Wishes for Peace
Each winter at Farmstead we dream up something new to add that enriches the experience for visitors. This might be celebrity animals to meet, one of the historic farm tractors to touch and admire, a tractor tire turned into a sandbox for imaginative play, or the barn-themed Little Free Library we added last year so guests can enjoy a book whenever they like.
This year, one of our new additions is a Peace Pole. If you haven’t heard of a Peace Pole before, that’s OK. According to Jennifer at May Peace Prevail International (the group that spearheads this grassroots project via www.worldpeace.org), even though there are over 200,000 Peace Poles worldwide, the closest known poles are in Superior, Ladysmith, Eau Claire, and Green Bay.
Founded by Masahisa Goi in 1955 in Japan, the message of yearning for peace is just as necessary now as it was in the shadow of the second world war. Traditional Peace Poles are painted or engraved with the message “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in four or more languages. Anyone may erect a peace pole, whether in a public or private setting. Masahisa Goi felt that with our thoughts we make our reality, and these poles are not only symbols of the maker’s wish but also a call to remind the viewer to visualize and pray for peace.
But what is peace? For me, peace is beyond simply the cessation of conflict. Instead, it holds its own paradigm. For instance, how might one family farm be part of peace prevailing on earth? In an overwhelming shift within agriculture towards factory farming, where soils are destroyed and animals are tortured in confinement all in the name of cheap commodities, there is no room for peace—for balance with nature and stewardship. If peace-in-action could be applied to the family farm, would it not be biodynamic, regenerative, diversified? And by living this peace-in-action on our homestead every day, are we not offering peace one more toe hold on this precious planet?
Peace Poles are available for sale through the above organization, but all are welcome to make their own. For a while, I toyed with painting a pole, but ultimately I was drawn to express the message through my preferred medium—fiber. There is another grassroots movement known as yarn bombing, where everyday objects are suddenly clad in a colorful knitted or crocheted “sock”—transforming bike racks, benches, light posts, or the trunks of trees in parks. What if I could create a project that was yarn-bombing-meets-peace-pole, wouldn’t that be unique and apt for our farm?
Scouring the thrift stores for acrylic yarns in bright colors, I first made a blue panel with the text “May Peace Prevail on Earth” in white script. I then made a second panel that was built as a mural of a peace-in-action farm with a smiling sun, apple tree, red barn, sheep grazing, and a garden, which wraps around three sides. With a 4×4 post in the middle, I wrapped the covering around and stitched it together, forming an instant, texture-rich splash of color that begs to be touched.
We will be hosting a dedication ceremony for our Peace Pole this Sunday (the 26th) at 1 pm. Pastor Gary Hilgendorf of the Spider Lake Church will be officiating, but everyone of all faiths or non-faiths are welcome. The message of peace goes beyond any social lines we draw between each other. Peace is not a top-down proposition (you can’t force peace on people)—it starts from the bottom-up with each of us individually. As Tom Paxton so aptly sings:
Peace
Peace will
Peace will come
And let it begin with me
We
We need
We need peace
And let it begin with me
Oh, my own life is all I can hope to control.
Oh, let my life be lived for the good,
Good of my soul.
Let it bring Peace
Sweet peace
Peace will come
And let it begin with me
Will you join us for the dedication ceremony? Stay late and enjoy our 4th Sunday Celtic Music Session as well—and it’s one of our Bismark Sunday events.
The acrylic yarns should hold up well to the wind and rain, and Mom and Steve made me a PVC cover for the pole to keep the squirrels off when we’re not at Farmstead. Yes, I may need to make a fresh crocheted cover for the pole by this time next year, but impermanence is also part of the beauty of a yarn bombing project, and creating a new pole also offers time and space to re-dedicate to the message of peace.
May peace prevail on earth. See you down on the farm sometime.
