Imagine a culture of peace rather than a culture of war. Imagine how much money that would save and how many lives that would benefit, not to mention how much that would improve the environment of the world. That is the goal of The Peace Pole Project, which will be the topic at Rotary Tuesday, August 1, at 12:30 p.m. at Hotel Mision, Salida a Queretaro 1, when Executive Director Fumi Johns Stewart speaks. The presentation will be free and in English.
San Miguel de Allende will be planting a monumental and historic Peace Pole to carry the message of peace to the community through the message May Peace Prevail on Earth on August 2 at 4 p.m. in Parque Juarez. To put that into context, Stewart will share the history of peace poles, which originated in Japan more than 60 years ago, along with other related peace initiatives of The World Peace Prayer Society, a United Nations nonprofit organization.
In preparation for the peace pole installation, local children wrote notes that will be included in a time capsule to be opened in 50 years in 2067. Their desires for peace include that humankind be more united and tranquil. They plead that we have less violence, more security, fewer kidnappings, fewer executions of innocent people. They want all to live in harmony, love and respect. “Getting children to give voice to their sincerest desires for peace should motivate us all to create a culture of peace in San Miguel,” said Tom Schneider, who is leading the local movement for peace through his leadership with local nonprofits Camino de la Paz and Rotary.
The universal peace message May Peace Prevail on Earth was authored by Masahisa Goi of Japan after the first atomic bomb fell on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki which ended World War II. After experiencing the first nuclear devastation, Goi felt it was Japan’s mission to send a message of global peace and harmony out to the world. The message, May Peace Prevail on Earth is now embraced by global citizens with close to 200,000 peace poles standing on every continent and in every country of the world. Peace poles are now the most recognized peace monument dedicated to global peace.
The peace pole is a signature project of the World Peace Prayer Society along with the world peace flag ceremony which celebrates the oneness of humanity. During the flag ceremony, participants are invited to hold the flags of every nation and send the message of peace out to our global family. In San Miguel’s celebration August 2, local children will carry the flags from Parque Juarez to the Jardin. Organizers are sharing this as another way to create a culture of peace.
Stewart will talk about The Peace Pals art exhibition and awards program as well as the Goi Peace Foundation’s essay contest for youth which invite youth to give expression to their hopes, aspirations and visions of peace through art and the written word. Peace Pals art exhibitions have taken place in Mexico, with SMA Rotary Club members volunteering to judge the Goi peace essay contest.
Stewart was instrumental in introducing the Japanese-based May Peace Prevail on Earth movement to the international community in the early 1980s to establish the international peace pole movement. For more information, see www.worldpeace.org.
Rotary is where neighbors, friends and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change. For more information, contact President Fred Collins at [email protected]
