peace

September 21: International Day of Peace, Let’s Keep it Going!

September 21: International Day of Peace, Let’s Keep it Going!

Sarah Jamieson / Thoughts / , , / 0 Comment

Celebtating the weekend of International Peace. Friday marked the day of international peace. Around the world on September 21 nations and people of all walks of life, lay down thier arms for one day in solidarity. Each year the  International Day of Peace is observed around the world on 21 September. The  General Assembly has declared this as a day devoted to strengthening the ideals  of peace, both within and among all nations and peoples.

Sustainable Peace…

This year, world  leaders, together with civil society, local authorities and the private sector,  met in Rio de Janeiro,   Brazil for the  United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to renew political  commitment to long term sustainable development.

It is in the  context of the Rio+20 Conference that  “Sustainable Peace for a Sustainable Future” is the theme chosen for this  year’s observance of the International day of Peace.

There can be no sustainable  future without a sustainable peace. Sustainable peace must be built on  sustainable development.

The International Day of Peace offers people globally a shared date to  think about how, individually, they can contribute to ensuring that natural  resources are managed in a sustainable manner, thus reducing  potential for disputes, and paving the road  to a sustainable future, the “Future We Want”.

I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite TED Talks that focus on sustainable change and peace.

 

Jeremy Gilley: One Day of Peace

“Here’s a crazy idea: Persuade the world to try living in peace for just one day, every September 21. In this energetic, honest talk, Jeremy Gilley tells the story of how this crazy idea became real — real enough to help millions of kids in war-torn regions.

Filmmaker Jeremy Gilley founded Peace One Day to create an annual day without conflict. And … it’s happening. What will you do to make peace on September 21?”

Video: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/jeremy_gilley_one_day_of_peace.html

 

Seth Godin: The Tribes We Lead

Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.

Seth Godin is an entrepreneur and blogger who thinks about the marketing of ideas in the digital age. His newest interest: the tribes we lead

Video: http://www.ted.com/talks/seth_godin_on_the_tribes_we_lead.html

 

Jacqueline Norvogratz: Inspiring a Life of Immersion

“We each want to live a life of purpose, but where to start? In this luminous, wide-ranging talk, Jacqueline Novogratz introduces us to people she’s met in her work in “patient capital” — people who have immersed themselves in a cause, a community, a passion for justice. These human stories carry powerful moments of inspiration. (Recorded at TEDWomen, December 2010, in Washington, DC. Duration: 17:46”

Video: http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/en//id/1076

 

 

Sources:

For more info please follow this link: http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/

For Sharon

Melina Lake / Reflections, Thoughts / , , , , , , / 0 Comment

blurtit.com - Sharon loved hummingbirds

I recently lost someone dear to me. My boyfriend’s mother, Sharon, passed away from a severe case of adenocarcinoma. In other words, stage 4 lung cancer which had spread throughout her body and into her brain and there was just no stopping it.

I’ve thought and wrote a lot about being grateful and living presently, but never before have I truly felt I understood it until now.

Each moment, breath, day is a blessing. This is reiterated to us all the time in yoga. But do we actually believe it? I don’t think I did until I saw how quickly someone’s life can change for the worse.

Is this why so many good people go sooner than others? To be our teachers, our reminder? To fully take in all we can, enjoy the ride and the bumps that come with it because we never really know when it will end. Be out of reach.

Sharon’s family is doing remarkably well considering they’ve lost a mother, wife, auntie, sister. I don’t know if I’d be so positive. Where does this optimism come from? Seeing the good in this sudden loss which should bring negativity, pity, remorse. And that’s just it. There is no remorse felt by my boyfriend Steve or his family. There wasn’t anything they wished they told her. No more I love you’s or words of appreciation and encouragement. No regret of not seeing, calling, emailing her enough. No grudges left unforgiven. No torturous wondering of how she felt about them. Nothing.

In all the sadness and heartache. Questions of why and confusion. Sharon’s family came out of this sadness with peace.

So I’d like to use this as my reminder and anyone else’s who may need it. To take those silent peaceful moments in yoga or throughout the day and really use them for what they’re meant for. Thanking ourselves, thanking the ones we love, and truly acknowledging how much we have to be grateful for. Finding even a bit of light in a heavy situation because at least we are having an experience and most likely learning something.

Even in the loss of Sharon, her loved ones take the good out of the situation with them. She didn’t suffer for long. Memories of her being herself rather than a sick person are dominant. Now she can always be with us, no location separates us.

Now, I know every time someone passes away, endless kind things are shared. Nothing bad. In Sharon’s case (and I am not being biased) she truly was a delight. A warm, loving, open hearted person. Her family’s gracious handling of her passing proves all the admiration to be genuine.

So now it’s time for a thank you, to Sharon. In this hard time, I learned something sacred. I hope you as readers have, too.

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