100_3453Peace

According to Wikipedia the word ‘PEACE’ has different meanings; most of them are used to describe goodness, happiness and helpful deeds to name a few.

For me PEACE is a very big word. It is a word that I think more than half of the world’s population wishes we had with one another. Peace to me means to be at harmony with one another.

Coming from a country like South Africa, Peace has more meaning to me than just “Tranquility, restfulness or lawfulness. For me it means life or death for if we have Peace there would less murders and crime. It means that all negativity is replaced by positivity and love.

Back in 1948 Apartheid was implemented in South Africa by the government; a system of racial separation which separated the South Africans from different races through different laws and regulations. This caused violence between the races in South Africa and we were not at Peace with one another. In 1990 President De Klerk began with negotiations to get the law banned and in 1994 there was a multi- racial democratic election and the ANC won. Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s first black chief executive in 1994. He believed and strived for freedom and peace in our country. He also won different awards for his acts of braveness and kindness such as the Nobel peace prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He brought the people in South Africa closer and he fought for every South Africans right in order for us to be equals.

What does Peace look like in my eyes?

The fact that Nelson Mandela was one person and he made such a tremendous change in a country with millions of people makes me believe that if everyone just did one kind deed that the world would be a better place and that we would soon all be at Peace with one another.

A world where hatred, jealousy, selfishness, murder, crime, pain and hurt are just words in a dictionary. Lately if you turn on the television or radio it is only to hear about another crime or war with the minimal concentration on the things that truly matter to us. In South Africa the crime rate is one of the highest in the world. We live in fear that we might get mugged or even worse. When I came to America as an Au Pair my eyes opened. I walked around a shopping centre and the people don’t ignore you, they are friendly and care. Your neighbors are your friends and will help you if you need the help.

Can you imagine a world where if you go to the schools there are no bullying, only kids with laughter and friendships with one another? A world where there is no one being judged by the way they walk or talk, the way they dress or the hobbies they have. Where if you walk down the street and see the blind crossing the street you will take his/ hers hand, no matter who they are, and help them get to safety. A world where kindness, love and happiness are all a person strives for. A world with Peace.

Nelson Mandela showed me that it only takes one person to start making a difference in the world. It takes one good deed to create a ripple effect.

Thus the conclusion of my story:

From now on I will strive for change. I will help people where and when I can. I will help to make the world a better place even if it is just picking up the trash. I hope that my kindness will light the “PEACE light” in someone else’s life and that they would pass that light onto others causing The Ripple effect.

Famous Quotes on Peace:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Peace begins with a smile” Mother Teresa

“You cannot find peace by avoiding life” Virginia Woolf

Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding” Albert Einstein