European Parliament Welcomes Back Ambassador of Peace
Thursday, 01 December 2011 07:29 |
The 1st Vice President of the European Parliament, the Honorable Gianni
Pittella, hosted an international conference titled: “Peace and
Well-being, addressing the founding values of the European Union” on
November 28.
Against a backdrop of international uncertainty, including riots in
many European cities, government change and continued unrest in the
Middle East, an audience of institutional representatives and MEPs
joined academics and business people from more than 25 countries to
explore the most pressing issues facing Europe and the world today:
peace and well-being.
Gianni Pittella and keynote speaker Prem Rawat were introduced by Dr.
Anthony Seldon, political historian, author, journalist, and current
Headmaster of Wellington College (UK). Referring to Ambassador of Peace
Prem Rawat, Dr. Seldon commented, “Peace — what a wonderful country to
be Ambassador for.”
Dr. Seldon then set the scene for the event by inviting the whole
audience to pause for a moment of silent reflection, describing the
feeling of peace as an “ineffable and indescribable experience, which is
here now.”
Ambassador of Peace Prem Rawat spoke from the heart and without notes,
focusing on the personal need for peace, “one day at a time, one person
at a time.” He touched on the issue of conflict, pointing out that “wars
happen because people lose respect for each other.” Emphasizing the
human connection people have with each other, he added, “Every single
being on the face of this earth is your neighbor.”
Referring to the recent low General Election turnout in one European
country, Mr. Rawat commented, “Democracy is a few serving the many.
Today, democracy has become the many serving the few. I’m not a
politician, but I am a human being who holds very close to his heart the
fundamental possibility of peace on this earth.” He said that “peace is
in the heart of human beings, not in the mind of human beings” and
concluded, “Peace needs to be given the chance to happen. We have tried
everything else.”
Mr. Pittella and Mr. Rawat took questions from students from the Red
Cross Nordic United World College, and then the EU representatives
present were invited to show public commitment to peace and well-being
by signing the “Pledge to Peace.”
Inspired by the lectures of Prem Rawat and his message of personal
peace, the Pledge to Peace was created under the patronage of Gianni
Pittella. It is a call to action to do something tangible for peace in
2012 and beyond.
Mr. Pittella explained, “the Pledge to Peace is based upon the founding
principles of the European Union, the core principles of the Lisbon
Treaty 2009, and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. It promotes the
development of peace and peace education to enhance the well-being of
its peoples.”
After the Pledge to Peace was signed by Mr. Pittella and Mr. Rawat, the first signatory was Linda Pascotto, President of The Prem Rawat Foundation.
The Foundation promotes Prem Rawat's message of peace and his vision of
addressing fundamental human needs so that people everywhere can live
with dignity, peace and prosperity.
Founding signatories of the Pledge included UN Peace Day
creator, Jeremy Gilley from England; Mr. Seemanto Roy, son of Subrata
Roy Sahara, Chairman of the Sahara Group in India; and the Honorable
Nicolo Cristaldi MEP (Italy) and Mayor of Mazara Del Vallo, Sicily, who
had recently invited Mr. Rawat to speak on the topic of peace in that
region. Each took a few moments to explain to the audience why they were
adding their names to the document, and their own projects in service
of peace. Their signatures were followed by those of representative
dignitaries from across Europe.
The Secretariat for the Peace and Well-being conference was provided by Associazione Percorsi.
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