9/11 – A Call for Peace

Reprinted from September 11, 2002

You can read more of my 9/11 writing here…

Reprinted from September 11, 2002

“Imagine all the world living life in peace?
You may say that I’m a dreame

r, but I’m
not the only one. I hope some day you’ll
join us, and the world will live as one.”

“Imagine” ~ John Lennon

September 11 was one of the happiest days of the year for our family of eight children, 20 something grandchildren, and 30 something great-grandchildren.

September 11 was Mom’s birthday. It was the day to honor “Annie A” as the matriarch of our four-generation family, the day when her 60 something kids, grand-kids and great grand-kids showered her with love and affection.

September 11 was a day of love and life and laughter.

Until 9/11/01!

People from 90 countries died on 9/11. It happened in America, but it didn’t happen just TO America. This was a global tragedy. We honor those we lost not by more war and more killing, but by making the planet a more peaceful place to live.

Calling September 11 “Patriot’s Day” is about some of us (as in U.S.), not about all of US. The best way to commemorate September 11 is to celebrate it as:

“World Peace Day!”

We set aside days for all kinds of events and people.

WHY DON’T WE TAKE ONE DAY OFF FOR PEACE?

We deserve at least ONE DAY EVERY YEAR as a day of Peace! One day to stop arguing, fighting, attacking, maiming, and killing. One day to experience life as it could be when peace finally does prevail.

What better way to bless the men, women and children who perished that day and every day since than to set aside September 11 as a day for peace?

We need no “formal authority” to give us permission to be peaceful!

We simply declare 9/11 “World Peace Day!”

ON THIS DAY, WE CHOOSE PEACE.

It doesn’t matter what you do on 9/11.

Work, take off, pray, shop, rest, donate, volunteer, protest, or do nothing at all.

It’s not about what you do.
It’s about how you do it.

And how do you do it on World Peace Day?

Peacefully!

For one day, live peacefully.

Can you imagine what would happen if all 6 billion of us simply decided to live peacefully for one day?

September 11 transcended nationalism. It brought humanity together on a level never seen before, and unfortunately, not seen since.

One day demonstrated the worst of us and the best of us. From the darkness emerged humanity’s brightest hour.

What happened after 9/11 was a global spiritual experience.

Planetary unity, love and for a frozen moment in time, peace!

“We are all Americans today!”

World Peace Day captures the magnitude of 9/11. We give the highest meaning to that day, and honor the spirit of those we lost by recreating that global spiritual experience again.

We desperately need to remember that experience of a world, united.

Nationalism will not sustain us in an inter-dependent world. Patriotism is always about us. It’s never about them. Pick another day and call it Patriot’s Day. Let that day be about U.S.

Let’s celebrate 9/11 as World Peace Day!

Let this day be about all of US!

If you support this, please voice your intention. Share this with everyone who cares. A critical mass of peace-minded people will change the world.

IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT WILL CHANGE THIS WORLD!

World Peace Day shows us what we can be when we’re at our best. It gives us hope for a future where peace is a possibility, not a fool’s Utopia.

This is not a left or right thing, a democrat or republican thing, a blue or red state thing, and certainly not and “us vs. them” thing.

Humanity transcends nationalism, patriotism and politics.

Most of us are sick and tired of war.

Don’t we deserve ONE DAY A YEAR for peace?

We mourned longer than we thought we would. We cried more tears than we thought we had. We hurt more deeply than we thought we could. Our human loss is unspeakable and irreplaceable. We bless them, not by fighting endless wars and killing more people, but by being more peaceful.

We need less hate and more love; less war and more peace.

It’s time to move beyond comfort, beyond ownership, beyond ego, beyond killing in the name of anyone’s God. We haven’t experienced peace long enough to know it, feel it, live it, be it. We need a day to breathe life back into our world, before we swallow ourselves up.

If there is a mission worthy of this spiritually enlightened generation, it’s to make our way toward peace.

The way to have peace is to be peaceful.

America is the best there ever was at the war game.

Can we be as good at the peace game?

Do we have the courage and wisdom to travel the peaceful path?

It is our biggest test.

What do you say?

911 World Peace Day!

Let’s make 9/11 a celebration of peace.

Personal peace!
Planetary peace!

The thousands of people from 90 countries who perished made 9/11 a shared, global experience. The towers were on American soil, but they were not ours alone. The World Trade Center was the heartbeat of global commerce.

It represented a world coming together to create better opportunity and greater economic prosperity for more people than at any time in human history. They were a marvel of human imagination and a powerful example of our capacity to stretch our limits and boundaries.

The World Trade Center was a global community where people from 90 countries worked together and peacefully co-existed.

It was a microcosm of US as WE could be.

The towers were targeted for their

symbolic value, their economic power and for the potential of massive human carnage. Thanks to the efforts of thousands of heroes, tens of thousands of people are alive today.

On 9/11, a city was leveled and a staggering number of world citizens perished.

What better way to bless them than to celebrate 9/11 in peace?

I always had faith that our world would move away from war and hate, and toward peace and love. I have hope because most of the 6 billion of us want to live peacefully.

In a world filled with the horrors of war, it takes character and moral conviction to stand for peace. It takes courage to speak truth to power, to challenge formal authority, and if necessary, replace governments.

But stand, speak, challenge and if necessary, replace we must because humanity transcends authority, nationalism, ideology, partisanship, power and politics.

In my 47 years on this planet, I can’t remember a day when we weren’t at war with someone or something. It seems we are at war 24/7/365.

I’m sick of it. I’ve had enough of war. Maybe you feel the same way.

Can we take one day for Peace?
Let’s start NOW.

Celebrate 9/11 as World Peace Day!

Let’s turn this tragic event into an international day of peace.

What’s so funny about peace, love and understanding?

Time is short. Please spread the word.

Tell everyone who cares about peace to celebrate 9/11 peacefully.

Raise your voice and express your intention.

I can think of no better way to honor Mom’s birthday, and bless the souls we’ve lost than to live in peace on 9/11.

May peace be with you!

Mitch Axelrod, Chief Encouragement Officer™
“9/11 World Peace Day!”

You can read more of my 9/11 writing here…

I invite your comments, encourage your expression and welcome your participation.