the many reasons that tolerance is important virtue to have. While we can’t avoid every atrocity we may encounter, patience should be in valuable commodity for life.

World peace is something many have longed for since the days prior to the fall of the Roman Empire. Tolerance should not be reserved for potentially difficult situations, including war. It should begin at home, school and within the workplace. Some of us will agree it’s not a good idea to characterize or stereotype an entire group of people for one tumultuous experience. We all can make mistakes, but it doesn’t make us bad human beings.

People will often agree that the news we read or view on television isn’t good. We can help to change a fraction of that by realizing that our experiences mold us into who we are. Just because we may place value on certain things, it doesn’t mean everyone will agree with us. Merely by trying to understand another person’s viewpoint it might help with the reduction of quarrelsome behavior and fighting on the battlefield.  Additionally, it’s important to remember that not all truths should be spoken if they are cruel or of little value.

Although there are some that feel first impressions and appearances are significant, others think common sense and tolerance both have merit. We might feel it best to surround ourselves with people who are similar to us. There may be times when we don’t have control of who we’re around and we may not have as much in common with other people. The depths of our souls aren’t limited and it isn’t injurious for us to embrace learning new things, but only those who are aware that they don’t know everything will truly ripen with wisdom.

Around the world, schools and organizations have been expressing their hope for peace amongst all peoples of the Earth through a standardized ceremony. Knowing that you’re partaking in the same World Peace Prayer and Flag Ceremony as people halfway across the world that you’ve never met can create a very powerful feeling of unity.

The ritual’s main point is to show that we all have something in common – the wish for peace around the world – that cross national boundaries, religious ideals and other ideologies. The idea, in essence, is that peace is something that we all strive for, despite personal politics or beliefs.

The ritual began in Japan where it was first organized in 1983. By 1986, the World Peace Prayer and Flag Ceremony had gone global and an international version of the ceremony was help in Los Angeles. Since then, organizers have helped to bring the peace ceremony to every continent of the world and most major cities in hopes that the global scale of the ceremony would bring attention to the idea that founded it – that is, that everyone truly wants peace, no matter what country or region you were born in or reside.

Aligning with the desire to be a ceremony that everyone can participate in, despite personal beliefs, the prayers that are used during the ceremony are not restricted or even reference a particular religion (usually). In fact, prayer may not be said in any way that you’re familiar with, particularly if you use prayer as part of a religious ceremony. The prayer during the World Peace Prayer and Flag Ceremony transcends denominations and religions and instead expresses a declaration of love for one’s fellow people and compassion for anyone who walks the earth. A typical prayer is “May peace be in (name of country); May peace prevail on Earth.” The declaration is used to make one feel united with everyone else who repeats the same words.

The International Day of Peace was created in 1981 when the United Nation resolved to observe Sept. 21 each year for the purpose of fostering peace throughout the world through focusing on common goals, alleviating tensions and recognizing causes of conflict. The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has used the International Day of Peace to call for a nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. UN member states have also been urged to commemorate the International Day of Peace with a global ceasefire in any sort of warfare that they’re engaged in.

However, there are plenty of activities that regular citizens, from children to adults, can engage in to celebrate the International Day of Peace. One of the most popular options are a moment of silence at noon on Sept. 21. A minute of silence is a powerful sign of unity for participants but it’s also easy to implement in schools, homes, offices and places of worship as a non-intrusive message that peace is important. Some people, instead, will ring a bell or light a candle – each has their own connotations of bringing the message of peace.

Schools and other organizations have had significant successes with Peace Poles or with a World Peace Flag Ceremony to proclaim their allegiance to the idea of peace. Children and youth respond especially well to a concrete idea like creating a pole or having a ceremony to commemorate peace instead of an abstract moment of silence. Parades, parties or making pinwheels for peace are other activities that are popular with young people.

Local government officials often use proclamations to spread the message about the International Day of Peace. Vigils for war victims and others that have fallen in the quest for peace are also popular on Sept. 21. Vigils can be celebrated on the local level with an event at a local park or lake. Spread the word about your vigil or find one of your own on www.idpvigil.com.

