Tonight I doubled the number of quotes that are in the box at right. Oh, you didn’t notice that there would be a different quote in that box when you come here? ahem. Pay attention!
My collection of quotes started out being about art and art-making. I’ve thrown in others from time to time, just things that grabbed me. Today I added a whole lot of quotes about peace and peace-making, a few more about art and some others just because.
There’s a whole lot in the world being quoted. There’s not enough people making art and there’s sure not enough people in the world making peace.
I feel strongly that everyone can make art in their own space, in their own lives, for themselves and others. I feel even more strongly that each person can make peace, starting in their own space, inside their own heart and then giving it to each person they touch along the way.
Think how many people you come in contact with each day. If your kindness or smile makes a difference to one or two of them and that one or two is kind or smiles on one or two more… what a difference those individual acts have made. We do make a difference in the world.
Change and peace come by each small act as much as by standing strong for what we know is right and against what is wrong.
Read the thoughts of others at: Poets Against The War
My contribution to the National Day of Poetry Against the War — February 12, 2003:
Art and Peace
Within each of us is
the making of art.
Big people come along
and squash that out of us
while we’re impressionable.
And we live in fear that
if we try to make art
or speak beauty
we are fools.Within each of us is
the making of peace.
Important people tell us
that only killing makes a difference
and we come to believe that too.
And we live in fear that
only war is the answer and
are afraid to ask, well,
what’s the question?Let’s be foolish then and make art
Some beautiful thing that speaks
from our soul and heart.
We each can .Let’s ask aloud, why not be peaceful?
Why not be kind and generous?
Let me start here today.
We each can.
