Note: The Following remarks were made by Jean as part of the Wauconda Walk for Peace 2008. You can read Jean's report of the Walk on the Walk for Peace report page.

By Jean Paskalides, CDTL, IL-8

Welcome and thank you for coming. My name is Jean Paskalides and I am working for peace. Today is our second annual walk for peace, and we still haven't reached our goal of world peace. Maybe by next September?

You know peace is not a four-letter word, but it really scares people. Just by coming here today and declaring your support for peace, you are doing a radical act.

Some believe peace is unreachable. They call us naïve or worse. But we know the truth. Peace is the normal state of being, but when something is out of whack, we get conflict. Conflict is inevitable, combat is optional.

In today's world we don't need to bomb people into peace. We can be pro-active in identifying the elements that will lead to violent conflict. And if we want to survive, we better start working to resolve conflict without resorting to violence.

I liken it to raising a child. If the child misbehaves, normally it is because a need is not being met. It can be annoying yes, but we as adults need to use gentle, persistent, consistent persuasion to correct the problem with love. Hitting a child may shut them up, but what does that teach them? It says it is ok to hit to get your way; it says that they are not respected or loved and it breeds mistrust. It takes more work to use words and boundaries, but the result will be less misbehavior, more love and a child that grows up being kind.

This is what we need for the world: Kindness, understanding and charity and we need it at the highest level of our government. We are the government and we want a United States Department of Peace.

Because this is such a radical idea dating back from the founding fathers….we need to clarify something. We need to be sensitive to where we are. This is a War Memorial. Many before us have died doing what they believed was right and the best way to protect us. We respect their commitment and honor them. We love our country and the people who work to protect it.

It is with gratitude that I lay a wreath at this monument in honor of the ideals they swore to uphold. We are here to move beyond war, but we do not diminish their sacrifice.