OneDay >> Why a New Holiday?

Why a New Holiday?

Celebration as a Healing Force
It's important to share customs. Regularly repeated ceremonies and celebrations, mostly involving food, are what hold the fabric of individual societies together. And from time immemorial, "breaking bread" together has been what links one group of people to another. Until recently it's been impossible for the whole world to act as one, to share one experience, one tradition, and that's resulted in a lot of division and mistrust, probably a lot of wars as well. But now with rampantly advancing globalization, it's not only possible it's necessary for us to begin to feel that we are one people. Our survival in the next centuries depends upon global goodwill and cooperation?which in turn depends on the mutual trust that is built upon shared customs.

Holidays In History
Holidays are a time-tested way to promote sharing, unite families, and build economic prosperity. Three U.S. presidents (Washington, Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt) helped to establish our present-day Thanksgiving. This beloved American holiday of gratitude that is celebrated with food has done much in times of both war and peace to link our diverse cultures in one tradition, raise our spirits, and encourage sharing of the harvest.

In 1914, the U.S. Congress and President Woodrow Wilson acted to officially establish Mother's Day. This holiday, along with Father's Day, renews and reconnects today's far-flung families while providing economic stimulus in every country where it's celebrated. Mother's Day was originally conceived, during the American Civil War, as a way of inspiring mothers to care for other mothers' wounded sons.

In the thirty years since the first Earth Day, this new holiday has already influenced the minds and hearts of hundreds of millions of schoolchildren around the world. We have created a meaningful, practical day to focus on the well being of the Earth. Now we need one for its people.

A Landmark Day for Humanity
January l, 2000 was a day we, the people of the world, did ourselves proud. A date that had been anticipated with some trepidation for a thousand years, it was also a time when crowds of unprecedented size were expected to assemble, when terrorism was feared, when a third of the world's countries were involved in conflict, and when Y2K threatened to paralyze essential services everywhere. Yet with all of this, we did not panic, but just quietly prepared, in many ways. Industries and governments, religious organizations, individuals and families everywhere acted responsibly, and as a result there were no major riots, no stampedes in food stores, no collapse of the banking system, and in fact surprisingly little violence around the world. It was mostly a time of joy and reverence, providing an example we should commemorate?and improve upon?each January first till peace and sharing feel so good they become second nature to us, every day of the year.

Let's Banish Hunger and Violence
Let's join with one another to memorialize this first major shared global event. Let's annually celebrate the entire human family, its achievements and its aspirations, with a day dedicated to the premise that everyone on earth should have food to eat and that every child on the planet should feel welcomed into the global family. It should be a day when we exchange greetings globally and share a meal with friends and strangers, matching the cost of that meal with a gift to the hungry. A day we honor heroes of peace and practice refraining from violence in our homes, our neighborhoods, and our battlefields. A day we collectively measure our progress in solving global problems, and resolve together to take the next necessary steps.

And Let's Make it Fun
Let's make every New Year's Day in the new millennium an occasion everyone looks forward to. Let's enjoy ourselves as we teach those of other cultures about our traditions, and learn about theirs. And let's encourage our children to lead us by sending invitations to one another to create and then celebrate "OneDay" of peace together, at home and around the world.