The peace symbol turned 50 in April. It was originally designed to protest nuclear disarmament in the United Kingdom. The brainchild of Gerald Holtom, artist and WWII conscientious objector, the peace symbol was a result of his despair over nuclear weaponry.“The symbol itself is a combination of the semaphoric signals for the letters "N" and "D," standing for Nuclear Disarmament. You can read more about the story at : http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/23/sunday/main3960390.shtml
I remember the peace symbol of my childhood, a colorful symbol of protest against the Vietnam War. Many people made disparaging remarks about the symbol even going as far as calling it the sign of Satan. I was of an age where I did not really care too much about protest I just enjoyed drawing the symbols on any and everything! I was reading a magazine and it pointed out the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol. Apparently several designers are creating jewelry and other accessories to commemorate the event. As my dear friends know, I am all about anything 50! I think the symbol remains a timeless reminder of peace. Our world is still rife with war and social injustice. It saddens me to see so much struggle between people. The best I can offer is to be a peaceful person. There are many, many people striving each day to live in gratitude, love and peace. I choose to be one of this group and hopefully set an example for those whom are less peaceful. Daily, I receive negative emails, encounter dismal news stories and encounter less than polite people. I can choose how I respond and what I allow in my environment. I choose P*E*A*C*E !!! So let's start our own peace movement...
6 comments:
"the sign of Satan"
Sheesh!
i opt to be peaceful (unless you cut me off in traffic without using a blinker) and friendly everyday. it makes life so much better!
I'm not sure whether it's still there or not, but at one time a few months ago, the TJ Maxx store in Sumter had several jewelry items with the peace symbol, and of course I had to buy one, a silver bracelet with the symbol dangling from it. It's so cool! I enjoy wearing it because it's a reminder to chill and "give peace a chance" as Lennon would say.
Hayden, I know, ridiculous, isn't it.
CWG, I almost put that EXACT statement about traffic in my post!
Jayne, I love your bracelet and need to get one myself.
I always wondered, when I was a kid, what the peace symbol was supposed to symbolize. (Well, peace, duh! I meant why they designed it the way they did - there's usually an interesting story behind everything after all!) But when I inquired, all I was ever told was that it was an upside-down broken cross, and naturally i thought that was a bit weird! I am going to go to the website you highlighted to read about the real design idea.
I used to doodle the peace sign on all my notes in grade school. It clearly was the thing to do.
ps. TAG! Check out my blog for details.
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