International Day of Peace

Today is the International Day of Peace.

It's easy to think about Peace as being something that people 'over there' need. Peace instead of war. But peace is sometimes in short supply closer to home.

A friend of mine told me story once about two men she'd seen harassing a man. The man was clearly not at the best place in his life. From his appearance, she thought that he was street homeless. He was sitting on a bench, in some sunshine, near the Peace Fountain in Southampton. I think she may have said he appeared to be asleep, or dozing, or not very with it.

Anyhow. Two well dressed men apparently decided that this man needed their religion and started telling him about it. My friend saw the first man wave them away - he didn't want to talk. He wanted his own company, his peace.

The two men didn't agree. They kept talking to him.

My friend is a kind and gentle woman who is also proud of her Irish heritage and spark. She decided to intervene and asked them, calmly, to leave this man alone, because he clearly just wanted some Peace.

The men argued.

It's hard to imagine what was going on in that moment for them. Why was their desire to evangelise more important than his knowledge of himself and his desire to be in Peace? But her response has stayed with me. She said,

'I'm not going to argue with you in the name of Peace'.

This is very much my personal view and, to quote John Lennon, some may say I'm a dreamer - but imagine if governments said that.

Imagine if everyone who works for peace just became peaceful.

Wishing you Peace - today and all days.