WAILUA — There was no need for words — the soft light of the luminarias placed in the form of the peace sign said it all. Young hands belonging to members of the United Junior Young Buddhist Association of Kaua‘i
WAILUA — There was no need for words — the soft light of the luminarias placed in the form of the peace sign said it all.
Young hands belonging to members of the United Junior Young Buddhist Association of Kaua‘i spearheaded the short but poignant Peace Day celebration at the Wailua Houselots Park pavilion, and with the help of their advisors, worked to place the luminarias and light the candles inside the brown paper bags.
This highlighted the Kaua‘i Peace Day celebration which started out with selections relating to peace by the Lihu‘e Hongwanji Mission choir under the direction of Gladys Fujiuchi.
The effort by the young students were joined by people around Hawai‘i, the first state in the United States to legally adopt the holiday observed in more than 200 countries around the world, according to a Peace Day Hawai‘i Web site.
Hawaii’s celebration of the United Nations International Peace Day highlighted more than just the quest for world peace, an Associated Press story states.
A Temple University professor offered tips Sunday on how to prevent childhood bullying, everywhere from the playground to the Internet.
Professor Tricia Jones, who specializes in conflict resolution, says bullying should not be considered a normal part of growing up.
She says adults need to help kids deal with the problem of physical and psychological abuse by other children.
“It’s easy to see working toward peace as a broad, generic objective,” said Rep. Jon Riki Karamatsu during the inaugural Peace Day celebration in 2007. “Just as a harmful act can have a ripple effect, hurting everyone around you, an act of kindness can create a more pleasant and constructive environment at school, work or home. Simply thinking about peace can also be very important in stopping cycles of violence between people, groups, communities or even nations.”
The evening continued as Kapa‘a High School music director Catherine Paleka presented several selections relating to peace by members of the Kapa‘a High School chorus, several members belonging to the United Junior Young Buddhist Association of Kaua‘i. The music attracted a quartet of tennis players who peeked at the celebration from the sidewalk fronting the pavilion.
Daphne Sanchez, who spent part of her summer singing at a Japanese resort, was also part of the chorus, and following the choral presentation, performed a solo number.
The United Junior Young Buddhist Association members melded the youth and adults as Ipo and Kimo did a duet performance centering around the beauty of Kaua‘i, Ipo noting that peace begins with the individual and if we can achieve peace here, we can eventually achieve world peace.
Karamatsu, on his Peace Web site, said we don’t think about this in our daily lives and that was why he was pleased when several high school members of the Hawai‘i Federation of Junior Young Buddhist Association approached him with the idea for a Peace Day in Hawai‘i.
He joined the students and worked to guide the Peace Day bill through the Legislature and it eventually became law.
Karamatsu said Sept. 21 was selected as Peace Day in Hawai‘i because it coincides with the date designated as the International Day of Peace by the United Nations.
And as the light of the peace symbol was overpowered by the turning on of the pavilion lights, young children flocked to the luminarias, their tiny hands flashing the universal sign of peace.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 253) or dfujimoto@kauaipubco.com
