REFLECTIONS ON PEACE SEEDS FOR CHILDREN

Reflections on Peace Seeds for Children was written by Rebecca Thomson as part of her community service project at Wellesley College.

The Peace Seeds represent the twelve prayers for peace prayed in Assisi, Italy on the Day of Prayer for World Peace during the United Nations International Year of Peace, 1986. The Prayers were brought to the United States and entrusted to the care of the children at The Life Experience School. The following photographs to the left of the prayers are of statues and icons in The Peace Abbey.

HINDU PRAYER FOR PEACE
Oh God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions. May there be peace on earth. May the waters be appeasing. May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all. May all beneficient beings bring peace to us all.

Have you felt the peace nature can bring? Take time to thank the water and trees for cooling us off in hot weather. Sit back and smell the flowers and gaze at the fields. Our Earth is wonderful. Let us thank her for her gifts. The people and animals on this Earth are also beautiful. Think about something nice that a person or animal in your life has done for you. Thank them, and they will be happy.

BUDDHIST PRAYER FOR PEACE
May the powerless find power, and may people think of befriending one another.
Have you ever felt like everyone was against you? How did you feel? Think about other children who are being teased, think about those who have no food, think about people whose countries are at war. These people are powerless, but they won't have power by fighting and killing. They will have power when they know they will have friends who will help them. You can befriend another child who has no friends, give food to a food drive, ask your parents who your Senators and Representatives are. You can write them a letter or visit them and tell them that our world should stop fighting wars because they kill children, grown-ups, and animals.

JAIN PRAYER FOR PEACE
Forgive do I creatures all, and let all creatures forgive me. Unto all have I amity, and unto none enmity.

It can be hard to forgive someone who hurts you. But if we do not forgive these people, we won't be happy. We'll still be mad at each other. But forgiveness heals us. When we forgive, we can smile again, and so can the other person. Think about someone who has harmed you. How did that make you feel? She/he is sad, too. If you forgive her/him, you can both be happier because you won't be fighting. It can be even harder to ask someone for forgiveness when you know you have hurt him/her. Think about how you would feel if you were him/her. When you are ready, tell that person that you are truly sorry and ask to do something nice for that person. We also need to ask the plants and animals for forgiveness. You can ask a tree to forgive the humans for cutting down so many other trees. You can hold an animal and ask her to forgive us people who have killed so many animals for so many reasons. The Jains believed in peace so much that they would not step on a bug. You can also be that way. When you walk carefully on the ground and see a small animal, you can move him to a safe place.

A weapon howsoever powerful it may be, can always be superseded by a superior one; but no weapon can, however, be superior to non-violence and love.

Have you ever seen this? Someone starts a fight, the other person fights back, but is hurt by an even bigger bully, or club? This happens everywhere. It happens in schools and in our world. Countries use bombs instead of clubs, but these weapons still don't make the situation better. We just see more and more wars. When will they all end? You can help end war in this world by responding peacefully in your own life. Can you think of peaceful ways to respond to someone who tries to start a fight?

MUSLIM PRAYER FOR PEACE
Praise be to the lord of the Universe who has created us and made us into tribes and nations, that we may know each other, not that we may despise each other.

God has created all of us. We may be different colors, come from different countries, and speak different languages, but we are all a part of God and a part of the Earth. Some countries fight wars with each other because their leaders and people do not understand this enough. Peace can begin with you. Are there children you know who come from a different country or a different religion? Have a conversation with them and tell each other about your families, holidays, favorite activities and dreams. You will find that you can learn a lot from one another, and that the most important thing about us is that we are all human beings.

SIKH PRAYER FOR PEACE
Know that we attaineth God when we loveth, and only that victory endures in consequence of which no one is defeated.

What does it mean to be a winner? Does it mean that someone else has to lose? No, a real winner is someone who helps others and stands up for peace. A real winner is someone who includes everyone in their games, even if there are some people who the others do not like. A real winner is someone who talks about problems with other children instead of trying to solve these problems by fighting. A real winner is someone who stands up for himself with his words, and not with his fists or guns. Fighting will only make the other person more angry and hateful. A firm word of understanding might make that person think differently. A real winner is also someone who is kind to everyone and works to bring peace to the people in their families and schools, and to the whole world. Martin Luther King did this, so did Gandhi, and so can you. What are some ways you can feel like a winner without making other people lose?

