Living Peace Series Richard Branson Winners Announced!

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! http://www.ted.com/talks/elizabeth_lesser_take_the_other_to_lunch.html

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.

Living Peace Series Winners Announced!!!

The lucky winners from our Facebook contest are:

Jennifer Halber

Sera Chang

Cynthia Anderson

Traci Fish

Val Engstrom

Rolanda Engstrom

Richard Scheck

Francis-Gene Acosta

The winners were selected at random.  Here are their entires…

From Jennifer Halber:

Loving others regardless of our own ingrained prejudices in order to pursue a means of equality is what living peace means to me. For those who can sacrifice a piece of themselves to form a bond and connection with others in this world is the most beautiful picture we can paint for the generations to come. By seeing how we have lived with peace and greatfulness of life towards others we can be made whole.

 

From Sera Chang:

Living in peace means to me an active pursuit of happiness for not oneself but for another. Is there peace when one is at a comfortable, happy state but those around are in contrast struggling and striving to survive? Many think they have acquired peace by believing in the idea of peace but when has believing in itself achieve anything? 

Living peace is an act that separates one from the idea that the world revolves around oneself. It’s time to recognize others and their needs. We need to serve others, especially those who the world have turned away from and through that a chain reaction can flow into an invincible wave for living peace.

 

From Cynthia Anderson:

I’d like to think that this journey we are all on leads us to a better world where we all get along and live our lives in peace and harmony – where we have acceptance, love and gratitude for one another … I think The Center for Living Peace reflects this and strives to provide the avenue to achieve this goal.

 

From Traci Fish:

Living Peace can mean many things to many people. One of my 8 year old students once told me that “peace” meant “stopping world hunger.” If good comes out of this, if good happens…there is no bad definition. To me, Living peace means being grounded. It is a conscious DECISION we make every day. It is genuinely loving and accepting every thing and everyone around us. Finding peace in all people, living things, and in all of life and using it to do good, to better ourselves and the world. Living Peace is harmony and civility. It is not trying to be above all the struggles in life, Living Peace is having struggles and obstacles in life but living in calm, constantly learning, and loving every moment of it; taking in everything around you and finding the beauty and peace within. In my life, Living Peace is valuing life as a whole; being aware of the past, living in the moment, and preparing for the future.

 

From Val Engstrom:

Great changes have been brought by living peace. Wars have been avoided or arrested. Despots have been brought down. People have been freed and shackles removed.

But living peace isn’t just taking a stance against war. It isn’t just being non-violent or resisting oppression, exploitation or servitude.

All of the above has been achieved by living peace. There have been great achievements and changes brought about in the world by living peace. But to actually describe it you have to bring it down to a more personal focus.

To understand living peace you have to focus down to a more intimate level. You have to change your focus from the wide-angle world’s view, and set your focus down to macro focus where you can see all the details and nuances of your own life. You need that focus in order to not only understand it, but to take it and make it your own.

On macro focus you can see that living peace on a personal level is just living peacefully. Peace has at its root an act of confirming an agreement or fastening to a way of life that excludes hate and disorder. To live peace you banish hate, bitterness and anger, while you champion empathy and tranquility. You try to end argument and hostilities. You focus that camera lens down to macro in order to examine the minutia or your life. At that tight focus you can see how much easier it is to hate than to love. But as you get the pictures of your life together, you can see how much fuller your life is without all the disorder that hate and anger brings into your life. Focus on empathy and humanity. Sign a peace agreement with yourself to live peacefully.

This is living peace where it starts—at home.

 

From Rolanda Engstrom:

To me living peace is everywhere you look. We are not the only living species on the planet. Flowers, birds, elephants, dogs, cats, trees, etc. are living peace. Humans seem to be the only ones who can hold a grudge, act out in a jealous rage and covet what our friend or neighbor has. Humans also can manufacture instruments of destruction; guns, ammunition and bombs, which are the antithesis of living peace. Have you ever seen a bird toting an AK 47? Living peace means to be at peace with the earth and to make sure that the peacefulness remains for the next living creature that happens by.

