Month of Peace 2023

It’s September, time for our Peace Flag Project ’s Celebration of the UN International Day of Peace, observed each year on September 21. Some years ago, we expanded our Peace Day to a Peace Month, so we could shine the light on the many aspects of peace. We’re still finding ourselves after the shutdown of COVID, so we have just a few events this year. Please see our 2023 Peace Day Page under What We Do.

We Are Here for Each Other

 We humans are struggling. Our world is in crisis. Division, rancor, discord seem to be everywhere. We also know that good people are working everywhere to find solutions,  and are already finding solutions Climate crisis. Tyrannical leaders, violence. What do we do? How do we cope? How do we help? We also know that good people are working everywhere to find solutions, are already finding solutions. We can join them; we can explore new pathways.

Climate change is a crisis that requires our full attention and resolve and cooperation. Addressing a climate crisis in Kenya in the 70s, Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai organized Kenyan women  to plant millions of trees. 

Her Green Belt Movement spread around the world to other nations struggling with degradation of their land. The Green Belt Movement kicked off one of the world’s largest mobilizations of people for a cause. In Maathai’s name, almost 50 countries planted 1.5 billion trees, with a goal of 14 billion. Wangari Maathai said:

“In the course of history, there comes a time when humanity is called to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground. A time when we have to shed our fear and give hope to each other. That time is now.”

That was 1977. Now is also that time!  We need to come together, to shift to a new level of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground, to give hope to one another. We need to come together to save our beautiful planet. Solutions, actions, change, research,  reform and whatever it takes. 

And the problem of spreading tyranny and violence in our own country and in the world at large is another challenge. This, too, is alarming. I am encouraged by something Gandhi said:

“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall… think of it, always.”

“Think of it, always.” Wonderful. Remarkable. Encouraging. Hopeful. Tyrants always fall! So again, take action — participate, protest, vote, be an activist, find your cause and work at it with all your heart. It’s our way to prevail. It’s our way to help ourselves and each other. It’s what we need to do. It’s in our hands — our hands will save the world. Be part of that!

Peace and love,

Ginny Fox