Peace poles are one of the many symbols that are used to express a sense of worldwide unity and universal desire for peace on earth. Peace poles are often used to give children and youth a tactile, physical representation of the common goals that peoples from every nation have – world peace. Making a peace pole is also a fun activity because it gets people involved in creating something that they can have pride in, which helps to reinforce the ideas that the peace pole represents. This pride translates to a desire to participate in gatherings, moments of silence, prayers or other ceremonies (such as those that occur during the International Day of Peace or the World Peace Flag Ceremony) that are usually centered around peace poles.

The most typical material for the pole is a cedar pole measuring between 3.5 feet and 4 feet tall, but any similar wooden pole will do. Cedar has excellent resistant to rot and is easy to find at lumberyards. Cut the top of the pole with a compound miter saw at 45 degree angles to make a pointed top. Sand the entire pole to make sure it’s smooth to the touch – you will probably need both 80 grit and 220 grit sanding paper. Using a tack cloth afterwards will help to remove any remaining dust. Applying two or three coats of urethane to the entirety of the pole will help protect it from natural elements. Lightly sand between coats to keep the pole looking as nice as possible.

Language plates and other decorates are available through a couple different online shops but feel free to add whatever adornment you feel best projects the ideals of world peace and universal unity. To maintain your peace pole, sand the entire piece of wood with 220 grit sandpaper and apply a coat of urethane every couple years. This type of care extends the pole’s lifetime significantly.

Since around 2007, there has been a lot of concern about the Iranians developing a nuclear weapon. The fear has been that they would use it against the U.S. and their allies, perhaps even exporting it to terrorists who would target Americans. In the final days of the Bush Administration in 2008, there was a lot of speculation about a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facility. Many believed Bush would do it before he left office, not being confident that his successor with take such action.

It turned out that with America war wearing from several grueling years in Iraq, there just wasn’t the political will to take any action against Iran. Most believed we were past the point of no return and there was nothing we could do to stop the eventuality of an Iranian nuclear weapon. While all this was happening in the public eye, something incredible was going on behind the scenes.

The Bush Administration had secretly authorized and collaborated with Israel to create the most sophisticated computer virus ever developed and unleash it on Iran’s nuclear facility. The computer virus, called the Stuxnet, was launched in mid 2009 and took over 1000 centrifuges in Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. This is about 1/5 of the Iranian nuclear capacity. This virus has caused serious malfunctions in the nuclear plant, delaying their creation of a nuclear bomb until 2015 at the earliest.

This project involved over 100 American and Israeli scientists and months of testing to make sure this virus would be effective. So far, the operation has been a great success and has alleviated the world’s concern over Iran developing nuclear weapons-for the time being at least. What’s amazing about this operation is not only its overwhelming success, but also the fact that they managed to keep this a secret from the world until the virus had already done its damage.

You should have no difficulty coming up with a myriad of different reasons for why you should donate to charity. There are charities all over the world that operate on a non-profit basis, meaning that everything the charity earns is used for charitable purposes, benefiting the specific cause that the charity is working to help. When you donate to charity, you are making a positive impact in the world as well as in your community, and you are making a real difference for someone that is less fortunate than you are. Donating can also help you to fulfill a need that is personally important to you, such as underprivileged children.

You may have more food, clothing, and other things than you need, and if this is true, then you should consider giving something of yourself to someone else. There are people in the world that have less than you, and if you can find something to give to them, then you will be helping them while giving yourself something to feel good about. There are a wide variety of different charities that you can give to, and doing some basic research will uncover some of the options that are available to you, including Kars 4 Kids. Kars for Kids takes vehicle donations and uses them to meet the needs of underprivileged children.

Giving to charity can be enriching for you while allowing you to benefit others who have less than you. If you want to give yourself something to feel good about, then consider giving things that you don’t need away to people that will appreciate them simply because they have nothing left. You can benefit your community and make a difference in the world by giving to charity, so start taking stock of what in your life you can do without that someone else may benefit from.

