September 18, 2022
The Interfaith Peace Project will observe this year’s International Day of Peace by sending out a reflection each day from September 10 through September 21. Today is the eighth reflection. If you miss any reflections, you will find them on our website: interfaithpeaceproject.org.
We will continue our ongoing observance of the International Day after September 21, by sending out a reflection on the twenty-first of every month. We invite you to share in this effort by sending any articles or information that you would like to share to:
Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P
[email protected]
925-787-9279
CELEBRATING THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE
SEPTEMBER 10 – 21, 2022
Jody Williams
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate 1997
United States
Profile
Jody Williams is an American political activist known for her work in banning antipersonnel landmines, her defense of human rights, and her efforts to promote new understandings of security in today’s World. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work on banning and clearing antipersonnel mines.
Jody served as the founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) from 1992-1998. In cooperative efforts with governments, UN bodies, and the International Committee for the Red Cross, she served as a chief strategist and spokesperson for the ICBL. Through her collaborative partnerships, an international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines, the Ottawa Treaty, was enacted in 1997.
In 2006 Williams established The Nobel Women’s Initiative and has since served as its chair. This initiative brought together six of the female Peace Laureates to use their influence to promote the work of women working for peace with justice and equality.
Judy’s Words of Wisdom
“Militarists say that to gain peace we must prepare for war. I think we get what we prepare for. If we want a world where peace is valued, we must teach ourselves that peace is not a “utopian vision” but a real responsibility that must be worked for each and every day in small and large ways. Any one of us can contribute to build a world where peace and justice prevail.”
To view Jody Williams: A Realistic Vision for World Peace on youtube Click here or
go to https://www.ted.com/talks/jody_williams_a_realistic_vision_for_world_peace
Reflection
The quest for peace in the World must be as serious as the among of money, resources, and people we spend preparing for war. Peace-making requires we work for the welfare of those who are victimized by greed, power, and the ideology of fear. Our practice of breathing, meditating, and reflecting must connect us with the World as it is. From the depths of these sacred actions, we rise to be people who prepare for peace more than those who prepare for war. What might my response be?
SOURCES
Randy Thomas
Wikipedia
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