THE AMBASSADORS
Special Peace Issue
FEATURES
THE AMBASSADORS
Special
Peace Issue
FEATURES
Volume 2,
Issue 1
January 1999
2000 PEACE
CAMPAIGN GOES GLOBAL
Internet website breaches borders to
spread the message
Special to
Ambassadors by Steve Diamond
Ted Turner was standing about six
feet away from me, in the foyer of Diandra Douglas' remarkable
mansion in Montecito. Turner was here to be presented with
the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation's World Citizen Award, for his
efforts on behalf of the United Nations. I knew this might
be my only chance to speak to him, so I walked up to the
real king of all media and said:
"Ted, do you know about the One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000! campaign? Twenty-four hours around the world with no violence-- on the battlefield, in the neighborhood, or in the home?"
"One day in peace?" Ted exclaimed, almost shouting it. "Why not a year of peace? Or a better still, how about a millennium of peace?"
You couldn't really argue with the man.
"Well, we've gotta start somewhere," I replied. "One day seems like a good place. And January 1, 2000, would be the perfect day."
Other guests at the black tie optional affair were closing in on him, so I had room for just about one more thought: "And our dream is have no violence on television, for just that one day. Imagine tv programmers around the world, agreeing not to air any shows with violence. Wouldn't that be something?"
He thought about it for a couple of seconds, then laughed, and said, "But what would we air on my CNN if there wasn't any war for a day?"
Hmmmm. That was a tough one.
"Well, you could air the Millennium celebrations," I replied "After all, it's going to be a New Year's Day unlike any other. But imagine, for just one day, January 1, 2000, a total ceasefire all over the planet..."
That was the extent of my moment with Ted Turner-- but, hey, Ted, if you're reading this, you can reach us at http://www.oneday.net --website for the "One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000!" campaign.
In fact, this magical website has carried the idea of one day in peace to far off places like Croatia, Spain, Switzerland, Kiribati in the Pacific, the Solomon Islands, to South Africa, to Russia, India, Pakistan, and many other countries as well. Over 700 organizations in 120 nations and 25 world leaders have now sent in letters of support for "One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000!," with new ones coming in every day.
Created and maintained by Robert Alan Silverstein, a children's book writer and NGO representative to the U.N., Bob's website continues to connect people, organizations, and governments with a simple thread-- a mantra, you could call it-- the idea of 24-hours around the world with no violence, on the battlefield, in the neighborhood, and in the home.
"The city of Middlebourne, WV, has declared One Day in Peace, January 1, 2000," wrote one school official. "This was initiated by the fourth grade class at A.I. Boreman Elementary School. The class presented this to the city council and information has been sent to our local newspaper. Thanks for providing this resource for our students,we'll be visiting this website regularly."
At the website, you will also find the children's book, "One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000!" The original draft was written over several mornings at the wonderful Daily Grind coffeehouse on De La Vina and Mission St., and has now been translated into eleven languages right there on the Internet. Children from many different countries have signed on to read this story, and thus carry the thought-wave into their regions. Several people, like Ziva Bizjak, a librarian in Croatia, have even printed the book right off the website and are distributing them in their countries.
Oddly enough, this worldwide Internet campaign began right here, on the front page of the Perspectives section of the Santa Barbara News Press on January 1, 1996. The original essay, written by local Channel 17 tv host Allan Silberhartz and myself, was subsequently put up at the website at local Santa Barbara provider, Rain, and from there it has traveled around the world, one person at a time. And this month's Family Circle Magazine, with 5 million circulation, named the One Day In Peace website as one of the "positive" millennial efforts.
People have asked us from time to time, just what do you mean by a "thoughtwave" campaign? Well, it's like "the wave," you see at football games, where people stand up in a staggered fashion in the bleachers, and it looks like a wave spreading across the stands. Our task has been to spread this thoughtwave, "One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000!," across the land, around the world, one person at a time.
Dr. Robert Muller, former assistant secretary-general of the UN and chancellor emeritus of the University for Peace in Costa Rica, has been an inspiring figure in the millennial peace movement worldwide. He recently agreed to act as honorary chairman of the One Day In Peace campaign. The beginning of his poem, "My Dream 2000," written in homage to Dr. Margaret Mead, says it all:
"I Dream...
That on 1 January 2000
The whole world will stand still
In prayer, awe and gratitude
For our beautiful, heavenly Earth
And for the miracle of human life..."
One Day In Peace, January 1, 2000! Pass it on. Tell your friends.
Join the thought-wave campaign. And expect a miracle.
Steve Diamond is a new age writer living in Santa Barbara, California, and is a Co-director of the One Day in Peace Campaign.
