A World Free of Nuclear Weapons

A
World
Free
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Sunflowers have become the symbol of a world free of nuclear weapons. After Ukraine gave up its last nuclear warhead, the Defense Ministers of the U.S., Russia, and Ukraine met on a former Ukrainian missile base on June 4, 1996. They celebrated by scattering sunflower seeds and planting sunflowers. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry said, "Sunflowers instead of missiles in the soil would insure peace for future generations.

The Message of the Sunflowers A Magic Symbol of Peace
by Georgianna Moore

Dedicated to the Children of the World Who Will Sow the Sunflower Seeds of Peace

Once upon a time the earth was even more beautiful than it is today. The water was pure and deep, reflecting within itself the sunlight which gave life to all the creatures beneath the waves.

The earth was green with many kinds of trees and plants. These gave food and shelter to the birds, the animals, and to all mankind. At night the air was so clear that the starlight gave a glow almost as bright as the moon.

The people of the earth lived close to nature. They understood it and honored it and never took more than what they needed from it. The people lived in peace so they prospered and began to build many nations all around the world according to nature’s climate.

But one day a terrible thing happened. A strange spirit of greed entered the hearts of mankind. People began to be jealous of one another, and they were not satisfied with all the good things they already had. The nations wanted more and more of everything: more land, more water, more resources. They squeezed precious minerals from the earth to build terrible weapons to defend their nations from other, greedier nations. They killed one another. They polluted the air and the water with poisons. Nature began to die. This is called war. War is ugly. It destroys love and hope and peace.

Then one day a magical thing occurred. The birds of the air, the animals of the land, and the creatures beneath the waters came to an agreement: if they were to survive, something would have to be done to stop these wars. Only through peace could their world survive.

“We cannot speak the human language,” they declared, “and mankind can no longer understand ours. We must find among us a symbol of peace so brilliant that all who see it will stop and remember that peace and sharing is beautiful.”

“I am what you need,” said a golden sunflower. “I am tall and bright. My leaves are food for the animals, my yellow petals can turn plain cloth to gold, my seeds are many and are used for food by all living beings. Yet, the seeds I drop upon the ground can take root and I will grow again and again. I can be your symbol of peace.”

All nature rejoiced, and it was decided that the birds would each take one sunflower seed and that they would fly over every nation and plant the seed in the earth as a gift. The seeds took root and grew, and the sunflowers multiplied.

Wherever the sunflowers grew there seemed to be a special golden glow in the air. The people could not ignore such a magical sight.

Soon they began to understand the message of the sunflowers so they decided to destroy all of their terrible weapons and to put an end to the greed and to the fear of war. They chose the sunflower as a symbol of peace and new life for all the world to recognize and understand.

A ceremony was celebrated by planting a whole field of sunflowers. Artists painted pictures of the sunflowers, writers wrote about them, and the people of the world were asked to plant more sunflower seeds as a symbol of remembrance.

All nature rejoiced once more as the golden sunflowers stood tall with their faces turned eastward to the rising sun, then following the sun until the setting in the west.

They gave their goodness to the world so that everyone who sees a sunflower will know that the golden light of peace is beautiful.

Nuclear war is the world's number one threat to the survival of life on our planet and Symposium 2000 joins with other world-wide organizations in calling for a world free of nuclear weapons. On July 16, 1945, the world saw the first atomic weapons' test explosion, and since then we have seen more than 2,000 tests. The last nuclear tests in India and Pakistan brought the world abruptly out of its complacency and all realize now more than ever that the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty must become a reality. His Holiness the Dalai Lama asked that everyone make whatever effort he or she can to strengthen the forces of peace, nonviolence, and goodness in the world.

Many important international organizations continue Dr. Schweitzer's struggle for world peace. Following are three of those who have been invited to participate in Symposium 2000.

Abolition 2000 was formed in 1995 by a group of activists from around the world. In part, their statement reads: "A secure and livable world for our children... and all future generations requires that we achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and redress the environmental degradation and human suffering that is the legacy of fifty years of nuclear weapons testing and production."

IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), founded in 1980, is a global federation of physicians' organizations dedicated to safeguarding health through the prevention of war. IPPNW won the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize. The committee stated, "This organization has performed a considerable service to mankind by spreading authoritative information and by creating an awareness of the catastrophic consequences of atomic warfare."

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, founded in 1982, is a non-governmental international educational organization (NGO) affiliated with the United Nations. Their mission - in part - is to create a world based upon liberty, justice, and human dignity.

Peace For All, website for peace...

This site is part of the Hague Appeal for Peace webring.
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