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UN wants you:
International Ceasefire Day

by Judi McLeod

September 16, 2002

Not to be outdone by the outpouring of patriotism and prayer on Sept. 11, the United Nations will observe Sept. 21, 2002 as UN Global Ceasefire and Non-violence Day.

Here in Toronto, according to a press release from Planet 3 Communications, the UN had the idea for Ceasefire Day before Sept. 11, 2001.

"Just days before the World Trade Centre crumbled, the UN unanimously adopted Sept. 21 as an annual international day of peace, focusing on global ceasefire and non-violence--which makes this Sept. 21 the first-ever global ceasefire and non-violence day."

But before the day of Sept. 21 even dawns, it is already shaping up as a new form of political action.

"It’s a do-it-yourself day of activism," reads Planet 3’s press release. "People are invited to choose their own personally meaningful way to mark the Day."

In Toronto area, Sept. 21 is being headed up by Now CEO and editor Alice Klein and Lorraine Segato, associate director of Wildfaith.org, a new media arts organization.

"Every action counts. People are recording their commitments on the website www.wildfaith.org. From there they become part of a world archive for the UN being compiled in London by the NGO that lobbied Ceasefire Day into existence. This way, personal expression is woven into a powerful collective worldwide testimony."

Says Klein: "Coming just ten days after Sept. 11, global ceasefire and non-violence day seems the perfect way to honour the tragic deaths of so many innocent Americans, Afghanis and other victims of war and violence around the planet."

"People seem hungrier than ever to connect to the community and feel their voices are heard. We are simply setting a stage for them to sing," says Segato.

From public response as illustrated on the Wildfaith website, Sept. 21 seems headed for a mass return to the flower child philosophy of the 1960s.

…"I’m going to slice various vegetables into a salad of harmony," promises Timothy J., who emailed his picture to the site.

"I’m not going to be violent towards anyone, especially my cat," said Billy, leaving some of us to hope he hasn’t been violent towards his feline on any other day of the year.

"I’m not going to wear any underwear," claims Duncan H.

Other people are going to call their mothers on Sept. 21 to tell them they love her. One is going to take a train to Ottawa, write a poem about peace on the way and then try to have it delivered to Parliament.

"Laughter is the spiritual glue of life, smiles bring more than hate, so I’m going to smile at everybody and be good," wrote Tony Bruto.

Problem is people like Bruto don’t seem to be the problem where violence is concerned, and there is no way of telling whether his smiles will have any effect on terrorists like the ones who follow Osama bin Laden.

Collectively, a lot of groups are getting in on the act for Sept. 21.

A Peace Blossom Ceremony, hosted by survivors in celebration of peace and healing by the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture, will be held at Harbourfront Centre, at 4 p.m.

A PEN writers-in-exile reading, hosted by Ken Wiwa, will precede the blossom ceremony at 2 p.m.

John Lennon and Yoko Ono are not available for a love-in, but there will be a Knit-in at Christie Pits Park, under the Gazebo, between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.

A real-life refugee camp nutrition tent by Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders will be set up at Harbourfront between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.

A 12-hour White Ribbon Walk to end violence against women and children starts 8 a.m., with the route to be announced.

Still holding out at their Pope Squat, OCAP (Ontario Coalition Against Poverty) will hold an Interfaith Service, featuring Buddhist, Muslim, Jewish and Christian leadership, at 1510 King St. W.

Observing a UN Ceasefire and Day of Peace on Sept. 21 originated with Peace One Day, a United Kingdom-based organization started by Jeremy Gilley.

Sept. 21 seems to be in sync with the UN’s current preoccupation with organized religions of the world. In that pursuit, the UN has set the tone by embracing Gaia, new age and heavily-funded multifaith organizations.

It is typical UN style to travel to exotic spots for world summits.

True to form, its Science and Sacred program is "an interdisciplinary learning project we are setting up in a hilltop village and castle in Tuscany.

"It is conceived as a neutral space for influential individuals from the world’s religions and spiritual traditions to meet with leading thinkers in the sciences and the humanities, for in-depth discussions about the identity of humankind, its perception of itself, and its place in the universe.

"The program will include informal meetings, workshops, seminars, conferences, research, graduate studies, and faculty training.

"One of the principal aims is to heal the false epistemology which claims monopoly on truth, and to address the systemic causes of fundamentalism and religious violence. Faculty of the program, to be launched in 2003, would include world-class teachers in the fields of comparative religion and mythology, anthropology, cultural history, psychology, psychiatry, neuroscience, epistemology, biology, astronomy and quantum physics."

Ambitious in scope, the UN has produced The Sustainable Action Kit, an educational package of ten 12-minute films, a book, a DVD, and online resources designed as a prototype global curriculum on solutions to world problems. It is producing the Action Kit in close collaboration with Peace Child International, a network of 500 secondary school student groups in 120 countries which produces excellent books on global issues. And it is organized by the Millennium Young Peoples' Congress in Hawaii.

"The package is being produced in association with Dreamchaser Productions, formed for its production of the MTV Music Video Awards and the eye-popping giant video-wall stage set for U2’s Zoo TV world tour. The package will be broadcast on TV, shown in cinemas, widely distributed to schools, universities and NGOs, and published on the UN website in 2003.

Estimated TV audience: 1.3 billion viewers in 100 countries."

For Sept. 21, the UN is asking for people to "record your plans for the day" on its site, as "part of a world archive for the important task of inspiring others to action."

George Orwell’s Big-Brother-is-watching-you theme could be taking on new dimensions.

Canada Free Press founding editor Most recent by Judi McLeod is an award-winning journalist with 30 years experience in the print media. Her work has appeared on Newsmax.com, Drudge Report, Foxnews.com, Glenn Beck. Judi can be reached at: judi@canadafreepress.com


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