20 (or more) Things You Can Do On Peace Day: September 21

The International Day of Peace is on September 21st of each year and calls for a full day of peace and ceasefire throughout the world.

On September 21st, 2007, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon rang the Peace Bell at United Nations Headquarters in New York calling for a 24-hour cessation of hostilities, and for a minute of silence to be observed around the world. The Peace Bell is cast from coins donated by children on all continents, and considered a symbol of global solidarity. It was given as a gift by Japan, and is referred to as a reminder of the human cost of war. The inscription on its side reads: “Long live absolute world peace.” [ref: wikipedia] The first Peace Day was celebrated in 1982.

Here are some ideas of things you can personally (or as a small group) do on Peace Day.

1. Observe a minute of silence at Noon wherever you are.
2. Hold a peace vigil and light a candle with some friends or neighbors.
3. Imagine something you could do to help make for a more peaceful world… and then do it.
4. Learn or retell the story of Sadako Sasaki and her One Thousand Paper Cranes and fold a paper crane in her memory.
5. Read about the UN Millennium Development Goals.
6. Send a donation to an organization that you think is helping in some way to achieve one of the UN Millennium Development Goals.
7. Construct a Peace Pole. A Peace Pole is a monument that displays the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth,” usually in a different language on each side.
8. Find and share a version of the “Golden Rule“ in a faith tradition other than your own
9. Learn about Sister Josetta Walsh and her “World Peace Village“.
10. Spend some time browsing the web to see what other people around the world are doing to work for peace.
11. Learn or retell the origin of the peace flag.
12. Learn to say and write the word for “peace” in another language.
13. Play a video game (like “A Force More Powerful“) and develop your skills in effective and active non-violence.
14. Read about the Global Marshall Plan.
15. Find and put up a poster that helps you imagine a community and world at peace.
16. Find and play a cooperative game with a few friends at peacegames.org
17. Find and play a game at trainingforchange.org.
18. Since this day is also a “day of ceasefire”, try making peace with someone you have a conflict with.
19. Go to internationaldayofpeace.org to find an event happening in your area on Peace Day.
20. Add your own ideas by commenting on this list.

Have you ordered your 2010 Peace Calendars yet? (click)

Also please check out 18 Milestone Events in the Life of Mohandas Gandhi and 20 Quotes from the Nonresistance Front