Mother's Day for Peace

I saw this video today at Inner Light Ministries in Soquel, California, a wonderful spiritual community dedicated to peace, unity, healing and stewardship of the planet, the global and local community, and the self. Before viewing this short film, I was not aware of the decidedly non-Hallmark Cards origin of Mother's Day, which was created as an anti-war statement by the Bostonian Julia Ward Howe in 1870. You can read the original Mother's Day Proclamation here.

I appreciate the message of this video; it promotes a worthy cause, to be sure, and I say, to myself, let me not make a gender issue out of ending the war, which only creates more war between the sexes. Let me not make it solely a political issue either, since violence begins internally. Let me not make it about these children alone, not others. Let me realize that I am, as Alfre Woodard says in the film, "responsible for every child that comes through," whether they live on the other side of the world, the other side of town, here in our own homes...and let me also include myself, for I am like a child victimized by my own unexamined beliefs.

"No More Victims" means no more victimizing, beginning in our daily lives, in our own bodies. How many wars did you wage today? I noticed I engaged in several, all before lunchtime, and the day isn't over yet. Let there be peace on earth...and let it begin with me.


©2007 by Carol L. Skolnick; all rights reserved.