Several years ago, I had the good fortune to visit Hiroshima, Japan. I say good fortune because I believe that every human being on earth should visit this City and view the Museum there. Regardless of your beliefs regarding the war and the atrocities that occurred, nothing can compare to the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. This museum contains pictures of people crying as their flesh melts off their bodies, and one exhibit which features a tricycle and a little metal hat, all that was left of a child who was playing in his backyard when the bomb hit.

I took my children to see that exhibit, and my youngest son, who was 12 at the time, (the computer geek whom I mentioned in another post), was so moved, he based his “History Fair” website, the theme of which was “Triumph and Tragedy”, on Hiroshima. He even won third place in NY State.

But what is truly amazing to me, is the spirit of forgiveness and hope that pervades the City. Despite the presence of one of the bombed buildings, which is kept in the center of Hiroshima, as a monument to remind everyone of what happened. Every person we met there has a strong desire for world peace, it is a theme throughout the city, which has a very large Soka Gakkai establishment (a Buddhist peace organization – see www.sgi-usa.org).

So I am offering this website to you

This is the Go Gear Frankie Large Peace Tote Bag – great for holding books, gym clothes, baby things and     just about anything else. Wouldn’t this make a great gift for a new Mom, or friend who is fighting for peace?

KBD Peace Keychain Wallet

There is a famous quote by Mahatma Gandhi “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. Sometimes I wonder how many people actually live that way. I certainly hear a lot of complaints about how the world is going these days, especially about the government and how everything is such a mess. But I wonder how many people think about their own behaviors, and how they could make the world a little better?

I think sometimes we get overwhelmed by thinking, “I’m just a tiny human being, what I do really doesn’t matter”. But that thinking is quite foolish, one human being has always been the first step in changing the world. Daisaku Ikeda says at the beginning of his wonderful novel The Human Revolution: “A great human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation and, further, will enable a change in the destiny of all humankind.”

I find the hardest thing is “walking the talk”. As a long time (greater than 25 years) practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism, I really do try to have heart to heart dialogues with everyone I meet, and treat them with respect, but sometimes, when someone is especially rude to me, at the Post Office, where I am often shipping packages, or on line at Costco, or on the Belt Parkway (a certain suburb of Hell, for those who are not from New York City) – I find it especially hard to be that change! But every time I am successful, I feel that I have contributed in some small way to world peace.

An example occurred last week, when I was on the train, on my way back from the Accessories Show at The Javits Center, where I picked up LOTS of great new items for The Treasure Tower. A young man next to me did not realize that the train required a Peak ticket and did not have the money to upgrade ($2.50). I paid it for him and suddenly the harried train conductor smiled and said “That sort of thing makes me so happy”, and the young man and I had a lovely conversation about the similarities between Buddhism and Orthodox Judaism, which was his religion. Who knows where that small gesture led…….

So if you need some inspiration to “Be the change…” – I have just started carrying home decor at The Treasure Tower and have a lovely wall hanging with that quote. And please, write me with instances of your own actions that have changed the world in a positive way ……

Gandhi Wall Hanging