“Peace as
a goal is an ideal which will not be contested by any government or nation, not
even the most belligerent. The culture of peace…finds ready acceptance.” — Aung San Suu Kyi, Freedom From Fear
The Peace
Campaign has gone online: Join our facebook action and send peace
stickers to your friends >>
The Best Friend Project’s Peace
Campaign commenced in 2006 with a 29-day peace march from Cologne to Berlin led
by Ashin Sopaka.
Since then, similar walks have been led from New York to Washington, D.C. and from Bangkok to Mae Sot. Sleeping in temples, churches, and homeless shelters along the way, the participants demonstrate their dedication and eagerness to work for peace. More importantly, they are able to share their message not only with those they meet along the way, but also with a broader audience via the media.
Since then, similar walks have been led from New York to Washington, D.C. and from Bangkok to Mae Sot. Sleeping in temples, churches, and homeless shelters along the way, the participants demonstrate their dedication and eagerness to work for peace. More importantly, they are able to share their message not only with those they meet along the way, but also with a broader audience via the media.
As Ashin Sopaka explains, the point of the peace walks is to “show our long struggle, and also to educate people, to remind them that we still need to work for peace.”
In the four years since it began,
the Peace Campaign has evolved into much more than peace walks. From The Best
Friend’s home in Mae Sot, the campaign also involves the distribution of ‘peace
dove’ clocks, flags, and t-shirts to schools and businesses, and the spreading
of more than 10,000 ‘peace stickers’—with the campaigns’ message of “Peace in
Burma Now” in both English and Burmese—throughout the community.
Recently, several Western volunteers have been able to stealthily post the stickers inside several towns in Burma, reminding Burmese people with hope and optimism that the struggle for peaceful change in Burma continues.
Recently, several Western volunteers have been able to stealthily post the stickers inside several towns in Burma, reminding Burmese people with hope and optimism that the struggle for peaceful change in Burma continues.
“Every individual is important,
and every person can play a role in the Peace Campaign,” says Ashin Sopaka.
“Just by spreading the peace dove image, this reminds people that even if they
believe they enjoy peace in their lives, the world will not truly be peaceful
until Burma is free also.”
Future plans for the Peace
Campaign include a 2010 Peace Walk in Mae Sot with speakers and activities, as
well as a series of educational forums and workshops about the value of peace and
ways of attaining it. These events will be multi-lingual to ensure as broad a
spectrum of people as possible not only recognize and willingly display the
‘peace dove’ image, but also develop a deeper understanding of the importance
of peacefulness.
