TM Gandhi - Call for Peace

THERESA MARIE GANDHI

Poetry

PEACE ON EARTH BEGINS WITH YOU
Theresa Marie Gandhi

As we live in a time of war and rumors of war it is very, very important that we each be peace. Reacting to headlines and television news stories with fear and anger builds that which we wish were not happening. Our every thought in every moment of each day either contributes to peace or it does not.

Our world is passing from operating on the principles of force, threat, and blame to living the principles of truth, love and nonviolence. Those of us who have the foresight and wisdom in living the principles of truth, love and nonviolence are the critical mass of 1 - 5% - the leaders. We can have compassion, love and forgiveness for those who are caught up in acting out force, threat, and blame, thus helping to dissipate and disperse the anger and reaction to our less wise brothers and sisters.

As our attention and prayers have been focused on the Middle East there is a phenomena in action - energy follows thought. Especially when there are strong emotions attached to the thought. What you think and what you feel is very often what you get. You can be a responsible peacemaker right now. Monitor your thoughts for the next three days and observe how many peaceful thoughts you have. Note how many are not and forgive your self for your old thought habit patterns.

Decide to put your mind in training. Making up a rhyming verse, known as a mantra in the East, can act as a bridging thought to bring you to more peaceful thoughts. An example might be: God is truth, love and peace, I am truth, love and peace. It can be anything that you feel from your heart and that works for you.

I found countless opportunities to practice this living in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Before I move to New York City I thought I had my spiritual beliefs integrated with my daily living. I was challenged every day. I found myself mentally attacking smokers in elevators, pushy subway riders, and aggressive drivers. I learned to recite poetry to the smokers in the elevator: "We conspire together, that means to breathe, if we're breathing together, let's keep it clean", delivered with a smile had much better results than a scowl or an angry thought. I made it a point to enter the subway with happy thoughts and a song in my heart and the ride was a joyous experience that radiated out from me. When I encounter a driver that is in a hurry and I am not I will endeavor to let him or her by and wish them well. This world needs joyous peaceful thoughts more now than ever before. Whatever your challenge is find the joyous solution and put it into practice.

After living in urban centers for ten years I have chosen to live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It has a small town atmosphere and at an elevation of 7,000 feet the air is clean most of the time. There is a gentle loving energy here similar to the aloha spirit of Hawaii. A group of women living here have gathered together to speak out for Global Peace. We met in our homes and then at the library to create a statement that we raised the funds for to take out a full-page ad in the local newspaper. It reads as follows:

AN URGENT MESSAGE FROM WOMEN TO ANYONE INTERESTED IN GLOBAL PEACE

The Persian Gulf crisis has magnified the realization that all life on Earth is threatened by war. For women worldwide, this preventable, potential tragedy is intolerable. Fifty-three percent of the earth's population are women. Our voices are often ignored. We must be heard, and we invite all women and men to join us.

A Gathering of Women in Santa Fe, New Mexico issues a call to the United States government and industry to:

Replace U.S. troop in the Mideast by empowering the United Nations
To deploy a true peacekeeping force;
Reinforce the United Nations in its role as global negotiator & mediator;
Support United Nations sponsored air-lifts of food and medical supplies to refugees;
Give the American public accurate and timely information concerning the Mideast situation so that our intelligence may join yours in making the decisions affecting our lives;
Implement renewable energy technologies now available, such as solar, wind, thermal and plant, and continue research on these and other sources; and
Educate and program yourselves to use the universal language of mutual respect and common understanding.

Personal Actions We Each Can Take:

Distribute this statement to friends, co-workers, media, and government officials, churches, educational institutions, and regional & national organizations;
Contact President Bush and suggest he call for a voluntary 10% reduction in the use of gasoline, 202-456-7639;
Hold gatherings in your community to discuss the Persian Gulf crisis and plan local and national action;
Lobby your political entities for energy conservation measures, recycling of petrochemical products and renewable energy use;
Conserve petrochemical by using public transportation, car-pooling, errand "bunching," bicycling, etc.;
Wear a turquoise ribbon to show your concern for peace and environmental protection;
Pause a moment every day at noon to focus on peace and global survival.

We believe that the people of this earth, if allowed to speak together without interference, will discover a solution to the earth's problems. We believe this begins person to person - with love.

Please let us know what actions you take as individuals or groups, so we may publicize your efforts for international impact. A Gathering of Women, Rt. 7, Box 124M, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505, 505-984-1659. To help in this work tax deductible checks can be made out to Santa Fe Community Peace Forum.
You too can create a Peace Forum in your community.

The above was written in response to Bush 41 starting the first Gulf War.

Theresa Marie Gandhi