peace..

24th october is the anniversary of United Nations, and suddenly my mind filled with the word P E A C E . when i was a kid, i used to have one wish, a w o r l d p e a c e. i grew up with the story of east timor war (my dad went there twice), i watched persian gulf war, kosovo, congo, mozambique, rwanda, u.s invasion of afganistan, u.s invasion and occupation of iraq.

who am i trying to fool? who are you trying to fool? as a kid, i was taught (and so i belive) that the w o r l d p e a c e is attainable. yeah, similar to how we are taught about cinderella or snow white. fairytales are ingrained into our naïve minds as children and this includes the ever so famous myth that w o r l d p e a c e is within close reach. but, as we grow older and our viewpoints are struck by the harsh realities of life, one slowly realizes that w o r l d p e a c e is so incredibly far from being reached that many people simply stop trying to achieve positive change altogether.

while w o r l d p e a c e would be ideal for the dreamers (i.e: me), i think creativity and positive change arises out of conflict; mainly conflict created by diversity, conflict as a result of discomfort/pain, and conflict as a product of inconvenience. this is something that me, as an individual, have direct control over. but firstly, i need to find inner peace, which will then reflect on the surface and assist in creating a well-balanced, healthy external environment for me. it is impossible to control the minds/actions of the larger population as well as the leading governmental bodies, so why not start within myself… after all, i have the total control over ME :)

nooo, i am no expert at "the steps to finding inner peace" but one thing that i have seen make a huge difference in a person's life is humbly accepting the fact that inner peace is not caused by superficial relationships and material objects, but instead by accepting the good, the bad and the ugly in my life and turning it into blessing instead of a curse.

i do hope, once i have built a sense of serenity in my life, i can then focus all of my energy on pinpointing an external situation that requires a need for change, whether it may be volunteering at a shelter, raising money for breast cancer, or even adopting a child from somalia (hey, angelina jolie and maddona did it!)

yeah, i am a dreamer. it's free, it's fun, and time consuming for me who lost in this world :) i am nobody, but i will try to feel more fulfilling and provide more meaning and purpose to my sense of being in this world. you may also argue that the definition of "inner peace" varies from person to person in the same manner that the definition of w o r l d p e a c e is looked upon from different perspectives. i certainly couldn't provide a definition for world peace if you asked me to! ask mr.google instead!

nah, now you're insist, here my version of w o r l d p e a c e.

peace is making new friends.
peace is being different.
peace is keeping the water blue for all the fish.
peace is different kinds of music.
peace is saying you're sorry.
peace is feeling good about yourself.
peace is helping neighbors.
peace is reading books.
peace is planting trees.
peace is sharing a meal.
peace is watching snow.
peace is having a home.
peace is the feeling when your friend hugs you.
peace is a baskin and robins' cookies and cream.
peace is wishing on a star.
peace is being who you are.
look for peace. help make peace. and when you find it, don't let it go.

as a bonus, i want you to read this beautiful poem, written by african kid (sorry, can't find the name of the poet).

When I born, I black
When I grow up, I black
When I go in Sun, I black
When I scared, I black
When I sick, I black
And when I die, I still black

And you white fellow
When you born, you pink
When you grow up, you white
When you go in sun, you red
When you cold, you blue
When you scared, you yellow
When you sick, you green
And when you die, you grey

And you calling me colored??

(Nominated by UN as the best Poem of 2006 - Written by an African Kid)