Sweet sixteen...

Yesterday we talked about world peace and what that means. The comments were inspiring and uplifting. All of you have continue to demonstrate that world peace stems from each one of us choosing peace albeit there are multiple approaches. Just like the way in which everyone has developed their own version of the Project Peace cowl, we can create peace and make peaceful choices in a multitude of ways.

Searching for more information on the topic of peace I feel as if I've opened Pandora's box. The magnitude of resources and organizations focused on peace is amazing. Who knew? In 1984 President Ronald Reagan signed into law the bill creating the United States Institute of Peace, a government agency. I had no idea. There are grants and fellowships focused on peacebuilding. You can even earn a doctoral degree related to peace.  

One agency I found, The Peace Alliance has a plethora of resources on cultivating peace. I love their motto "Be the Movement. Take a Step for Peace." For me this provides a direct link between walking and peace. They've identified 5 cornerstones of peacebuilding. 

1. empowering community peacebuilding
2. teaching peace in schools
3. humanizing justice systems
4. fostering international peace
5. cultivating personal peace

And see, right there it is, cultivating personal peace is a key part of this process. With peaceful lives we are then able to extend a hand to others, our families, friends, communities, and domestic and international organizations/causes. We have to remember to not overextend otherwise we'll revert back to unpeaceful  behaviors and choices. We can only help others in the name of peace if we have peace in our hearts. 

“First keep peace with yourself, then you can also bring peace to others.”

— Thomas a Kempis

Peace tip #16...

As a result of the peace-along you know the importance of fostering peace in your own life but you feel compelled to do more. What can you do? The 5 cornerstones of peace as defined by the Peace Alliance provide a structure for thinking about where you might play a role. The following quote also lends itself to suggested approaches.

“Peace, to have meaning for many who have only known suffering in both peace and war, must be translated into bread or rice, shelter, health and education, as well as freedom and human dignity.
”

— Ralph Johnson Bunche (1904-1971)

Spend a few minutes today thinking about one way you might be able to assist others in need of peace. Jot your ideas on a piece of paper and place this someplace meaningful so you'll be reminded of it daily. 

To help you get started I've brainstormed a few ideas. Perhaps you want to knit for others, identify what and who you might provide with your knitted gift. Perhaps you make a monetary contribution to an organization that supports peace or provides assistance to victims of violence (e.g. natural disasters, war). Maybe you identify your local food pantry and volunteer to assist with meal preparation. Why not find a nearby assisted living facility and visit the residents...listen to their stories, find people that knit or used to knit and want to tell you about it. Several of you have mentioned knitting in public seems to soothe others around you, perhaps it's as simple as that? What if knitting were taught in schools with a message of peace? The kids could make simple hats that could be distributed locally, regionally or even sent to an organization that distributes knitted items around the world (see below). 

There's a non-profit organization called Knitting4Peace based in the US that might interest some of you. Knit for Peace is a similar UK group.

Please leave your ideas in a comment. If we document everyone's wonderful ideas it might provide someone else with an action item. 

And I know how much all of you like songs so I found another relevant one for today's theme. It's a blast from the past. Listen to the song and think about if and what you might want to do to extend peace.

Peace be with you...

Hello number 15...

Yesterday was beyond belief. Thank you to all for posting a comment. There were almost 200 comments; all magnificent. I was moved to tears multiple times. I would encourage anyone looking for some evidence that peace can be a reality to read each and everyone of the comments. The winner of the give-away was Martha. Please send me an email (thehealthyknitter at gmail dot com) Congratulations!

As much as my heart was lifted with hope and promise yesterday, I find myself saddened by the world affairs, specifically regarding Aleppo. As I read more on the current events and struggles I found myself thinking that my approach to creating peace was insignificant. Here are 1000's of people truly suffering. 

And so I took my concerns to the mat (aka yoga) to contemplate and simultaneously escape. To say the class was uplifting would be an understatement. I was deeply moved throughout the class by many of the pearls of wisdom provided by the instructor. And then there was the final song (peace tip below). I was reaffirmed that world peace can only happen when individuals choose peace. I know it's true that so many people can't make that choice but let's look at it from the other side. How many people in the world CAN make this choice?

Peace tip #15

I'm including another song for you. Probably all of us have heard this song. You many even have some strong emotions or feelings attached to it. Listen now and then read on.

Everyone talks about world peace. Humans have been in pursuit of peace for 1000's of years. So, what does world peace mean to you? It's a phrase we use all the time but just like defining "peace" we need to have a firm understanding of what it is we are seeking. 

Please leave a comment. Our collective ideas are better than one alone. Tomorrow we'll talk about some action steps. 

Until then...may you find peace in every stitch and step (if you aren't in the midst of a polar freeze, brrrrr)...

Introducing no. 14...

It's hard to believe we are 2/3 of the way through the peace-along. Yesterday marked over 22,000 downloads with continued increases since that time. Wow, can you believe...22,000 people. This is all because each one of you has told someone who's told someone, etc. Just think if all 22,000 people did that again we could instantly double that number. The astonishing thing is that this number of downloads represents the number of people that have been touched by peace in some way over the last month.

