Early in 1990, at a dinner event for the Better World Society, Ted Turner introduced me to Dr. Noel Brown, the Executive Director at the United Nations for the Environment Programme. We had a terrific connection and agreed to meet the next day for tea. When we met, Dr. Brown asked me if I had any interest in lending my creative skills to assist in promoting environmental issues to the public at large, as well as to the Film Industry. I said that I did. We discussed a number of possibilities and began, with that tea, an enduring friendship and working relationship. Amongst the numerous projects we worked on, three in particular were memorable.
In the late Eighties, I wrote and produced a meditation/visualization tape on planetary healing called The Spirit of Peace. I wrote it with the idea in mind that one day I would share it before the General Assembly at the United Nations to promote the vision of planetary healing and peace. After I completed it, the Institute for Individual and World Peace helped package it. John Morton, himself an inspiring educator, wrote and narrated the second side, a moving visualization called The Gathering Of Peacemakers.
Dr. Brown and I brainstormed about producing an event in the General Assembly to support a vision of peace on the planet using children, various indigenous leaders, musicians, and spiritual speakers. We wished to feature the magnificent flag ceremony that the Society of Prayer for World Peace presents around the world. Dr. Brown and I worked diligently to organize this. The United Nations Environment Programme, The Institute For Individual And World Peace, and the Society of Prayer For World Peace worked together to produce this event on December 2, 1990.
It was timely. This celebration of peace took place in the General Assembly during the period the Security Council was deciding whether to declare war against Iraq. One could say that peace doesn’t work, as indeed we did declare war, or we could say that 3000 people in the General Assembly expressed, in counterpoint, a positive affirmation that peace is possible. Peace is a process. The work goes on.
I hosted the event. We had many wonderful presentations. Before the flag ceremony began, to set the tone, I narrated The Spirit of Peace meditation. It was an exquisite experience to be fulfilling the dream I had held of sharing this in the United Nations.
The flag ceremony presented by the Society of Prayer For World Peace is a profound and moving “poem” of peace. It is a parade of every nation’s flag accompanied by a chorus of all who are present saying in unison: “May Peace Prevail On Earth”. As the ceremony progresses, and each flag passes, the consciousness of differences between people and nations melts into an awareness of Oneness, and interconnectedness. You feel inspired and empowered that individually and collectively we can find a way to peace. We can find the ways to celebrate our differences and negotiate solutions.
There were many more exciting and uplifting experiences in my years with the United Nations. I look forward to sharing these with you as I update my website.