Reading The Universal Peace Covenant each morning at

5:30 a.m.

With the establishment of ONE VOICE at 1pm (CDT) on July 26th each year, students and faculty at the College of Metaphysics now join in reading the Universal Peace Covenant daily at 1 pm to sustain the heartbeat of peace throughout the year. Wherever you are, you are invited to add your voice in this daily prayer.

"We vow to stand together as citizens of the Earth, knowing that every question has an answer, every issue a resolution. As we stand, united in common purpose, we hereby commit ourselves in thought and action, so we might know the power of Peace in our lifetimes."
-From the Universal Peace Covenant

Unity fills the air at five thirty every morning as my fellow students and I gather in the upper chamber of the World’s Peace Dome to read the Universal Peace Covenant. It is amazing to me that people my age participated in creating this document. For eleven months I have been striving "to transcend the limits of (my) thinking" so I can "acknowledge that peace is more than the cessation of conflict.?

"Peace affords the greatest opportunity for growth and learning which leads to personal happiness." I remember before I started studying at the School of Metaphysics I was into drugs and alcohol because I thought that it would make me happy. My internal battles became more violent, I was crying outwardly. I needed peace! Through learning how to meditate, concentrate, visualize, and breathe, I am learning to cause permanent happiness and becoming a better friend, employee, and community member.

"It (Peace) wells up from within the depths of our being to refresh, to heal, to inspire." The covenant is a living example of global citizenship – it challenges me to be a living example of peace. Its universal images portray peace wholistically and practically. I have to think positively to move my consciousness to bring peace into the world.

"We affirm that peace is an idea whose time has come." The tipping point, the last snowflake that breaks the tree branch, the hundredth monkey come to mind. My reading the covenant this morning may be the´light needed to cause the scales to tip toward peace for the world.

"We call upon humanity to stand united, responding to the need for peace." I think of my cousin fighting a war in Iraq. As I read the covenant every day, I believe he will stop fighting and come home to marry his fiance,– which he did last Saturday.

"We call upon each individual to create and foster a personal vision for peace." Each reading opens me up to being a better person today than I was yesterday.

"We call upon each family to generate and nurture peace within the home." My mind goes to my mother who is living in Japan, and my father who is in Texas. Fostering my own individual need for peace connects me to them across physical distances – like a mental hug.

"We call upon each nation to encourage and support peace among its citizens." I think of how I learned as a child to recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" to a flag and what it symbolizes. I now draw upon that sense of patriotism, loyalty and pride as a citizen of the whole world by affirming the principles in the covenant. The covenant encourages us to transcend physical borders - whether real or imagined.

"We call upon each leader, be they in the private home, house of worship or place of labor, to be a living example of peace for only in this way can we expect peace to move across the face of the earth." Mahatma Gandhi’s voice echoes in my mind, "Be the change you would see in the world." Each morning I begin my day being the change and the expansive thoughts in the covenant linger with me until I go to bed that night.

"Living peaceably begins by thinking peacefully." As a student and teacher in the School of Metaphysics, I take personal responsibility to be a global citizen who actively, daily creates peace in the world. "Peace is our birthright." I believe this is true for everyone. Life is more fulfilling because I am more Self aware. From gratitude I pass on what I have been given and encourage others to do the same.

"Peace is the breath of our spirit." I look forward to the next ONE VOICE on December 3lst when people around the world read the Universal Peace Covenant in the hope of lifting the consciousness of the world. As midnight strikes in each time zone to welcome a new year "we stand on the threshold of peace - filled understanding. We come together, all of humanity, young and old of all cultures from all nations" so peace may prevail on Earth.

This is what it means to be a planetary citizen.

This piece is a synthesis of many people including Kelley Naylor, Jennifer Childers, Jesse Kern, and Bryon Parrino. They include a filmmaker and artist, a waitress, a Baptist preacher's son, and a man with dual citizenship.
Peace Dome • USA • tel. 417-345-8411 email: peace@som.org

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