Each September 21, the world marks the International Day of Peace. It’s a day set aside to remind us that peace is not just an abstract dream, but a possibility—even if fragile and fleeting—that can guide our choices.
Edward Hicks’ many versions of The Peaceable Kingdom capture that possibility: lions resting with lambs, children playing safely among wolves and leopards. His paintings did not deny the violence of his own century; they offered a counter-image, a vision to steady the heart.
Today, our headlines are filled with wars that tear families and nations apart—Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza. It feels almost impossible to imagine wolves and lambs lying together when people cannot even find food, safety, or refuge. Yet perhaps Hicks’ vision still whispers: what if? What if we dared to practice peace in ways small enough to feel possible?
The Starting Point: Confronting Tolerance
At the very least, peace begins with tolerance—a decision not to exclude, despise, or attack. But tolerance can be thin. It can mean little more than keeping our distance.
Maybe the invitation is to confront what we tolerate: to name the judgments and prejudices we quietly harbor, and ask whether “putting up with” others is enough.
A Next Step: Naming Acceptance
Acceptance deepens the journey. It means listing what we can truly accept about others: their difference, their beliefs, their ways of life. Acceptance says, “You belong here, too.”
But even acceptance can remain passive. We can accept without ever being changed.
The Glow of Appreciation
Peace blossoms when we glow in appreciation—when we not only acknowledge difference but treasure it. Appreciation enlarges us. It turns strangers into teachers, neighbors, even friends. It lets us glimpse the richness of humanity as a gift, not a threat.
This is the mountain we are asked to climb—not an impossible summit, but one step, one gesture at a time.
A Road Map Beyond September 21
If September 21 is a day of peace, then September 22 must be, too. And the day after that. How do we carry peace forward? Perhaps the road map is surprisingly ordinary:
- Begin with honesty: Confront what we merely “tolerate.” Write it down. Name it. Then ask: How can I move one step beyond this?
- Practice acceptance: Look for ways to affirm another’s right to belong, even if you don’t agree. Say, “You have a place here.”
- Lean into appreciation: Each day, choose one person, culture, or perspective different from your own and ask: What can I learn? What beauty can I see?
- Act locally: Peace is not negotiated only in summits or treaties. It begins in homes, schools, congregations, and neighborhoods—in how we speak, listen, and respond.
- Hold on to hope: Even in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, and so many places of suffering, there are acts of compassion, resilience, and courage. Let them remind us that peace is not extinguished, only waiting for us to tend its flame.
The Essence
The essence of peace is not perfection but practice. It is taking the impossible vision of a peaceable kingdom and carving out, in our daily lives, a small corner where it becomes real.
This year, as we honor the International Day of Peace, let us not leave it behind on September 21. Let us carry it forward—in honesty, acceptance, appreciation, and action—until peace is not only a dream on canvas but a lived reality in our communities.
With warm regards,
Marilyn Turkovich
