Perhaps you didn’t know that September 21 is the International Day of Peace. It was designated as such by the United Nations in 1981. This year’s theme is “The Sustainable Development Goals: Building Blocks for Peace.” In 2015, the UN unanimously adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described the goals: “The 17 Sustainable Development Goals are our shared vision of humanity and a social contract between the world’s leaders and the people…They are a to-do list for people and planet, and a blueprint for success.”
These goals are meant to improve the lives of people all around our planet. They are meant to help alleviate hunger, poverty, racism, social injustice, corruption, and many othes problems that hold us back as human beings. Past years’ themes have focused on education for peace, human rights, and youth and peace. Here is a link to information about World Peace Day on the UN’s website: http://www.un.org/en/events/peaceday/index.shtml .
I must admit that world peace doesn’t seem very likely. As a student of history, I know that humans rarely live peacefully with each other for very long. It seems someone is always looking for a fight, starting an argument, or taking offense. But I do believe we can nurture peace in our selves, our homes, and in our local communities. In turn, our positive influence can be felt around the world.
Peace for Ourselves
First, let’s look at nurturing peace in ourselves. As the Buddha taught, we need to look within if we want to find peace. I think we can gain peace in several ways. We need to take care of ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually.
Physical care includes: getting enough sleep, exercise, eating healthy, and giving ourselves down time and recreation. It is hard to feel peaceful when we feel awful.
Not surprisingly, these things are likewise important to our emotional well-being. We can also nurture our emotional well-being by improving difficult relationships (or possibly letting them go) and talking to someone professional if needed. In addition, we can find things that add to our personal joy and then do them.
Spiritual health can come in many ways. It comes easier when our physical and emotional/mental health is also on track. I believe in the power of prayer. Meditation can work wonders too. Practicing kindness, expressing gratitude, and forgiving others and ourselves are all ways to better our spiritual health.
Peace for Our Homes
It seems pretty clear to me that if we work on our own peace first, our homes will automatically become more peaceful. Fostering feelings of kindness, gratitude and forgiveness benefits our families in numerous ways. Who wouldn’t want to come home to a peaceful, loving place? Healthy physical habits and family recreational activities help round this out. We can all enjoy our family life more if we are healthy, happy, and having fun together.
Peace for Our Community
When our family life is at peace and in order, we can better share with our communities. I have seen this many times at school, at church, and in many other volunteer opportunities I’ve had. I have met some remarkable people who give freely to their communities. They volunteer at local schools. They help with blood drives. You can find them working at community events like parades, festivals, and fundraisers. Our communities are so much richer because of people who care enough to share and work hard for the benefit of others.
In addition to making our communities better, volunteering also brings people together. Working side by side, we learn that we are all more alike than different. This is a great way to build peace in our communities.
Goals for Peace
This takes us to the 17 Sustainable Goals. I would be surprised if an official from the UN ever sees this post. I would be shocked if a world leader ever noted my simple ramblings. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said these goals were are “social contract” between world leaders and everyday people. Most of us would fall into the latter category.
So how can every day people support these goals? We can use our social influence and our voting rights to push leaders towards peace. Social media has great influence and so does the voting booth. We can also donate our time and money to causes that support these goals.
The UN’s main purposes are: maintaining international peace, delivering humanitarian aid, protecting human rights, promoting sustainable development, and upholding international law. Most people don’t have the degrees to go to court and uphold international laws. But almost anyone can promote sustainable lifestyles (reduce, reuse, recycle!). Providing humanitarian aid sounds like a big job, but locally we can support food banks, homeless shelters, and just try being a little kinder to everyone. While I can’t maintain international peace, I can maintain peace in my home and in myself.
In case you haven’t caught on, International Peace Day is important for all of us. We are a global family. What hurts one, hurts all, even if we don’t see or feel it right away. We can begin small. Mother Teresa taught: “Do small things with great love.” We shouldn’t underestimate the power of small things. We can begin today to add peace to our world, no matter how small.
Thanks for reading. Please share and celebrate International Peace Day.
