Drop a Pebble

“Drop a pebble in the water:
 in a minute you forget, 
But there's little waves a-flowing, 
and there's ripples circling yet, 
And those little waves a-flowing 
to a great big wave have grown; 
You've disturbed a mighty river 
just by dropping in a stone.” (James W. Foley)

So what is with all the HATE?  It recent months, emotions of hate ripple through the newswire faster than ever before. People are becoming outraged by the practice of “Freedom of Speech” and violent protests have ensued globally. Threats between religions and countries are growing and it appears our mission for global peace is dissolving.

Whatever happened to the notion of building a global society where we can all live together in peace? It seems that advanced technology is building the bridge to globalization but we are in desperate need of peacemakers.  

I feel “The Golden Rule” needs to be reintroduced as a basic principal to abide by in our global society. I have recently learned that the three major Religions-Christianity, Judaism and Islam, each hold a basic premise of the “Golden Rule.”  In Christianity, “"So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the Law and the prophets." (Matthew 7:12). In Islam,  “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.” (Sunnah).  In Judaism “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellowman. This is the entire Law; all the rest if commentary.” (Talmud, Shabbat 3id).

Friendships between countries, friendships between political parties and friendships between races IS POSSIBLE. 

C.S. Lewis quotes in his book The Four Loves, “Friendship arises out of mere Companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden).”

Its time for global leaders to take a stand for PEACE.

The late US President JFK promoted peace. On June 10, 1963 President JFK addressed his famous “Peace Speech”, an excerpt from his speech is as follows:

…Let us focus instead on a more practical, more attainable peace-- based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions--on a series of concrete actions and effective agreements which are in the interest of all concerned. There is no single, simple key to this peace--no grand or magic formula to be adopted by one or two powers. Genuine peace must be the product of many nations, the sum of many acts. It must be dynamic, not static, changing to meet the challenge of each new generation. For peace is a process--a way of solving problems.

With such a peace, there will still be quarrels and conflicting interests, as there are within families and nations. World peace, like community peace, does not require that each man love his neighbor--it requires only that they live together in mutual tolerance, submitting their disputes to a just and peaceful settlement. And history teaches us that enmities between nations, as between individuals, do not last forever. However fixed our likes and dislikes may seem, the tide of time and events will often bring surprising changes in the relations between nations and neighbors.

So let’s not forget the “Golden Rule” and the ripple effect it has in this life…

Drop a word of cheer and kindness: 
just a flash and it is gone; 
But there's half-a-hundred ripples
circling on and on and on, 
Bearing hope and joy and comfort
on each splashing, dashing wave 
Till you wouldn't believe the volume
of the one kind word you gave. (James W. Foley)