BAHA'I PRAYER FOR PEACE
Be a breath of life to the body of humankind.

Breathe in, feel the breath of air inside. Breathe out and smile. Breathing can be an act of peace too. And we breathe every moment, so that gives us a lot of chances to make peace. When we breathe, we can think about how wonderful it is to be alive and to have so many blessings from God. We can also think about those who are not so fortunate. When you breathe, can you think of someone in this world who might need your help? What are some things you can do?

SHINTO PRAYER FOR PEACE
Although the people living across the ocean surrounding us, I believe are all our brothers and sisters, why are there constant troubles in this world?

Let's think about one of our brothers or sisters around the world. Can you think of another country? Can you picture a child in that country who is about your age? What is her name? Who are the people in his family? What does she have fun doing? Think about this friend. If we think of this Earth as God's family, then he/she is your sibling. Say a prayer for your sister, that she and you, and your two countries can live in peace.

NATIVE AFRICAN PRAYER FOR PEACE
Almighty God, the great thumb we cannot evade to tie any knot; the roaring thunder that splits mighty trees: the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees even the footprints of an antelope on a rock mass here on Earth. You are the one who does not hesitate to respond to our call. You are the cornerstone of peace.

God loves us all very much. When we're sad, it may not seem like God cares about us at all, but sometimes things happen that we just don't understand. Let's think of God as someone who loves everyone in this world. How do you think God feels when people fight and kill? How do you feel when your two best friends are fighting each other? This may be how God feels. What are some things you can do in your own life to help make the world more like God planned it to be?

NATIVE AMERICAN PRAYER FOR PEACE
O Great Spirit Let us learn to share all the good things that you provide for us on this Earth.

Think of all the wonderful things we have on this Earth. Let's thank God for our food and our water. Think about the people on this planet who don't have enough. How would you feel if you shared something with them? Think about the things that you have at home. Are there friends who would like to borrow things that you own? How would they feel if you shared your things with them? Have you ever seen people get into fights because they could not share? Many countries in our world do this. They fight wars because they do not know how to share their land, water and food. We can be peacemakers by sharing what we have and setting an example for others.

ZOROASTRIAN PRAYER FOR PEACE
We pray to God to eradicate all the misery in the world; that understanding triumph over ignorance, that generosity triumph over indifference, that trust triumph over contempt, and that truth triumph over falsehood.

Can you remember a time when you and another person could understand each other? Can you remember a time when you couldn't understand one another? Let us pray that we can all understand each other more.

Can you remember a time that you shared with someone else? How about a time when another person shared with you? What about times when the other person didn't share or when you didn't share? How did you feel when you were sharing, when others shared with you? And how did you feel when that other person didn't share with you. That is how she felt when you didn't share with her. Let us make ourselves and other people happier by sharing what we have.

Let us also pray that we may all be brave enough to trust and be honest with one another.

JEWISH PRAYER FOR PEACE
And we shall beat our swords into plough shares, and our spears into pruning hooks.

God would like to see all of us turn our weapons, which are for killing, into other things like garden tools, which help people. When we harm people in our daily lives, our weapons are our words, and sometimes our fists, feet, or objects. How can we use each of these things so that they help people instead?

CHRISTIAN PRAYER FOR PEACE
Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS, for they shall be known as the children of God. But I say to you that hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

Sometimes when we try to make peace, not everyone likes us. This is very hard. If we love our enemies, people may think we are weak, but we are actually very strong. If we hate our enemies, they'll just keep hating and hurting us, but if we love them they just might change. So loving our enemies is a good thing. It's also a very hard thing to do, and because of that, it takes a strong person to be loving to others who want to harm them. Loving your enemies does not mean you have to let them beat you up. Stay away from them so they can't hurt you, but don't try to hurt them either. If you are always kind to other people, many of them will follow your example. It may take a long time, but it WILL happen. Is there anyone in your life who you would call an enemy? How can you show this person that you care?