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A child's peace poem
Through reviews of her lovely books, I have become email friends with one of our national treasures, Ruth Gendler. Part of the service she performs for humanity is in our schools. She brings her artistry into classrooms and inspires the talents and imaginations of our youth who, in my opinion, sorely need it.
One of Ruth’s delicious books is called The Book of Qualities
Peace is a child, small, invisible,
yet powerless over Anger and Ruthlessness,
who seem to control war, the very enemy of Peace.
But Peace would not go to war with Anger nor Ruthlessness,
for she is Peace, after all.
She would not go to war.
Even though, of course, Peace is very busy,
with lots of war going on.
I think Alex names peace for what it is on our Earth right now—a child, small, invisible. Peace is a child. Those of us who work for peace on our planet are engaged in the work of parenting peace—helping her to grow up as the strong, resilient, familiar presence she is meant to be.
True peace does not go to war because she is peace. The Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Jane Addams and Emily Greene Balch, used a wonderful motto on a flyer: “It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the air force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber....”
Alex names the greater difficulty. Peace is very busy these days. She’s not a regular child. She doesn’t have playdates or homework because peace is too busy addressing wars and skirmishes and differences of opinion to be allowed to be a child.
I’ll never forget the day I really read Psalm 8 for the first time. “Out of the mouths of babes ...” comes from that psalm. Alex, it is my hope for you, and all children, that peace will be allowed to be that child and to grow up strong, free and at peace.
Thank you for your beautiful, evocative words.
Visit Dr. Susan Corso’s website or subscribe to Seeds at www.susancorso.com.
As long as there is a child on Earth, it means God is not unhappy with us. As long as we understand or try to understand a child's thoughts or feelings, Peace is not far from us. Peace is an invisible small thing so it resides quietly and comfortably within a child's world.
As Alex believes, Peace is a child. Rightly so. To understand the true meaning of Peace and the purpose of it we have to look into the mind of the child. Peace may be small, invisible but it's there. Let's bring it out. Let it grow. Let it mature and confront Anger and Ruthlessness. Let it convert them into something meaningless and futile. Let Peace bring out the child in us and put our Anger and Ruthlessness to rest. Let Peace make peace with wars and other evils. Only then, perhaps, we can give a meaning to little Alex's words and feelings.
posted by Aamir on 5/ 3/2009 5:06 pm