May the people not be divided by religion but
joined by their humanity.
May the people not be divided by nationality
but brought together in sharing this planet.
May the people not make war but live in peace.
May the people get what they need and not
take what they want.
May we have rivers of understanding and may
all the waters be healed and cleansed.
May we have oceans of joy.
May we not judge each other but look to our
own souls for our own redemption.
May we stop fouling creation for short-term
advantage.
May we become caring stewards committed to
continual renewal.
May we not force our views on others but listen,
try to reason and try to understand.
May we understand and accept.
May we refuse to covet creature comforts beyond
what others might have and what we need.
May we refuse to take orders from madmen and
from people who hate.
May we decline to participate in activities
that harm people or make the world less beautiful.
May we look to our children.
May we in our own thoughts and own actions
make a world a child can live in without fear.
May we end our fear and reach out to our neighbors.
May we see that every human is our neighbor.
May we accept ourselves as we are rather than
what others believe we must be.
May we celebrate our sexuality and sensuality
and not make ourselves ashamed of our own bodies.
May we honor each individual we come in contact
with as unique and valuable.
May we stop demanding more of the world and
may we learn to do more with less.
May physicians be healers rather than entrepreneurs.
May bankers build communities rather than
amass fortunes through usury.
May the inventors of cures be dedicated to
the health of people rather than profits.
May songs be sung freely, dances be joyous
and smiles spontaneous.
May the makers of arms find useful things
to do.
May the merchants of death find no buyers.
May artificial boundaries disappear and real
connectedness be perceived.
May the sky be filled only with clouds and
birds and not planes filled with bombs or the bombastic
rich on their way to meetings.
May the seas be filled only with the songs
of whales and not the fatal whine of torpedoes.
May wealth be honored only when it is shared.
May we count our blessings and not our dollars.
May people be measured by their gifts and
not their possessions.
May learning and wisdom be recognized as the
only true wealth.
May the sunlight not be a carcinogen but a
blessing.
May the rain not be a poison but a benediction.
May people be seen as beautiful because of
their spirits and not because of their decorations.
May homes be seen as beautiful for their families
and not for their porticos and pediments.
May cities be gathering of people who want
to be together and not hovels for the oppressed.
May the countryside be full of fruit and not
pesticides.
May the food we eat be pure and health-giving
and not a means to profit.
May the people who work be rewarded and the
parasites be chastised.
May the politicians serve the people and not
the contributors to campaigns.
May we diverse without being sectarian.
May we celebrate local traditions without
being parochial.
May we be appalled by homelessness and feed
the poor.
May we put the health of the planet and the
good of the commonwealth ahead of our personal
wants.
May we not see color or sex or religion or
sexual orientation before we see people.
May we understand that by definition God is
everywhere and everything and rejection of anything is
rejection of some aspect of God.
- Ken Peters
interviews
editorials
How to Grow Vegetables
