Beth is our inspiration for the heart and peace sign safety reflector. Beth is a mom in my neighborhood and was one of the first ones I had the good fortune to get to know soon after we moved in. After a couple of years of chatting on school mornings after the kids took off with the bus, we know each other pretty well. She is friendly, helpful and always in a good mood. With those qualities, it is not too surprising that she knows and is liked by almost everyone in town. I’ve often thought that if everyone was as friendly and helpful as Beth, the world would certainly be a more peaceful place to live in. Beth, who always signs off her emails with “Love & Peace”, has inspired our newest funflector™ shape with the same name.
The Peace Sign and Promoting Peace
The peace sign was created in 1958 by Gerald Holtom for the British Nuclear Disarmament movement. The “peace dove footprint” was inspired by the semaphore letters N and D for Nuclear Disarmament. It was brought to the US where it became a symbol for the anti-war movement in the 60’s. Eventually it became so popular that it was used for pure decoration as well.
As it was in the sixties, the peace sign is today also a fashion statement and found on everything from backpacks, notebooks and clothes to diamond rings and garden decoration. Googling “peace symbol fashion” gives over 24 million images to view…
The least one can hope is that the peace signs seen every day on clothes and accessories will remind people to be a little bit more like Beth. If you are friendly and patient with people around you and inspire them to do the same, the world can only get better—right? The next step is to buy fair trade food and other items. People who get paid for their work have money to buy food for themselves and their families don’t need to become violent to get it. If you want to get engaged even more, there are many organizations working for peace in different ways that would love to take you on board. Whatever you do, don’t loose sight of the peace dream!
“Imagine all the people living life in peace. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us, and the world will be as one.” – John Lennon
The “Love & Peace” funflector™
The “Love & Peace” reflector will be available in pink and turquoise and be here just in time for you to wear on the International Day of Peace, September 21. That is also the time of year when the days gets a lot shorter every day and you suddenly find yourself out and about in the dark. With a reflector or two hanging on jackets and backpacks, you’ll be safer when that happens.
Beth and her 7th grade daughter have been waiting patiently since they saw the first sketches by our designer back in May and they will certainly be the first ones to get our newest reflector!
Elisabeth
P.S. Check out some of these web sites if you want to learn more about the peace sign and work done for peace or just want to enjoy some creative expressions of the peace sign:
http://peacemuseum.org.uk
nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/
www.teachpeace.com/www.designboom.com/contemporary/peace.htmlwww.peacesymbol.com
onemillionpeacesigns.blogspot.com
imaginepeacetower.com