Sadly, most people do not know the meaning of living peace. Making war and the by products of it seem to be easier. When greed, dishonesty, war and a disregard for other living things and the earth’s natural resources continue, we slip further and further away from living peace.

Now more that ever, living peace should be at the top of everyone’s list. It is time for all of us to take a more active role in this quest for living peace. Starting with the inner self, let’s take the first step on the road to living peace. Peace and kindness can then spread like wild fire. All we need to start is to say, “I am living peace.” Let’s practice this today, tomorrow, and forever.

 

From Rickard Scheck:

What Living Peace Means To Me
by Richard Scheck

Living Peace requires a level of self-mastery in which one models
compassion, selflessness and the acceptance of others.

Living Peace entails the ability to live in the present with an attitude of unconditional love toward all the other creatures who share this planet with us.

Living Peace is a concept that challenges us to be self-aware and
maintain our nobility in the face of hardship, abuse and tragedy.

Living Peace is the notion implicit in all spiritual disciplines
that calls on mere mortals to rise above their baser nature and
strive toward the perfection achieved by history’s great religious
teachers.

Living Peace is the call from above to listen to that still, small
voice within that connects us to our bliss and reminds us—even in
the darkest hours—that heaven awaits those who can transcend anger
and remain firm in their uniqueness.

And yes Living Peace is the accomplishment of having a life filled with joy while behaving in a manner that inspires others and leaves us feeling complete with the knowledge that there is truth in the world.

To Live in Peace is to be tranquil despite disappointment, to be fearless
in the face of perfidity, to keep an open mind and loving heart in a
world seemingly dominated by deception, ignorance, greed and the pettiness
of people with small minds.

To Live in Peace is to have the innocence and wonder of a child first
seeing a bird in flight, watching snow fall on a naked mountain top, listening to the ponding ocean waves or experiencing the emergence of
the night’s starry array as the sun flees from the sky.

To Live in Peace requires the relentless pursuit of truth and the ability
to resist the unending temptations presented to us daily.

And finally, Lving Peace is knowing to a metaphysical certainty that the
force that constitutes our bodies is the same energy that infuses the
entire Cosmos and allows us to rest comfortably within the Soul of God.

 

From Francis-Gene Acosta:

Compassion, understanding, respect, tolerance, acceptance…all without question necessary virtues that contribute to “living peace.” But in themselves and collectively they are insufficient (not to mention a little cliché) in describing what “living peace” should truly mean. I think living peace can best be understood relative to its greatest foe—indifference. I say greatest without hesitation because indifference often escapes people’s minds as an issue that hinders humanity’s ability to reach its potential for moral excellence. This is especially true of American culture. We all must understand that we can only fully combat indifference through action. To give an example in the wake of World AIDS Day, to me “living peace” might mean volunteering and sacrificing one’s time to teach and care for HIV/AIDS orphans abroad. It can also mean actively challenging leaders to aim for universal treatment and care for HIV/AIDS patients and combating the discrimination and ignorance that places marginalized groups at higher risk. Too often individuals are satisfied with donating money or reading up on a cause or issue as their means of contributing to “living peace.” Too many individuals surf through television channels and the internet avoiding noteworthy news sources that report on the state of the world because they deem them to be “just too depressing.” Individuals with this mindset are as troubled as the victims they see in the news—those infected with disease, those oppressed by their leaders, those suppressed by society—because like them they lack the ability to inspire change. In fact I would even claim that they are more troubled than these victims because they don’t really “lack the ability” they just choose not to exercise the freedom to actively fight back against disease and oppression that they have over those who are truly suffering. To achieve “living peace” we must implore those around us to allow the causes for this inaction—be it fear, laziness, selfishness, etc.—to fuel the vehicle that will lead us down the path for not only “living peace” on a day-to-day basis, but more importantly, “lasting peace” that will resonate in generations to come.

 

Thank you to everyone who entered! Your definitions of living peace were inspiring! If you didn’t get tickets to see Charlize Theron speak about her work with the Africa Outreach Project, fear not.  We will be streaming the event live from our website.

 

Good Happens.

Peace Grl Out.