Peace on Earth, Good will to all.

I have been reading the Horatio Hornblower series by C.S. Forester.  There are eleven books which tell the story of Horatio Hornblower, a fictional Royal Navy officer during the Napoleonic Wars.  The Hornblower series is actually the second book series that I have enjoyed about the British Navy during that era - I have also read Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series (the 2003 movie, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, starring Russell Crowe and Paul Bettany was partially based on three of the Aubrey-Maturin novels).  What has impressed me about both of these book series is the fact that whenever an opposing ship is captured, the officers hand over their swords to the victors and pledge not to fight or try to escape.  In many cases, the captured officers are left free to wander around either the ship (if still at sea) or the countryside (if captured near shore).  War was apparently vastly different during the Napoleonic Wars compared to today, and perhaps "honor" was more meaningful and more significant.


I am reminded of an event that I first learned about while watching a Paul McCartney video for his song, called Pipes of Peace.  The setting of the video is the Western Front, 1914 (World War I).  On December 25, 1914, French, German, and British soldiers crawled out of their trenches, crossed "No Man's Land," and joined together to celebrate Christmas.  They exchanged food and souvenirs, sang carols, played football (soccer), and drank a toast to peace.  Christmas brought out the best of humankind on that day.  After several months of grueling, hand-to-hand combat, in the middle of the "War to End All Wars," there was peace.  Men who merely hours earlier were killing one another, joined hands, broke bread together, and enjoyed a few quiet moments on Christmas.  On that Christmas night, the guns were silent, bringing special meaning to the Christmas carol, "Silent Night" that they sang.


How beautiful would it be to have a peace like that on this Christmas Day?  It is difficult, if not impossible, to imagine a similar scenario occurring in these times.  But I still have a hope and belief that peace on Earth is within our reach.  World peace must start with peace here at home.  World peace must start with compassion and good will to all, no matter what gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, or religious background.  World peace must start with all of us, here and now, joining together as a community in the common bonds of humankind.  "And now these three remain: Faith, hope, and love.  But the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)  


World peace will only come if we open our hearts to everyone.  Merry Christmas.  Peace on Earth and Good will to All.