The Hare and Tortoise of Peace

Have you ever heard about the story of the hare and the tortoise? It is a story about two animals and the beginning and end of their journeys.

The story begins with the speedy hare in a race with a slow tortoise. Naturally, an individual would think that the speedy hare would win and from the beginning of the story it seems like so. The hare speeds to the end of the finish line only to see a tree with shade and decides that he can rest. What made him rest? He saw that the tortoise was slow and had a long way to go. Therefore the hare slept and slept and slept. Suddenly the hare woke up to a loud and thunderous cheer. He thought the cheer was for him and he quickly zipped through the finish line, but realized that the crowd was around the tortoise. He looked at his watch and realized he slept for hours and realized that was enough time for the slow and steady tortoise to win the race.

What can we learn from this story in regards to peace? There are two types of people in this world. Whether in regards to work, school, or peace, there is always a hare and there is always a tortoise. The hare like person is skilled and is capable to achieve great things, but looks at others who are behind him and makes himself above others. The hare like person ends up resting and thinks they have enough time. However, the tortoise like person does not look at others when running the race. The tortoise just looks at the finish line despite his weakness. With that effort, he looks to win the race slow and steady. Soon enough, the hare like person is the one who falls behind and the tortoise is the winner.

When we are the people who can achieve peace, who will you be? Will you be like the hare who already feels like peace is complete? Or will you be like the tortoise who sees that peace as possible and runs till the finish line? Let us become peace runners like the tortoise! Although we may not be the greatest of people, let us be people who have heart. Peace runner like you and me can most definitely make peace a reality even tomorrow!

HWPL Clean Up Clean Up Everybody Clean Up

In this world, there is a saying that, "it is the little things that count." 

Following the HWPL 2nd Commemoration Peace Event, there were many who left full of peace within their hearts. However, little did we know that there were many who stayed behind to make sure that the earth is also at peace.

With much clean up to do, I was able to grab a glimpse of the hearts of the workers who volunteered to make this event happen. With every little action of picking up the trash on the field, I was truly amazed to see that everyone works with the heart of gratitude and thankfulness.

I am sure that everyone would be so tired after making the event happen, but it was as if another crew came in to do the cleaning work. It is never easy to want to clean up after hosting such a grandeur event, but some how everyone was willing. This is how I knew that peace isn't just an event, but it goes to even the small things such as picking up the trash. 

From what I saw, there were even small children who were actually in the performances helping out with picking up the white flakes that came out during the ending performance of the HWPL event. That showed me that even the youth had the same heart as the elderly who were also doing the same. 

Peace doesn't just come because we want it. It comes because there are people like this who truly make sure that peace is within the hearts of everyone. If no one cleaned up the stadium, who would? It would probably be those who have to be paid to clean up the trash. Would that be peaceful? It wouldn't. 

Therefore, let us make sure that peace is achieved through the efforts of everyone and not just one person!

There are Only a Few things on Earth that can...

Make one so hopeful.

Please feel free to print this out as a survey for yourself.
I am going to give you a survey on what gives you hope.

1. The birth of a newborn child.
2. Starving children in the streets.
3. The budding of a seed that was planted.
4. Children fighting in war. 
5. Opening the door for others.
6. Being healed 100% after a life threatening disease,
7. Seeing a burned forest come back to full flourish.
8. The budding of a seed that was planted.
9. Nations attacking other nations in need of land and resources.
10. The death of your loved one.
11. The passing of fellow nation citizens.
12. Starving children in the streets.
13. Two opposing nations and religions coming together for the sake of peace.

If you take a look closely at this survey there is one thing you can find in common. Do you know what that is?

One thing you can definitely find in common is that hope revolves around the issue of life. When life is given, one is able to have hope. When life is taken one loses their hope. Then what should we do?

If we say to ourselves that we are so hopeful, but the whole world still wants to find a hope for themselves, why can't we go out and share it?

I am currently at the 2nd Annual Commemoration of the WARP Summit and I am just blown away... I look upon a sea of beautiful colors and I end up only realizing that it isn't just colorful chairs, but people.

Is there really this many people who want peace? If this is only a small percentage of individuals who want peace, then how much greater can this be? It only takes a small spark of many individuals to come together and shout their voices for peace. I am glad to be here and I hope you are too even if it meant being "here" watching the live stream~

2nd Annual Commemoration of WARP Summit click here!

HWPL: Is it the Answer to Peace? You Betcha

Following the event, I felt a great sense of hope. Why is it that I am able to have a greater hope even after one day? This is because I was able to see that peace is one step closer than we can even imagine. I have heard many people say that peace cannot be achieved, but after attending the HWPL’s peace event, I started to think that peace not being able to happen was something of yesterday.

The world today follows trends, but trends that do not last often burn out because there is nothing that comes out of it. That is why we call it a trend. However, what if we made peace the new trend? Would it even be a trend? I would like to say that peace can actually be a lifestyle. A lifestyle means that people are able to have a certain purpose in their heart and live every day to that purpose.

Imagine waking up every morning with the thought that peace is one day closer to fulfillment. We wake up every day with the thoughts of our work, school, and the worries that consume us for us to await another day of the same thoughts. Just take a moment right now to think about a day where you wake up and hear on the news of war stopping and people coming together to help one another. What would the world look like if that actually happened? Would people be fighting over land as we have done for the many thousands of years? It would be the first time we would be able to see the barriers being broken once and for all and the people to come together for the purpose of world peace.

I once doubted world peace, but HWPL made me change my thought in a single day of visiting the event. Seeing individuals with such high positions in the world who were willing to come to agreement of wanting to achieve world peace was a sight that cannot be captured or explained in words. When the leaders could have been yelling at one another with their different ideals, they were calm and collected to listen and understand one another. How is this possible? I believe it is possible because the leaders truly believe in their own hearts that peace is not too far away.

If the leaders were able to lower themselves for the sake of peace, what must the people do? We too must be able to see the purpose in which we live on the earth. More than making money or becoming the most famous person in the world, being able to understand and work along those beside you like a family is much more valuable. It is like a dream right? Well it is time to stop dreaming because world peace is coming. See you all at the next HWPL event and come see it yourselves.