Assignment in Communication Art : Say it with Peace. (Christmas Offering)

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM 8 to 9 Evening Class, Monday to Friday

For UST 3CA1, 3CA3, 4CA5. Cite other ways peace is expressed in various human endeavors - art, forum, truce, legislation, compact, devotion, armistice, in bullet format on short bond.

Non-verbal expression of Peace. Peace is the motto of all religions.
Monument of Fr Miguel Benavides, founder of University of
Santo Tomas (1611)

With thousands of languages and dialects in the world - both extant and extinct, certainly the expressions and act of conveying peace is virtually endless, and extremely diverse. Yet all have a common denominator - respect to God and fellowmen. And to Nature.

Peace indeed is the most translated word in any language or dialect. It accompanies compliments, greetings, condolences, casual conversations. Peace is found as sign of flags, banners, insignias and emblems. No prayer is without the mention of peace, quite often repeatedly. It is a word that greets, forgives, compliments, a word for welcome and goodbye.It is therapy.

These different expressions remind all of us that the greeting of peace is common to all cultural and religious traditions.

• "Kopiwosian" is the peace greeting of one of the oldest civilizations and belief systems in Asia, the indigenous Kadazan-Ousun culture in Sabah.

• "Om Shanti" is the greeting of peace of the believers in Hinduism.

• "Ping An", or "Zao An" in the morning and "Wan An" in the evening, is the peace greeting of the followers of Taoism and Confucianism.

• "Shalom" is the greeting of peace of the followers of Judaism.

• "Salam", later "Pax Vobiscum" and nowadays "Peace be with you" is the peace greeting of the Christians, especially the Catholics.

• "Assalamu'alaikum" is the Islamic greeting of peace which might be the most frequently used peace greeting in today's world.

In Ilokano, the language of Northern Luzon, Philippines, there are a number of ways of greeting a person with the message of peace.

To one who is leaving, : "Dios ti kumuyog." (Godspeed. God goes with you.)
To one who stays or left behind, "Dios ti agbati." (God stays with you.)
To one who has given favor, "Dios ti agngina." (God is precious.)
To the bereaved, "Dios ti mangliw-liwa." (God consoles.)
Also, as condolence, Dios ti agalwad." (God protects.)

When going to a foreign country, or unfamiliar place, learn to say PEACE in the local language. Here are some translations by country or culture.

Fridden, Luxemburgish

Der Frieden, German

La Paix, French

Mír Bosnian, Bulgarian, Byelorussian, Croatian, Czech, Russian, Serbian, Slovene, Ukrainian

Shalom, Hebrew

Heiwa, Japanese

Salam, Arabic

La Paz, Spanish

La Pace Italian, Romanian

A Paz Galician, Portuguese

Barish, Turkish

Béke, Hungarian

Damai, Indonesian

Filemu, Samoan

Fois Scots, Gaelic

Fred Danish, Norwegian, Swedish

Hau, Tahitian

Hedd, Welsh

Hoa Bình, Vietnamese

Iri'ni, Greek

Kalilíntad, Magindanaon

Kapayapaan, Tagalog Filipino

K'é, Navajo

Khanhaghutyun, Armenian

La Paqe, Albanian

Linew, Manobo

Maluhia, Hawaiian

Melino, Tonga

Miers, Latvian

Nimuhóre, Ruanda

Pax, Latin

Pingan, Chinese

Pokój , Polish, Slovak

Pyong'hwa, Korean

Rahu, Estonian

Rauha, Finnish

Rukun, Javanese

Saanti, Nepali

Santipap, Thai

Shîte, Tibetan

Shanti Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu

Sholim, Yiddish

Síocháin, Irish

Soksang, Khmer

Solh Dari, Persian

Sulh, Turkish

Taika, Lithuainian

Ukuthula, Zulu

Uvchin, Mapudungun

Vrede Afrikaans, Dutch

Wo'okeyeh, Sioux

Peace be with you all.

Some Thoughts on Peace...

"If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace."

