Celebrate Peace

                  THIS MAKES ME HAPPY

NOW AND ALWAYS

We need more independent political parties if we want to bring Peace to this country.

IT IS ALWAYS THE SEASON FOR PEACE

Here's Buddha's Metta Sutta on kindness:

This is what should be done
By one who is skilled in goodness,
And who knows the path of peace:
Let them be able and upright,
Straightforward and gentle in speech.
Humble and not conceited,
Contented and easily satisfied.
Unburdened with duties and frugal in their ways.
Peaceful and calm, and wise and skillful,
Not proud and demanding in nature.
Let them not do the slightest thing
That the wise would later reprove.
Wishing: In gladness and in saftey,
May all beings be at ease.
Whatever living beings there may be;
Whether they are weak or strong, omitting none,
The great or the mighty, medium, short or small,
The seen and the unseen,
Those living near and far away,
Those born and to-be-born,
May all beings be at ease!

Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings:
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will.
Whether standing or walking, seated or lying down
Free from drowsiness,
One should sustain this recollection.
This is said to be the sublime abiding.
By not holding to fixed views,
The pure-hearted one, having clarity of vision,
Being freed from all sense desires,
Is not born again into this world.

I reposted this from Kim's blog

Not much Peace on Earth, and very little Goodwill this Xmas Eve
We need to do better, much better

U.S. Deaths in Afghanistan: Obama vs Bush

PASTORS FOR PEACE

Attended a Caravan For Cuba event at CAMP on Cherokee St recently.

Learned of a group I did not know previously-Pastors For Peace. They have been taking the underprivileged people of South America and Cuba needed supplies for about 20yrs. Myself a person not aligned with any organized religion, I find this to be one of the best religiously based organizations. Click the title for more info.

PEACE T-shirt "wage peace"

I decided to make a T-shirt out of my carved hand peace sign.

These are available in many colors, many sizes, and several shirt types. Just click the title if you think you might want one, and the proceeds will help me make more contributions to Veterans For peace.

If you wish to see more of my art based on photographs -

Gallery

or

Profile

AHIMSA

This Sanskrit term means "to do no harm" - literally the avoidance of violence. 

Gandhi is the best know historical practician.   Ahimsa is a rule of conduct that bars the killing or injuring of living beings.  

With the exception of the need for food, even insects and plants should be left unharmed.  The principle can be extended to controlling your speech so as not to cause emotional harm.  Injure none in thought, word, or deed.

Ahimsa takes strength of mind and character - it is an ideal that takes bravery, restraint and forgiveness.

The practice of Ahimsa leads to universal love, bliss and peace.

FTA

Last night I watched FTA , the 1972 documentary  with Jane Fonda and Donald Sutherland.  It had been pulled from theaters one week after release and recently became available again ( netflix ). The lessons shown in this film must have been forgotten by most US citizens, because we keep making the same mistakes.

FTA, FTN, FTM, FTAF

You know what FTA stands for, right ???

Peace Face

I made this image of me from text of peace quotations.

It is a pic of me just after I got out of the military and my hair grew back. I created it because I was wondering what type of tattoo  I would get, if I was ever to get one - something about PEACE, of course, but wording or a symbol ????

What do YOU think would be a great peace tattoo,

and where on my body should it be put ?

PEACE SIGN

This is a hand carved 27 inch wooden peace sign I got in Korea many years ago. 

I still  "throw" people a peace sign when I am in protests and parades, but this sort of hand display is not seen a much today as it used to be seen. 

Sad - we need more Peace Signs.

Peace Quotes

3 of my favorite quotations on peace - 

One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek,  

but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal.  

We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful

 means.  - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“There is no way to peace, peace is the way.”
 A. J. Muste quotes (Pacifist and Prophet)
“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.”
 Peace Pilgrim quotes (American Teacher and Spiritual leader and Peace Prophet, 1908-1981)

Peace Paint

I love the idea of Peace Paint instead of War Paint

Today's post is a link to a website that explores the concept - 
Simply click the title above or go to

http://www.peacepaint.com/

PEACE EGG

Here is an Easter egg I digitally made for anyone who will view this post - the Peace Egg.

  This morning, for some reason not clear to me, I was thinking back to the first peace symbol I ever made. I carved it out of a half inch 3X3 block of translucent teflon. I was in high school and I gave it to a friend - the proper thing to do with any peace sign/symbol.

PEACE BRICK

Can you find this brick of mine somewhere in the city boundaries of St Louis, MO ???

If you do, put both feet on it, raise your hands and head up to the sky and you will receive a Karmic download of of just what it says (i.e. Peace and Luck).