Creating Peace One Person at a Time

Ever so often a book passes my desk that I call a “keeper.” I have read many books that I read and then stored away for or lent to others (which is tantamount to giving the person the book).

With Peace by Wendy Anderson

Halperin, the situation is different. It is a book that I will read often and it can take a long time to read if one soaks up the message and the beautiful illustrations. As the reader reads the book, he should look closely at the illustrations and the sparse text. Don't let the sparse text fool you—it carries a wallop.

As the intro to the book on the inside covers says, “This poetic and soothing book ponders the eternal question asked in the Tao Te Ching: How can we bring peace to the world? Author and illustrator Wendy Anderson Halperin has some suggestions that just might work. The author asks us to use our senses to feel peace: seeing, touching, smelling, tasting and hearing.

The author starts the journey for peace with: For peace in the the world there must be peace in the nations. For peace in the nations there must be peace in the cities and continues to: There must be peace in our heart. Really where peace lies. Then the authors reverses the journey with: When there is peace in our hearts, there will be peace in the nations and we will have peace in the world.

The book ends with a lovely Apache blessing: “Walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.”

Read the book and heed the suggestions and we can start world peace one person at a time. Book should be read by parents to youngsters and youngsters to parents. Don't forget to spend an ample amount of time on the illustrations.