Welcome to page two of Hand to Hand. This score is one linking up with many across the world; highlighting the messages of Sarasota's children, young people and others in our expanding community. The messages of the heart that are shared here are timeless and need to be heeded by those in a position of leadership; it is a vision that longs to stem such violence as occurred in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001 . . . and everywhere on Earth.

 

 

The reason I wrote peace in the world was because I believe that in the 21st century there won't be any need to have wars and fight because we will be living a peaceful life.

"Sixteen years ago I lost my father and to this day when I think of him it is sometimes with tears in my eyes but often I just smile and think of the nice moments we shared. On Tuesday my thoughts went to the families and friends of all those who were lost. I wasn't thinking about the actions or the reactions just what these poor people are going through; a pain that is heightened by the uncertainty of the situation and the knowledge of the actions that took their loved ones. To all those in mourning I send you a personal message hoping that peace will come to you soon and that you to can think of your loved ones with a smile on your face.      David Grace

 

 

Peace is a dream we all need to work at to make come true. All the words on the other side can help us.

What has shocked us is the brutal destruction of human lives. Peoples' bodies have been burned and lives have been destroyed. If we assent to the view that retaliating by destroying other people's lives is an appropriate response, we give victory to the delusions of hatred and ignorance. These are the real enemies of living beings. Therefore we should pray for peace, the inner peace of compassion and wisdom. Even if some strong actions are called for, if motivated by anger (again, arising mainly from fear) and ignorance, and not by compassion and wisdom, they can only add to the problem. Only compassion and wisdom have the actual power to overcome the evils of hatred and ignorance. We should use this tragedy as an opportunity to develop our own compassion and wisdom. If we improve our own good qualities and abandon our negative distorted states of mind, we will then become sources of peace in the world. Then we will be victorious over our real enemies.   Kadam Lucy James,  Kancha Buddhist Center

From

Deepak

Today, we are still fighting in combat. When has fighting solved our problems? My grandfather learned that the only thing war does is kill the "enemy" and he was killed in action. Tell me why we should fight because someone is in our way or annoying us. We need to settle our differences and forgive each other.

Never in my life have the emotions of outrage, anger, apprehension and disgust been as strong as this past week. And pride in the unity and resolve of the American people. Gandhi believed that nonviolent resistence was the way and I struggle to try to apply his message, and that of the Bible, the Koran, and every other significant religious doctrine to this current outrage. Do I have such courage? What would such action look like? How do we fight an enemy without resorting to the least common demoninator? No answers return to me, but maybe through the collective wisdom of people smarter than I am, people who's opinions I value such as you, we can avoid satiating the current appetite for revenge at the expense of our longterm security and world de-stabilization. Namaste, Dan Cormany

Ten things to make you more peaceful:   1— If you are frustrated do something else for ten minutes   2—Resolve fights with words 3—Take long walks alone   4—Take long walks with friends 5—Go out to dinners   6—Go on a weekend vacation   7—Say no to exrtra work   8—Say yes to fun things   9—Sleep a long time 10—Sit down and finish a good book.

It's not that we should forget it and pretend it didn't happen now, at this moment. It did, and it is a reflection of how feelings of hatred, fanaticism, dogma can be destructive. It also calls this country not to turn its back on the necessity of creating agreement, cooperation, peace efforts, and synergy out of conflict. A great big hug to all of you! Helena Baronheid

Earth

Record

Peace to me is a world of happiness. If we had peace 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 356 days a year the world would go crazy. Peace is peaceful.

I'm a 60 year old disabled vietnam vet who experienced a (n.d.e.) near death experience . . . who's been there/ seen that / done that . . . from self-defence to violence to bodybags . . . from sanity to insanity—which is why I don't mourn the dead with 'after the fact' analytical theories hypothesizing — "how and why someone died or almost died" It seems to me like right about now would be the most auspicious time to innertain the thought of more deeply understanding the relationship between life and death—.between the spirit world of our ancestors and our present mortal life—especially since that's where we mortals are all eventually heading— sooner or later violently or peacefully—through war or through peace—through illness or through natural death. Your Brother, Jamal

Peace to me means no wars and everyone getting along. It also means freedon. It means someone getting along with youu and taking care of you.

Never before have I been given a more powerful opportunity on deciding where I am deliberately going to place my attention. Never before have I had a more powerful opportunity in being able to decide how I'm going to label an event. Never before have I had such an opportunity to notice that going into react mode is a response and a choice I have dominion over. I'm in awe and appreciation of the power of the creator of this creation we're experiencing today and recognize that w/in human consciousness there exists the same magnitude of power to be utilized for constructive acts as well as destructive. Where shall we begin?     Carolyn

 

Peace: Love in my family, people not fighting, and goodness in the world

My efforts at school to help my students understand (not that there's ANY understanding this tragedy) are going in the direction of focusing on patriotic music. Many of them don't even know the words to what we consider to be standard repertoire. What's so cool is that even the "non-singers" (or so they think!) are really getting into it. They especially love the sign language I am incorporating. It's been a great way to channel grief, shock and the special energy of middle school students who are in the middle of a week of standardized testing and a national crisis. In fact—I'm off to greet my darlings now.   Love and Light—Jaci

Vision of Peace

Dalai Lama

I like Earth because it has food

There is precious little "holiness" around right now. And the world could sorely use it. While I do not presume to be spokeswoman for the Divine, I can state most assuredly that God does not advocate bombing anyone back to the stone age, just as surely as I can state that God did not whisper into Osama bin Laden's ear that it would be a holy act to bomb the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. and I can say, with absolute surety, that what God is doing at this very moment is sobbing, sitting on the proverbial celestial throne, hands over eyes, weeping. because we never learn, we get chance after chance and lesson after lesson, and we never learn. At this moment, aside from doing my own crying, I'm listening to "The Birthday of the World", a Rosh Hashanah CD, and the words just spoken were "there is no room for human arrogance on Rosh Hashanah."   Susan

 

To have world peace is to have peace in yourself, which is to have peace in your heart.

To my friends: My candle burns continually, and I ask for the serenity to accept and the courage to change. I have spent a few days isolating and know now that I cannot survive without you, without your love and support.       Love, Geri

How am I to change our wonderful world? The only change that I will make is to clear the damage that has been done by our ancestors and us, and to being people together. I will do this by sharing love, and maybe this will spread the gift around.

My heart goes out to all who have lost loved ones, my heart goes out to all the people of the world. Our collective souls have been hurt and our collective spirit is where we must turn for guidance. Hatred is a path of destruction. Fear is a path of destruction. I know that the US will be compelled to retaliate and many more innocent lives will undoubtedly be taken. Please do not harden your hearts to the many sorrows that will be suffered. We must resolve to work together in a positive way to solve the world problems that have led to this great sadness.    Much love, Jan Goldstoff