Before we get to today's tip, I want to remind all knitters that December 21 will be "world-wide knit-in for peace" day. We've created a map on Ravelry that allows people to place a pin for their location. Over 1000 pins are already on the map representing countries from all around the world. Please knit for peace on 12/21 whether you knit in solitude, with a friend, your knitting group, at a yarn store, someplace in public, make it your own celebration for peace. I read somewhere that a group is knitting at their local yarn store and lighting candles. So many ways but let's make sure everyone knows about it. And might I suggest that if you are reading these posts and are not a knitter perhaps consider doing something extra special on December 21st in the name of peace.

The compassion and creativity that has arisen over the past 14 days provides hope that peace can prevail. Thus far we've discussed what peace means to us, a few strategies to provide inner peace, reached out to others in a peaceful way and now we are going to begin thinking about the bigger picture. People have come together from around the world to embrace peace. Recall, my idea was to create world peace by helping individuals choose peace...if I could get people around the globe to do this then I jokingly said it'd be world peace.  

Thank you to Margot Kirby (daughter), her husband and mother (Viki, victoriasews [Ravelry]). Photo used with permission

One daughter asked her mother "what would you like for Christmas?" The mom replied "world peace." The daughter and her husband joined hands and created "world peace."  

This photo says everything about world peace...hand in hand we come together despite our differences for the good of all. 

Let's get to today's tip...

Peace tip #14...

Sit down with your knitting and look at your yarn. Where did this yarn come from? A store, or a fiber festival or.... Who were the workers in that store? Where did they get the yarn? Begin to trace back the origin of your yarn. But each time you reach a new landing spot (e.g. the store) think about those individuals and send them peaceful wishes, repeat. As a result, you'll be spreading peaceful wishes around the world during this activity. Some of you may have a short journey as the origin could be quite close. 

If you aren't a knitter, why not try this with the food in your meal, your hobby or even the furniture in your house. 

As a reminder of our connectedness around the globe, here's a template to create a chain of paper dolls. I haven't made these in years but something about this simple chain of paper dolls seems to capture that hand-in-hand feeling I associate with "world peace."

ANNOUNCEMENT

We have a special give-away from Expression Fiber Arts; a $25 gift certificate. Peace-alonger, Karen reached out to Expression Fiber Arts to see if they'd be willing to contribute and they said "yes." They have lots of beautiful yarn with names related to peace that would make beautiful peace cowls. To be eligible to win this very gracious gift please leave a comment on today's blog post by midnight (central US time)...something you've learned so far, or done as a result of the peace-along, or plan to do etc. Winner will be announced in tomorrow's post.

May today bring you peaceful steps and stitches...

Christina

Lucky thirteen...

It was a restless night, when you are asleep but not completely. For me, it's the tell-tale sign that something is on my mind. Not enough to keep me awake but enough to keep me from having a good night's sleep. It only took a few hours into the next day for me to pinpoint the "issue." It has to do with today's tip; knowing that to create a meaningful tip I needed to suggest something that I didn't think I could actually do. And that just didn't seem right.

In my family of creation, when my kids were little, I came up with a saying "keep the peace." I was tired of the bickering and was trying to get them to understand that at some point someone had to decide to end the squabble. It didn't mean you were giving in and defeated, it just meant that you were bigger than the situation and could walk away. I wish I could say that it worked like a charm for those young kids of mine. Perhaps not so much at that time but several years later my son had to give a talk about a family saying. He picked "keep the peace;"  apparently he had understood my intent despite not always following my advice.

Choosing peace doesn't mean you have to be passive or you are giving in.  

Peace is about being kind to yourself and others around you.

Choosing peace isn't always the easiest option.

And this brings me to today's tip...

Peace tip #13...

Let's spread peace to those around us with kind thoughts and actions. 

1. First, peace begins with YOU. Give yourself a little pat on the back and tell yourself something you do well and are proud of. Put that piece of paper, place it in your pocket and re-read it throughout the day.
2. Write a note to someone you respect or look up to. Perhaps it's someone you don't often praise but you should. Leave this note for them so they'll find it. You might find that this is so much fun that you repeat multiple times. 
3. Finally, think of someone that you don't get along with (e.g. co-worker, family member, someone that might have different viewpoints than you) as much as you wish. Write them a positive note. Send it or not but definitely put those thoughts on paper.

From "A Liturgy of Ordinary Radicals" by Okoro, Wilson-Hartgrove, Claiborne

In full disclosure, it's #3 that was the root of my restless sleep. I know exactly who I should shower with peace but I haven't felt that I could be that big of a person. Whether it was a coincidence or fate, yesterday morning I received an email from said person and I knew that I could reply with a positive "thank you." I know it was small but I was able to genuinely say thank you and it felt good. It felt right to allow something good to be associated with this individual. I wish I could say that said person replied with "your welcome" and now we are the epitome of collegiality. Alas, I cannot. However, I can say it brought me great peace in a situation that has plagued me with angst for several years.