Message of peace shared by runners

To most, peace is an abstract and elusive concept. It isn't something concrete that one can hold in one's hands or pass to one another. In an effort to create a tangible manifestation of peace that people all over the world could witness and take part in, humanitarian Sri Chinmoy founded the Oneness‑Home Peace Run in 1987. Runners from several countries involved in the 2018 Peace Run met with the community in Calais on the morning of August 8 to share the experience and their thoughts on how world peace can be achieved.
This year's Peace Run began on April 10 at the United Nations in New York -- the same place it will conclude on August 15. In between those two dates are more than 10,000 miles across the United States, Canada and Mexico, every mile of which a runner from one of 20 participating countries has carried a flaming torch symbolizing peace.
"Running down the highways and byways with this torch is absolutely a unique experience," says Banshidhar Madeiros, who was part of the very first Peace Run in 1987. "You realize that you're part of something much greater than yourself."
Explaining that Sri Chinmoy originally coached the runners to think of the torch as emblematic of humanity's deepest aspirations, Madeiros describes how the internalization of that message becomes embodied externally and the effect on those that witness the runners. "When we are running with the torch, we feel that is a direct representation of our personal, highest‑held aspirations for peace. It starts in the heart and soul in our being, flows up through our arm, and out into the flame," he says. "Running down the road, people that are coming by, they see and they feel and they react to that image and that feeling and that sentiment. That's where the magic happens with this event. One of the many, many magic things that happen."
Madeiros spoke on the message of peace Chinmoy advocated and the vision of world peace it strives for. "The peace in the world begins with, and really depends on, the peace in our hearts, in our own personal lives," Madeiros says. "Each day, the thoughts that we think, the words that we speak, the actions that we share with others, that is what brings peace. That is the foundation of peace. If each of us takes responsibility for our own personal orbit and the people we have contact with, that will create world peace."
The peace torch was passed among all those gathered at the Wabanaki Cultural Center to meet the runners. Those who held it were encouraged to take a moment of peaceful reflection. The same torch has been held by Mother Teresa, Nelson Mandela and Mikhail Gorbachev in the past, all of whom were avid supporters of the movement.
After the torch was shared, Passamaquoddy Eric Altvater welcomed the group to the St. Croix Valley on behalf of his ancestors. Madeiros commented that the group had been through many Native lands on their journey. "It's always a very significant and special opportunity for us to connect and bathe in the genuine, sincere, soulful light of Native people. We find them to be very, very in tune with what we're doing."
Afterward, Altvater reflected on the event, which he referred to as ultimately being a "momentary 'feel good endeavor'" that didn't fully assuage his concerns for the ongoing damage being done to Mother Earth and the struggles of humanity in general. "It makes me sad, but at the same time I dream of treating each other more humanely." Altvater appreciated the efforts of the peace runners in building a global community supportive of all humans. "I think it is a very honorable message to send and an important message for those that care."
For Nikolaus Drekonja of Austria, participating in the run brings him enduring joy and hope. "I love the Peace Run. It makes me happy -- particularly handing children the torch and seeing their faces light up." The runners regularly visit with classrooms and summer camps, giving a short presentation about the run and its message. Asked what peace means to him, Drekonja paused thoughtfully for a moment. "It means a flood of love," he says, eyes beaming.