Peace On Earth

Peace is something that many of us hope for on Earth. It is something that many people work for, strive for and die for. But is it possible? Is it possible to unite the countries of the world and live in peace and harmony? Is it possible to unify religions, cultures, and races to ultimately achieve, what many beauty pageant contestants, call, “World Peace”? Good evening adjudicators and fellow students.
Peace is defined as “a state of mutual harmony between people or groups”. This statement tells us that Peace on Earth is something that cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by mutual understanding among people. There are many different ways to reflect on the word ‘peace’. I always thought of peace as a state of which our world got along, one country to another. I also thought of peace as a state of calmness between people where fighting or disagreement does not exist. I feel that today the pen is mightier than the sword; and many treaties and negotiations have ended wars because people are willing to sit down and discuss their issues. However, I believe in our lifetimes, the entire world will not be completely at peace, since there are so many different opinions between world leaders.
Peace in the world starts with each and every one of us. It is a blossoming flower whose quintessence can be felt by each and every soul. As I find my own inner peace, I spread that into the world outside of myself. After all, "Peace comes from within. Do not seek without it" as The Buddha once said. So from our own inner peace, we therefore become messengers of peace among the people with who we interact with.
So from our small group of family and friends, to casual acquaintances, to our various communities. As those communities become more peaceful, then cities and states become more peaceful. As cities and states become more peaceful, nations become more peaceful. As nations become more peaceful, the world becomes more peaceful. And this whole snowball effect, begins