Let’s run to create a more peaceful world
October 17 saw the start of the Australian 2014 Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run. The run began from Uluru, the emblematic heart of Australia and is currently heading south before reaching the Flinders Ranges, moving through to Adelaide, then following the length of the mighty Murray River from its mouth to its source before concluding in Canberra on November 24.
Founded by Sri Chinmoy in 1987, the Peace Run has traversed over 100 nations and touched the lives of millions of people. The Peace Runners carry a flaming torch, symbolic of humanity’s aspiration for peace. Sri Chinmoy said, “Peace does not mean the absence of war. Peace means a flood of love in the world family.”
The run does not seek to raise money or highlight any political cause, but simply strives to create goodwill among people of all nations with the ideal that we can all contribute to a more peaceful world.
Perth runner Prabuddha Nicol who has participated in Peace Runs in America, Malaysia and China, is currently the team leader which consists of runners from Ukraine, Mongolia, Canada, New Zealand, Iceland and Great Britain. “I am doing the section from Uluru to Adelaide,” Nicol said. “We meet so many people along the way. Nearly everyone wants world peace and the Peace Run allows people to express that yearning.”
The torch has been held by many dignitaries and humanitarians including Nelson Mandela, Mohammed Ali and Mother Teresa but it really aims to touch the lives of everyday people who hope for a more peaceful world. By passing the torch from one person to the next, from hand to hand, heart to heart. It offers people from different backgrounds, faiths and communities the opportunity to express their hopes and dreams for a better, brighter future, it unites them together in a common aspiration to offer something positive to the world.
The Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run is organised by an international network of volunteers. Co-ordinators in each country partner locally with schools, community groups, sporting organisations, city and state government departments to bring the run to the community encouraging international friendship and understanding.
If you see the Peace Run coming through you town or city, feel free to hold the torch and show your support for peace.
