But it is much more than a definition. It is an understanding and a connection to people who you may not know. It involves not only the mind, but the heart as well. It is contagious, but not when forced upon people. It requires courage and sacrifice.

Friday was the International Day of Peace. This is a day of nonviolence, when the entire world should cease fire. There were many events that took place all over the world including vigils, meditations, prayers and peace walks.

In the U.S., Peace Action Cleveland had a prayer and meditation for 45 minutes at the Gandhi statue in the Indian Cultural Garden of Rockefeller Park beginning at 6:30 a.m.

According to Peaceactioncleveland.org, “Peace Action Cleveland is the nation’s largest grassroots peace organization. Peace Action’s mission is “to reduce the threat of violence, war and terrorism by working through peaceful, just and democratic means.”

Students can voice their concerns with this group as well. An affiliate of this organization is the Student Peace Action Network, which organizes college and high school students to work together in order to help spread peace too.

In Cleveland, the 2007 Peace Show, a festival of peace groups in celebration of peace work and peace-making, was held downtown on Labor Day in honor of the International Peace Day.

John Carroll University Associate Professor of English, Philip Metres even wrote a short blog about it. “The Peace Show has been a Cleveland event since 2002 and began as a response to the Air Show, which members of the Catholic Worker and other radical pacifist groups had been picketing as a celebration of militarism.”

“The idea of the Peace Show was to move beyond the negativism of protest to a celebration of what we believe. One of the many activities and entertainments is a mainstage of music, rap and poetry.”

When asked what he thinks about having a day set aside in order to celebrate peace all over the world, JCU Director of the Program in Applied Ethics, Paul Lauritzen responded, “Efforts like this are largely symbolic, but they are nevertheless very important. Symbols are often vehicles for expressing our deepest hopes and aspirations. Affirming a commitment to peace in ways small and large is significant and can be transformative.”

It doesn’t have to be the International Day of Peace to advocate peace and justice. People support this cause every day and some of them do it without even realizing it. Even by doing something as simple as praying for someone or volunteering at a homeless shelter, people can spread peace. Everyone has the ability to help.

According to Lauritzen, “I try to do my part through my research and writing. For example, I have co-edited a volume on using experiential narratives, fictional literature, theater, poetry and other forms of humanistic work in human rights education.”

Peace is very symbolic. It has several meanings across the world. Here in America, the symbol for peace is a white dove.
In Christianity, the dove is usually seen with an olive branch. According to the Bible, Noah sent a dove to find land after the Great Flood. The dove came back with an olive branch, meaning he had found land. This symbolized God ending the war between him and the people.

According to the Web site Designboom.com, it was also used in art with famous painters such as Pablo Picasso. He used the dove to create a design for the International Peace Conference in 1949 in France.

Another very recognizable symbol of peace is the white crane. This symbol started in Asia along with several legends behind it. The crane became especially significant to Japan after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

It is also said that if one folds one thousand paper cranes, their wish will come true because it is believed that cranes can live for 1,000 years. Also, cranes mate for life, so many Asian weddings use cranes as decorations. Now, the peace symbol of a crane is even popular in America, too.

Everyone can do something for International Day of Peace; it’s not too late. Several simple things such as folding a paper crane and giving it to someone who needs peace and hope in their life can make a difference.

Peace is not an unachievable goal. It can happen as long as people believe and take action.

In the past few decades, modern changes on the view of marriage have taken two dramatic turns. One end deals with young, married couples and the other end concerns the rising trend in America to wait before saying I do.

Statistics prove that young adults are indeed waiting to get married. According to a USA Today poll in 2006, 73 percent of men ages 20-29 said they had never been married, compared with 64 percent in 2000. For women, 62.2 percent had never married in 2006, compared with 53.4 percent six years earlier.

According to Ad2000.com, from 1970 to 2004 the annual number of marriages per 1,000 adult women in the United States plunged by nearly fifty percent.

At JCU, 80.5 percent of graduates who applied for Federal Financial Aid from fall 2007 are not married and 19.5 percent are either married or remarried according to Vice President for Enrollment, Brian G. Williams. Out of the undergraduates, 99 percent are not married, .9 percent are married or remarried and .1 percent of them are divorced or separated.

Someone who has no desire to get maried young is JCU sophomore Crystal Uvalle. “If I found the love of my life now, at 19, I would still want to wait because I still have a lot of growing up to do and I’m sure he does too.”

However, just because people are marrying later doesn’t necessarily mean they are not going to get married at all in life. According to Findarticles.com, an estimated 90 percent of young women will marry at some point during their lifetime.

Society is starting to view marriage in a different way.

JCU sociology faculty member John Klein said, “Society’s view of marriage certainly has changed dramatically post World War II and has evolved with increased diversity. For instance, greater acceptance of divorce, greater acceptance of remarriage, and the changing role of what it means to be a husband and a wife are quite different from the 1950s TV shows such as ‘Leave It To Beaver,’ ‘I Love Lucy’ and ‘The Donna Reed Show.’”

Klein also says these changed roles have to do with an increased acceptance of premarital sexual relations.

Wives are beginning to excel in society and do not have to depend on their husband in order to be successful.

Klein’s words seem to focus on how wives’ roles have changed. Society has opened up a myriad of options for women as wives to prioritize other commitments on their own such as a career, education and stability, instead of solely being a housewife.

Even though several statistics show that people are waiting longer to get married, this is not always true with celebrities.

Celebrities rush into a marriage, which is followed shortly by a divorce. Recent examples include stars like Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson and Angelina Jolie.
This also shapes people’s view of marriage, whereas many years ago, it was unheard of to get divorced.

Klein believes that there is a greater acceptance of divorce and remarriage. According to Chicagolandmarriage.org, in the early 1980s, the United States witnessed the highest number of divorces ever granted; over one million.

Today, more than ever, society is extremely comfortable with such ideas of divorce and remarriage.

Therefore, many couples find themselves submissive to society’s drastic changes.

However, the idea of finding your soul mate early on in life still exists. Young couples do still marry at an earlier age; it is just less common nowadays.

At JCU, senior Arielle Simpson decided to tie the knot at the age of 20. Against the rising trend in society, she and her family have found much joy in spending their new life together.

There are several opinions and many different views on marriage. It changes depending on the person and the couple.

However, many couples discover their own view on marriage and their own meaning of love in a personal way.

And despite society’s views and the influence of the media, they will know whether it is worth waiting two years or ten years for it.