The lucky winners from our Facebook contest are:
Glen Gilbert
Suzane Gastineau Sparks
Lisa Kelly
Mateo Hwang
Rich Vandermey
Carter Higgs
Kathy Horne
Caitlin Close
Adriane Lavender
Tom Allemann
CONGRATULATIONS!
The winners were selected at random. Here are their amazing ideas about how to inspire peace in others…
From Glen Gilbert:
Practice meditation. Practice yoga. Practice reading mindfulness-based books, magazines, articles, websites. Practice “listening” to your thoughts. Practice being gentle to yourself in all you think & do. Practice forgiving yourself. Practice remembering, reminding yourself that life is all about ‘practice’ not perfection – so that whenever you find yourself irritated with yourself (your thoughts or your actions toward or about yourself and/or others) that you always have another chance to ‘practice.’ Practice spending time with others who reflect the peace you want practice. … Michael Jordan, although a supremely gifted athlete, practiced *every day* … Practice being gentle with yourself. Practicing is an on-going activity. You *will* find you’ll be inspired – and that *will* inspire others – to continue to live, and practice, peace within yourself and *that* will (may?) inspire others toward peace (if & when they’re ready to start *their* practice-ing) … this, above, comes from my personal experience(s). … As said in 12 Step programs: “Keep coming back. It works!” … Gandhi: “Be the change you want to see in the world.”
From Suzanne Gastineau Sparks:
We can share the wisdom of Earth’s many cultures. “when birds fall from the sky and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. they will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow.” ~Hopi Prophecy ♥
From Lisa Kelly:
I’d say Elizabeth Lesser has a great thought on inspiring peace in others. Love this TED talk!
From Mateo Hwang:
You can inspire peace in others by cultivating peace within yourself and letting your spirit be more accessible to the people around you. Live your life honestly with minimal effort but cherishing every little opportunities that comes by. Show your appreciation for the smallest gestures and return your love with extreme generosity. As your peace cultivates and matures, let it flow and it will spread like wild daisies. People will notice and become mesmerized by the constant movement of energy and slowly become drenched in peace.
From Rich Vandermey:
There are many definitions for the word “Peace” I believe in this instance, Peace is harmonious relations; freedom from disputes. Our society seems to have taken an unfortunate stance of a “why me” attitude as opposed to a “why NOT me” attitude. Instead of why is my life terrible why me why me.., people should be saying “people are happy and successful, heck why not me!! Inspiring peace in others requires one to take accountability for what they do. Offer solutions not condemnation. Offer assistance not avoidance. To know who needs help, you only need to ask….
From Carter Higgs:
by telling at least one person every day that any of us can be an instrument of peaceful change. 
From Kathy F Horne:
went to the movie tonight and I think we can inspire peace in others by living our authentic self. We are capable of anything if we believe it. Watching the move tonight I watched ordinary men and women change the world with peace and a believe. ‘very powerful. We all need to challenge ourselves to live in peace.
From Caitlin Close :
One can inspire peace in others by finding peace and compassion within ones self. Lead by example…
From Adriane Lavender:
How to Inspire Peace in Others by Adriane Lavender
Inspiring Peace in others begins with everyone as an individual and how we relate to one another. When we can examine and get rid of the negativity in our own lives, we can solve problems without violence. I think the world would be a better place if we all live the saying, “Do unto others as you would have done to you.” Tolerance, spirituality, being fair, dialogue, restraint when provoked and avoiding negative stereotyping are also qualities and ways of life that not only can inspire, but encourage peace in others. We should also be aware that it is not wise to stereotype or categorize any group of people, because there are always exceptions to the rule. As a democratic society it is not uncommon to see people demonstrate when they are not happy about something or feel that they are being unfairly treated, for instance students demonstrating against tuition increases. In such instances, while there is understandably a lot of emotion, people should demonstrate peacefully in a non-violent manner and non-destructive manner as exemplified by Martin Luther King (MLK) and those in authority should listen to the concerns of the people (students in this case), empathize, put themselves in the shoes of the students and ask how they would like to be treated if they were in the same predicament as the students and make decisions based on that.
When I think about tolerance as a way to inspire peace in others, religion comes to mind. While most people are comfortable with their religion as a way of life and essential part of their spirituality, it is important to know that there are other religions and be tolerant of other religions without forcefully trying to convert others or feel a particular religion is better than another. All religions need to come together, have dialogue and work together for the good of the global community, like looking for things in common rather than differences. On a global note, the World Council of Religious Leaders seeks to inspire women and men of all faiths in the pursuit of peace and mutual understanding. The World Council of Religions is not part of the United Nations. It is an independent body which supports the work of the United Nations in our common quest for peace. The formation of the World Council of Religious Leaders was one of the stated goals of the Millennium World Peace, and the objective of the council is to serve as a resource to the United Nations and its agencies around the world, nation states and other international organizations, offering the collective wisdom and resources of the faith traditions toward the resolution of critical global problems (
http://www.millenniumpeacesummit.com/
)
Dialogue is a useful way to inspire peace in others. Through dialogue especially when there is a disagreement, there is an opportunity to try to understand the other persons point of view or where they are coming from and work together for a solution that each party is satisfied with or can agree on. Rather than rush to war, nations should have dialogue and consider other options other than war. ‘The same species that invented war is capable of inventing peace. This is the conclusion of the Seville Statement on Violence, drafted by leading scientists from around the world during the UN International Year for Peace in 1986’, (
http://www.culture-of-peace.info/cultureofpeace.html
). ‘….I believe that the widespread use of cross-cultural dialogue will foster the global community we so earnestly seek,” Michael Nobel.
Working toward the eradication of poverty and fostering national and international cooperation to reduce economic and social inequalities is a good way to inspire peace in others and in other countries, because as long as there are people who are disenfranchised and who feel their government doesn’t care about them, the tendency is for people to revolt out of frustration, which is counter to peace and peaceful demonstrations. We must also move from an era of cultural imperialism, in which powerful nations impose their will on weaker countries, to an era of cultural exchange and respect. Other people’s culture and ways of life should be respected, because that is what makes them unique. However, culture and peoples ways of life should also be evolving for the ultimate good of the people.
From Tom Allemann:
If you wanna inspire peace in others you must first learn how to listen carefully what others have to tell you and have compassion….
Thank you to everyone who entered the contest! Your ideas were inspirational. To anyone else who was unable to get tickets to the event—do not fear! We will be streaming the event LIVE on our website on Tuesday, January 25 at 6:30pm PST at www.goodhappens.org! We will also being doing a LIVE tweet of the event!
Good Happens.
Peace Grl Out.
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