To substantiate the fact that “Peace” is a virtue… consider this. The Georgia General Assembly actually passed legislation in 1995-96 session that requires all Georgia schools to teach character education [Section 20-2-145 of the Georgia State Code]. There are now 27 mandated character traits that must be taught, and the official list begins with “Courage”. In fact, there is a Character Education Curriculum that is distributed to the ~2,000 schools in Georgia, impacting ~2,000,000 students annually.

NOTE: The Atlanta: City of Peace nonprofit has invited Georgia State Representative Stephanie Stuckey Benfield to lead in helping us write a Legislative Bill or Act to have the Official Georgia State Code amended to include "Peace, Love, and Non-Violence." You may ask why the cultivation of Peace, Love, and Non-Violence is so important? For starters: Gandhi & Dr. King were both shot down, murdered-in-cold-blood with bullets from guns while in the course of teaching us about being peaceful, loving, and non-violent to one another. Understanding this powerful fact substantiates the peace movement for many.

Year 2008 will be GREAT. MANY will hopefully find special ways to memorialize the 60th and 40th anniversaries in their tragic murders. They are two of the world's greatest peacemakers:

Mahatma Gandhi- Killed 1948
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.- Killed 1968

Peace is one of many virtues or character traits that each of us (all of us) should cultivate. And it is appropriate that the State of Georgia’s official list of 27 mandated character traits begins with “Courage”. Our draft proposal or amendment is currently: "The State Board of Education shall amend by the start of the 2009-2010 school year the comprehensive character education program for levels K-12. This comprehensive character education program, now known as the "character curriculum" (which focuses on the students' development of important character traits) shall be amended to include a total of 30 traits and ordered in this manner: Courage, peace, love, non-violence... The great importance of cultivating both "Courage" and "Peace" can be seen in these quotes:

"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called God's children."
--- Christianity

"The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."
--- Judaism

"A Muslim is one who surrenders to the will of Allah,
and is an establisher of peace.
While Islam means establishment of peace,
Muslim means one who establishes peace
through his actions and conduct."
--- Islam

"If a man sings of God and hears of Him,
and lets the love of God sprout within him,
then all his sorrows shall vanish,
and in his mind, God will bestow abiding peace."
--- Sikhism

"All things exist for world peace."
--- Perfect Liberty Kyodan

"Peace...
it comes to our souls when we realize our relationship,
our openness, with the universe and all its powers,
and when we realize that at the center of the universe dwells
the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere,
it is within each of us."
--- From The Sacred Pipe, Lakota Sioux Medicine Man

"The Lord lives in the heart of every creature.
He turns them round and round upon the wheel of Maya.
Take refuge utterly in Him.
By his grace you will find supreme peace,
and the state which is beyond all change."
--- Hinduism

“Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek,
but a means by which we arrive at that goal…
Peace is a powerful and just weapon.
It cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.
It is a sword that heals.”
--- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

When Thomas Jefferson wrote The Declaration of Independence he started with:

"We hold these truths to be self evident:
that all men are created equal;
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights;
that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

The fact is, the words: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are good synonyms of “Peace” and the City of Atlanta is in a unique and great position to become a global “Capital & Beacon of Peace Education.” From this position (as we have already begun) we can assist other cities, countries, governments and peoples to have more “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” According to The Declaration of Independence, we are endowed by our Creator with these as "unalienable" rights. In other words, these rights can not be taken away, which is not to say that these rights can not be violated. While these rights are common to all of humankind, the truth is, these rights can and often will be denied to each one of us. Being denied rights is an injustice, and there cannot be Peace without Justice (resolving differences). This is the primary reason why we must all do whatever we can to cultivate Peace (to maintain it for ourselves and provide more of it for others/ locally - globally).

Enjoy this poem that is ~2,612 years old!

Peace
(from Tao Te Ching)
by Lao-Tse
[born 604 BC]

If there is to be peace in the world,
there must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,
there must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,
there must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,
there must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,
there must be peace in the heart.
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