INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE

Warmest wishes for extensive reach for this initiative — John Langmore, National President, United Nations Association in Australia.

Information about the International Day of Peace is available from the United Nations website.

Our grateful thanks to all who come to participate in celebrating this Day of Peace.

May Peace come to All!

For I dipt into the future, far as human eye could see,
Saw the Vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be;

Saw the heavens fill with commerce, argosies of magic sails,
Pilots of the purple twilight, dropping down with costly bales;

Heard the heavens fill with shouting, and there rain’d a ghastly dew
From the nations’ airy navies grappling in the central blue;

Far along the world-wide whisper of the south-wind rushing warm,
With the standards of the peoples plunging thro’ the thunder-storm;

Till the war-drum throbb’d no longer, and the battle-flags were furl’d
In the Parliament of man, the Federation of the world.

There the common sense of most shall hold a fretful realm in awe,
And the kindly earth shall slumber, lapt in universal law.

(Extract from Locksley Hall by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, written 1835)

These words are believed to have inspired past leaders such as UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill and US President Harry Truman, with ideas about helping to make a lasting world peace. Tennyson offers a vision of a future in which people of the world cease fighting wars and try to live in harmony. The flags of battle are put away and people join together to form a Federation of the world. The Earth will then be at peace — wrapped securely in universal law.

Today we have the United Nations, a worldwide and developing force created to alleviate the human misery which comes through misuse of power and resources. 2008 is the 60th anniversay of UN peacekeeping and it seems timely to bring the Peace Poem once again to the attention of the people of our endangered global village. The limitations of the UN must be overcome if we are to survive.

The Email of Peace, written to celebrate the International Day of Peace, sends a message of goodwill and peace via the world-wide web, in the hope that all who receive it and send it on may in this way demonstrate their support for cessation of all hostilities and an end to the wastage of the people, the animals and the resources of our Planet. The original English text and translations to various other languages are available here. Please copy and send any of these. If the language you want is absent and you are able to do the translation then please help us fill this gap by sending your translation to United Nations Association in Australia, WA Division.

This is an initiative of the United Nations Association in Australia, WA Division.
The purpose of this initiative is to celebrate the International Day of Peace, September 21, 2008.
UNAA(WA) is a not for profit, volunteer Association, registered in the State of Western Australia.
©2008 United Nations Association of Australia (WA Division)