Peace and War and New Year"s Eve
Got your ammo for New Year's Eve?
Shooting into the air seems to be growing in popularity as a way to welcome in the New Year.
Here's a better idea.
The final half-hour of this year and the first half hour of next year are being designated as the Universal Hour of Peace. Every man, woman, and child is invited to spend the hour in meditation, prayer, conversation, listening to beautiful music or whatever helps them concentrate on peace.
Some might say, "Be serious! On New Year's Eve?"
But others, who are getting a little bored with partying among drunks with guns, just might like the idea.
After all, fewer and fewer folks are into alcohol, obvious by the phenomenal growth of New Year's Eve First Nights, now planned in over 140 U.S. and Canadian cities as a alcohol alternative. (firstnightintl.org).
Organizers of the first Universal Hour of Peace, students and teachers at the School of Metaphysics, were so encouraged by the response in 1995, they published the Universal Peace Covenant a couple of years later and moved the Hour of Peace to New Year's Eve, to encourage people around the world to begin their year in the spirit of peace.
Now, I hear some asking, "What on earth is the School of Metaphysics?" And I will tell you honestly, "I don't know.'' They have campuses in 10 states plus the College of Metaphysics in Windyville, Missouri. They apparently teach ways to develop the mind to think good thoughts, like "Living peaceably begins by thinking peacefully," the peace motto. And they are very into "Universal Truth," whatever that is.
They seem to be non-political.
Peace or Peace
Peace might be a good New Year's Eve theme. Either kind of peace. Peace among people and nations and/or spiritual peace within an individual. Christians might contend "world peace" and "God's peace" are related.
Everyone wants peace among nations, except possibly a few insane individuals. And that is not a shot at any nation's leaders. Peace is non-political.
I have never met a soldier, airman, or marine in combat who wanted to be there. They were doing their duty and proud to do it and they fought with honor, but they did not want to be there.
As an Army correspondent, I never saw combat. But I stood by twice, sitting around cleaning an M-14 and a typewriter and waiting for the order to deploy to Lebanon or to the East German autobahn into Berlin. And I would have gone, but I did not want to.
So if everybody wants peace, why do we have so many wars? I don't have an answer there, either, but maybe we think war more than we think peace. Maybe the unknown scares us into fighting rather than making peace.
What Is Peace?
Christians believe we must find peace inside to find peace outside, and that peace inside, souls at rest, can only come from Jesus.
Can we have peace inside when people outside are being killed in war?
No, but Jesus can give us peace.
Our minds can hold only one thought per instant. I can think positively or negatively, good or bad, peace or war, others or myself.
When I am not right with God, I can't turn my mind anywhere but on myself.
I believe that's why we have wars. Too many people keeping their eyes turned on themselves.
My peace of mind comes from laying all my problems, my sorrows, even my worries about wars, laying it all out before Jesus. And sometimes, when I've got my soul in order, I feel I can hear him say, "Let not your heart be troubled."
That is peace.
And I think I will mark my New Year's Eve calendar:
€€€ Universal Hour of Peace, 11:30 p.m. €€€
How 'bout you?
Hey, ammo's getting expensive.
Shooting into the air seems to be growing in popularity as a way to welcome in the New Year.
Here's a better idea.
The final half-hour of this year and the first half hour of next year are being designated as the Universal Hour of Peace. Every man, woman, and child is invited to spend the hour in meditation, prayer, conversation, listening to beautiful music or whatever helps them concentrate on peace.
Some might say, "Be serious! On New Year's Eve?"
But others, who are getting a little bored with partying among drunks with guns, just might like the idea.
After all, fewer and fewer folks are into alcohol, obvious by the phenomenal growth of New Year's Eve First Nights, now planned in over 140 U.S. and Canadian cities as a alcohol alternative. (firstnightintl.org).
Organizers of the first Universal Hour of Peace, students and teachers at the School of Metaphysics, were so encouraged by the response in 1995, they published the Universal Peace Covenant a couple of years later and moved the Hour of Peace to New Year's Eve, to encourage people around the world to begin their year in the spirit of peace.
Now, I hear some asking, "What on earth is the School of Metaphysics?" And I will tell you honestly, "I don't know.'' They have campuses in 10 states plus the College of Metaphysics in Windyville, Missouri. They apparently teach ways to develop the mind to think good thoughts, like "Living peaceably begins by thinking peacefully," the peace motto. And they are very into "Universal Truth," whatever that is.
They seem to be non-political.
Peace or Peace
Peace might be a good New Year's Eve theme. Either kind of peace. Peace among people and nations and/or spiritual peace within an individual. Christians might contend "world peace" and "God's peace" are related.
Everyone wants peace among nations, except possibly a few insane individuals. And that is not a shot at any nation's leaders. Peace is non-political.
I have never met a soldier, airman, or marine in combat who wanted to be there. They were doing their duty and proud to do it and they fought with honor, but they did not want to be there.
As an Army correspondent, I never saw combat. But I stood by twice, sitting around cleaning an M-14 and a typewriter and waiting for the order to deploy to Lebanon or to the East German autobahn into Berlin. And I would have gone, but I did not want to.
So if everybody wants peace, why do we have so many wars? I don't have an answer there, either, but maybe we think war more than we think peace. Maybe the unknown scares us into fighting rather than making peace.
What Is Peace?
Christians believe we must find peace inside to find peace outside, and that peace inside, souls at rest, can only come from Jesus.
Can we have peace inside when people outside are being killed in war?
No, but Jesus can give us peace.
Our minds can hold only one thought per instant. I can think positively or negatively, good or bad, peace or war, others or myself.
When I am not right with God, I can't turn my mind anywhere but on myself.
I believe that's why we have wars. Too many people keeping their eyes turned on themselves.
My peace of mind comes from laying all my problems, my sorrows, even my worries about wars, laying it all out before Jesus. And sometimes, when I've got my soul in order, I feel I can hear him say, "Let not your heart be troubled."
That is peace.
And I think I will mark my New Year's Eve calendar:
€€€ Universal Hour of Peace, 11:30 p.m. €€€
How 'bout you?
Hey, ammo's getting expensive.