Thich Nhat Hanh

"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there."

Mother Teresa

"The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us."

Black Elk

"Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."

Martin Luther King, Jr.

"We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace."

William Gladstone

"When my heart is at peace, the world is at peace."

Chinese Proverb

"There never was a good war or bad peace."

Benjamin Franklin

"Peace is always beautiful."

Walt Whitman

"If you yourself are at peace, then there is at least some peace in the world."

Thomas Merton

"If you scramble about in search of inner peace, you will lose your inner peace."

Lao Tzu

"It is no longer good enough to cry peace, we must act peace, live peace, and live in peace."

Shenandoah proverb

"Better indeed is knowledge than mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace."

Bhagavad Gita 12:12

"If in our daily life we can smile, if we can be peaceful and happy, not only we, but everyone will profit from it. This is the most basic kind of peace work."

Thich Naht Hanh

If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.

Lao Tzu

"This is the way of peace: overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love."

Peace Pilgrim

"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family."

Mother Teresa

"Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace."

Buddha

"Peace is the altar of God, the condition in which happiness exists."

Paramahansa Yogananda

"Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn."

John Muir

"I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed."

Dalai Lama

Symbols of Peace

	Calumet (peace pipe) - Calumet means "reed" in French. Such pipes were considered sacred, offering communion with the animate powers of the universe and embodying the honor and the source of power of Native Americans who possessed them. Calumets were particularly used at the conclusion of peace treaties and in ceremonies of adoption. The pipes were principally used by the Dakotan and Algonquian peoples of the Great Plains and in the southeastern United States. Communal smoking usually carried the guarantees of friendship. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Dove - In the Bible, a dove was released from the Ark by Noah and returned with an olive branch to show that the Biblical flood was over. Ever since, the dove has symbolised deliverance and God's forgiveness. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Rainbow - The rain-bow is also a biblical peace symbol. When men would go off to fight they would take their "bow" with them of course -- when they would return home they would "hang their bow" up on the wall making the basic statement that they were not at war but in a time of peace. The rain-bow is the same action but the Holy One "hanging bow" in the sky for all to see that we are not at war but in a time and promise of peace. In Christian tradition it symbolizes God's forgiveness, as it was placed in the sky as the arch of peace after the Biblical flood - a symbol of the covenant between God and mankind. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Mistletoe - "After the sun god Balder was killed by the wicked Loki's mistletoe dart, the plant was feared and hated by all as the wicked instrument of death and betrayal. But Balder's mother, the goddess Freya, redeemed it in honor of her son, decreeding that mistletoe should become a symbol of peace and reconciliation. From that time on, enemies who met under a clump of mistletoe would lay down their arms and declare a truce. That is why it is hung in the doorway to this very day, and a kiss of peace and loving kindness bestowed on all who enter." (Scandinavian folklore, cited by Susan Wittig Albert in "Mistletoe Man".) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Olive Branch - The olive branch has for thousands of years been used as a sign of peace and goodwill. In early cultivation of the olive it took decades to bear fruit for harvest, and anyone who planted olive groves must be expecting a long and peaceful life. The symbolism is also probably related to the Biblical story of the dove. An Olive Branch is clutched in the right talons of the American Eagle in the Great Seal of the United States (right), symbolizing peace. ----------------------------------------------------------------
	Olive Wreath - The olive wreath, like the one at left taken from the United Nation logo, was the highest award given to a citizen in ancient Greece. The prize was also given to winners at the ancient Olympic Games - a time when wars were suspended between competing states. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
	Peace Sign - The Peace Action Symbol was designed on February 21, 1958 for use in the first Aldermaston Easter Peace Walk in England. The symbol is the composite semaphore signal for the letters 'N' and 'D' standing for Nuclear Disarmament. ------------------------------------------------------
	Peace Sign - This sign is thought to have begun in Europe during World War II when a V for victory was painted on walls as a symbol of freedom from occupying forces. The sign was very widely used by peace movements in the 1960s and 70s as a symbol of victory for peace and truth.