Peace Vigils and the Peace Keeper in Each of Us

My brother was recently shopping at a thrift store and picked up a copy of the book, On the Road with Charles Kuralt for me (knowing I was a fan of Kuralt and his CBS Sunday Morning successor, Charles Osgood.)

The stories in the book offer quick glimpses into the special moments, challenges, attitudes and accomplishments of everyday people ... and they are a delight to read.

One particular story that resonated with me is that of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration who have been praying for peace without interruption since 1878 (with two sisters leaving the altar as two others take their place). This vigil for peace is simply what the Sisters do — rain or shine, whether wars are raging or subsiding and I was somehow comforted by knowing their prayers for peace are ongoing.

Another story of a similar nature which I recently learned of (though not through Kuralt's book, and logistically much closer to home than that of the good Sisters)  is the Saturday morning peace vigil that takes place weekly in Carbondale, Illinois.  The story goes, according to one of the peace vigil participants, Michael Batinski, that those involved "come from diverse traditions, some religious and some emphatically secular. Their talk is often not focused on the vigil’s purpose. Nor does the talk turn to religious topics. Some reflect on their personal lives. They joke. They exchange thoughts on other community activities. The wars do not come up, at least not directly. Yet wars are there, always. These people have been gathering despite the lessons that might teach them the futility of their actions. They have been standing on that corner for nearly a decade. Many are veteran advocates of peace. For decades they have protested the growth of the military state and have watched it grow steadily in size ... And they keep true to their convictions, capturing the message with the signs they hold. “I am against the next war.” and “Been here since 2001.”

Again, I was somehow comforted knowing these folks steadfastly (and literally) stand for peace every Saturday without fail.

Today I was thumbing through an older copy of Backwoods Home magazine and came across an article by Claire Wolfe titled Ten Real Inspirations. The article featured famous individuals who have left their mark on society by making significant difference in the lives of others. The article also featured lesser known folks, but heroes at a given moment in time none-the-less. One particularly interesting mention was that of Roger Olian who responded to the victims of an Air Florida plane which had gone down into the Potomac River on a snowy January morning back in 1982. Olian had arrived on the scene before any "official" rescuers or the media. He spent 20 painfully cold minutes crawling over the ice on the river and swimming through the frigid water to help the stranded passengers in the river. He never actually reached any of them, nor was even sure he could do so when he began his effort, but those he tried to help later said he accomplished a vital task -- his inspiring crawl gave those people stranded in that freezing water something to focus on, offering them hope that they could be – and would be – saved. And sure enough, the helicopters with their lifesaving equipment and personnel, arrived to do just that.
The article goes on to remind us that even if a challenge seems larger than life, even when we feel we've been beaten or that we're fighting a battle without end -- instead of giving in to or being governed by failure, we are better served by acknowledging failure's reality, taking a deep breathe and finding a new way to move forward. After all, as Ms. Wolfe's words astutely assess ... You can triumph even when you don't "win."

With that lesson in mind, we are assured that whether or not these peace vigils (and the peace keeper in each of us) can change our government's foreign policy on the time table of our choosing, whether or not they bring an end to the ongoing wars sooner rather than later -- we still triumph by living our convictions, doing what we do, working toward (but not being contingent upon) positive results of our actions.

~ Jan

Join Our Online International Day of Peace Rally on September 21, 2011

The history behind International Day of Peace suggests the day offers each of us an opportunity to recognize and honor personal, political, and planetary progress toward peace. People in all parts of the world are organizing efforts to commemorate and celebrate this special day with events ranging from private gatherings to large scale public events.

With that in mind,  I had the idea to organize an ONLINE International Day of Peace Rally to be held on Wednesday, September 21st, using all the online tools at our disposal (i.e. social networking sites, blogs, websites, email contacts, etc) to spread the message of peace with help from my personal friends (and all friends of peace)!


I find the idea of coming together for a specific Day of Peace to be exciting and inspiring ... and hope that as we each promote and participate in the event itself, we'll find the union of our intentions and actions to be productive in a positive and memorable way.

Wishing you peace and prosperity,

Jan