International Peace Day

What's wrong with people like grannyactivist reminding people that it is International Peace Day on a forum like this?

Nothing is wrong with that. Nothing at all.

It's the "I do this, I do that" approach rather than keeping it to general information that makes one think of that quote of Pope's.

Sometimes being "involved in conflict" is what is required to help people in need, if a group causes conflict and those on whom it is inflicted ask for help, for instance.

You could have just ignored the thread, bags.
The question was does anyone else mark the day. Instead you have to be nasty about it.

About Peace Day?

The people in Syria have asked that we stop bombing them.
They asked a long time ago, before the ceasefire.
The White Helmets in Aleppo asked for that ages ago.

Some of us believe in peace, not conflict. What's wrong with that?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-37442277?intlink_from_url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/45d1e6e1-6001-4449-801d-ba85eed04025/syrian-civil-war&link_location=live-reporting-story

Think you might be on your own here durhamjen.

I think you may have misunderstood my motivation, dj. ga will, I am sure, carry on doing things her way, which is absolutely fine.

I was simply expressing my opinion and my agreement with Pope. No-one else has to like my opinion or agree with it for it to be valid and for it not to be nasty. I doubt if Pope was being nasty too; he was just saying what he thought was a good approach. I agree with him. ga apparently doesn't. What's your problem with that?

I prefer Martin Luther King, from the Peace Pledge Union website.

'Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.... The chain reaction of evil — hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars — must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.'

My problem with Pope is that you could have just done nothing rather than stir things by quoting him.

My problem with Pope is that you could have just done nothing rather than stir things by quoting him.

Sometimes your comments are very amusing, dj.

If my saying what I think is stirring things, so be it. It's allowed. I think the whole point of a discussion forum such as this is to encourage the exchange of differences of opinion. So long as they are expressed politely, there shouldn't be a problem about someone having a different opinion from someone else.

I think one or two people are being incredibly unpleasant on this thread. Those of us who have been members of GN since the beginning will remember that, amongst other things, Grannyactivist fostered a couple of teenage boys from Afghanistan. That's just one of the things she's *done". So if she wants to talk about peace as well as doing things, then what on earth is wrong with that? Why would anyone want to snipe about it I cannot imagine.
And those who are being unpleasant have been members since the early days, despite their numerous name changes.
Maybe there is some pointless talking about peace (or singing about it, in the case of my community choir last night) but that is the nature of politics and activism. Actions alone are not enough. You talk about things to people and some people listen, and think about the words and ideas spread and things can, sometimes, change. If nobody had ever started talking about votes for women, for instance, we still would not have the vote. And if nobody had ever started having little meetings to talk about the fact they thought that slavery was wrong, then it would still be accepted as a normal way for people to make money.

So we should all have let Hitler just get on with bit ?!!!

Jingl, the Peace Pledge Union says that the UK government should stop giving arms export licences to UK companies to sell arms to Saudi.

The government is actually breaking the law that it signed up to. It is as bad as Tony Blair when he joined the US on bombing Iraq.
You can't say that selling arms to Saudi is helping the people of Yemen.

www.stopwar.org.uk/index.php/news-comment/2188-the-saga-of-britain-s-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia-hits-a-disturbing-new-low

Sorry, it not bit!

You are right of course that I could have ignored the thread, but why should I if I'm interested in the phenomenon it raised? Do you ignore threads about ideas you're interested in?

I am sure there are many gransnetters who have done many good things and continue to do so, "by stealth". That is just as admirable as making one's good deeds known.

Which was Pope's point.

Nobody on this thread has objected to anyone talking about peace.

sometimes some things can get a bit annoying. That's all.

That's why I quoted what I did.

That should probably be "that which I did", but that sounds terrible.

I guess I shouldn't have quoted it but it was just too hard.

For the first time in months I've looked at GN and find this. I'm at a complete loss to understand why anyone should object to, or find pointless, someone acknowledging publicly, their commitment to peace. Yes, it's a nebulous and shifting concept, but I find that those who proclaim their commitment are those who actually do something about it.

This, below, from ThatBags sums it up. Action does start from words, words proceed from thought, and thought precedes action. Each individual action may be just a drop in the ocean but these actions are not insignificant, as any human being or anything any one of does, is insignificant

'I still love my convent school motto: Action Not Words. I suppose the nuns thought praying was action too, though I have never thought that. Deep thought and meditation maybe... if it helps one to get off one's butt and do stuff.'

It's so easy to mock and sneer, but perhaps those who enjoy doing this might reflect for a moment on what they have done to further the cause of peace - and if they have done anything, virtue signalling won't be mentioned but their actions applauded.

Oh, you must know it's not just the "commitment to peace".

What exactly do you suggest we do to stop the war in Syria?

Do you really think we are not, all of us on here, committed to peace?

The war in Syria is not the only location riven with conflict. Perhaps you could welcome young refugees into your home. Or volunteer to teach English to the recently arrived, or donate to charities for those disabled and traumatised by war. It's not hard to find useful things to do.

I have not fostered anyone.
I wouldn't know where to start teaching English to anyone, and I wouldn't want to do it.
Third question - mind your own effing business.

I am obviously not a saint.

And I still think to mention International Day of Peace at such a time, was not the most well thought out thing ever.

Those who have recourse to personal insult have clearly run out of any argument.

But some of us might already be doing those things, or similar, MiceElf.

The whole point of the 'virtue signalling' posts seemed to me to be that no one needs to broadcast what they're doing for peace and we don't need telling that war is bad and that we should buy a symbol to pin on our coats.