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February 6, 2011 was the 100 year anniversary of the birth of one of the most influential and effective U.S. presidents of the 20^th Century, Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was born in a small town called Tampico, IL to a poor family of Irish immigrants. From his humble beginnings, he went on to become a radio broadcaster and later a movie actor. He starred in dozens of movies from the late 1930s through the 1950s. In the 1960s, Ronald Reagan entered the world of politics.

Many believe Reagan’s political career was launched at the 1964 Republican National Convention when he made his famous speech entitled “A Time for Choosing.” In that speech, Reagan laid out a set of principles that launched the modern conservative political movement in America that continues to this day. In 1967, Ronald Reagan assumed his first post in elected office as governor of California. He served for two terms and eight years until 1975. In 1980, he was elected the 40^th President of the United States.

Ronald Reagan became president at a time when the U.S. economy was struggling, and America’s image abroad was waning. The U.S. was coming off of a humiliating 444 day hostage crisis in which the Iranians had held over 150 workers of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran captive. The hostages were released on the very day Reagan assumed office, and many believe his presidency launched a period of national renewal.

During eight years as president, Reagan embraced fiscally conservative policies like tax cuts and government spending reductions, while at the same time rebuilding the U.S. military and taking a hard line against the Soviet Union and against terrorism. After eight years in office, unemployment and inflation were way down, and great progress was made toward bringing freedom to the Soviet satellite nations. Shortly after Reagan left office, the Berlin Wall came down and freedom spread throughout Eastern Europe.

Today, 22 years after he left office, Ronald Reagan is remembered and revered as one of the most beloved American presidents of the last century.

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There’s a lot of talk today about tolerance. Many people believe that the answer to all the world’s problems is if people would just be more tolerant of each other. We all remember the famous quote from Rodney King, the African American who was shown on video tape being beaten by several Los Angeles police officers “can’t we all just get along?” That’s a good question. Is it really possible for us to be tolerant of everybody’s beliefs?

Well, there are definitely some problems with this idea. First of all, what about people who have religious beliefs that are by definition opposed to one another? For example, many Christians believe that Jesus is the only way to God. By definition, that means that people of all other religions are on the road to hell. Is that tolerant? How about Muslims? Many of them also say there is no god but Allah. Some of the radicals are willing to go so far as to blow themselves up and others with them to defend this belief.

If you want to be a peace-loving person that gets along with everyone, how in the world can you “tolerate” a person who wants to see you dead? Likewise, in any civilized society, we have laws and restrictions to keep order. We have laws against killing, stealing, lying under oath, etc. We don’t tolerate any of these activities. Neither should we tolerate someone who is harassing us or physically harming us. This is why we have restraining orders, to protect people from other people who wish to do them harm.

So I guess the real question is-how far is the tolerance supposed to go, and who decides its limitations? If we can agree that tolerance does have limitations (and maybe not everyone would agree on that point), then who do we appoint to decide how tolerant is too tolerant? Maybe we can create a new post over at the UN called “tolerance czar”. Then, this person can set up guidelines so we all know what we are supposed to tolerate.

When you’re looking for ways to help the world and the people in it, there are all kinds of options. One of the best ones is getting involved with a non-profit, and helping it to raise money so that it can do a lot more for a larger number of people. It’s a great feeling to be able to help more people through an organization than you could help on your own, so get involved and don’t underestimate what people can do when they get together. Auctions are a great way to raise a lot of money in a short period of time. You can auction smaller items and larger ones, and you can also set up a place for donations and sell refreshments as a way to raise even more cash. Small items like gift baskets, gift cards for restaurants and tickets to sporting events are great small items to auction off. You can get them by going around to businesses and asking them to donate something to your auction. You’ll need to have a legitimate non-profit set up, though, to be able to do this. Make sure you take appropriate proof and paperwork when you go to visit a business. Of course, you don’t have to stop at small items. You may be able to get donations of things like golf carts, season tickets, vacation packages, cars, autographed memorabilia, and poker tables. Those will bring in a lot more money at auction than small items will, but having both options is important. That way you can bring in all kinds of different people and they will have items they can buy. Your auction will do better and raise more money if big spenders and people who don’t have a lot both feel like they’re welcome and there’s something they might be able to buy.