«Hope is like a path in the countryside. At first there is no path but if enough people walk on it, a path will appear,» said one of the protesters in Minneapolis last week.
I heard it on TV. Watching the news in the U.S. has given me all kinds of jolts. (A nurse killed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement? Journalists arrested? An election office raided by the FBI?)
Upon reflection, the jolts are not too surprising. Given the immense storm two weeks ago, neither was my train’s «little» derailment on the southern border of Vermont.
But after 30 hours on roads and rails, I did safely arrive in Richmond, Virginia, and Amtrak even refunded my train ticket. I did not expect to receive such kind treatment along the way, just as I did not anticipate hearing so many encouraging words by TV commentators or seeing hopeful actions by common people.
Take the «Walk for Peace» by 20 Buddhist monks and one dog, walking more than 3,700 kilometres from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, DC. As their journey neared its end, they came through Richmond on February 2, the 100th day of their walk. (I went to see them as they left the city, pausing for a little ceremony as their Richmond police escort transferred them into the protective hands of the Henrico County police. Hundreds lined the street.)
At City Hall, the newly elected governor Abigail Spanberger declared February 2 the Walk for Peace Day in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the walk’s leader spoke to about 1000 people of all ages who came to encounter the monks.
They shared a simple practice of meditation, and a profound message. «We have not brought peace here. We walk to let people know that peace is within us. We need to awaken it. There will be no world peace if our inner world is not at peace.»
Three of the monks chose to walk barefooted, others bareheaded. Most were sick, the leader said, but they remained dedicated. «Before we started walking, we had already put aside our lives.»
«Washington, DC is not the final destination. We all want world peace, and world peace is something we need to walk for the rest of our lives.»
The idea of world peace is desperately attractive these days. Is a path appearing?
