Why Turn Peace Around?

Peace is a wonderful concept - imagine everyone in the world accepting each other for who they are and what they believe, instead of fighting about the differences and trying to convert each other. A state of stability around the globe.

This was the dream the hippies were trying to achieve, by protesting the nuclear war. In 1958, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) adopted what we now know as the Peace Sign as their logo. It was originally drawn as the semaphore (flag signaling used by the Navy) for N and D overlapped. Or at least, that was the justification Gerald Holtom used. But his real idea of the drawing was of a man in despair, standing with his "palms outstretched downward and outwards." He was distraught about the whole nuclear war and lack of resolution, so that is what he drew.

After the first few public protests organized by the CND, the symbol soon caught on. First in Europe, and then jumping the Pond along with other popular British trends coming to the United States. The hippies grabbed it and proliferated the idea of the peace symbol, and soon the whole world was using the CND logo to represent the need for Peace.

Personally, I love that this symbol [a] was never copyrighted, so anyone can use it freely, and [b] represents a very real need in this world and continues to regain popularity in the younger generations. However, I am slightly saddened at the thought that a sad and disparaging symbol is what we use to represent a positive and uplifting ideal.

Anyone that has ever looked into the power of changing their life will understand that focusing on the negative only generates more of what we do not want. You cannot manifest a positive result with a negative image. It just doesn't work. So why are we using a symbol of death and sadness for Peace?

It is because of this that I have taken on this little crusade of sorts. I am encouraging everyone to turn their Peace signs around, flip it so that the arms are outstretched upwards. This is a symbol of life and strength, not death and sadness. Give it a try - stand like the current peace sign, with your arms down and out. How do you feel? Not so good, right? Now try flipping it, and stand with your arms outstretched upwards, to the heavens. You already feel uplifted, don't you? :)

This is our "pro-peace" symbol, as opposed to the "anti-war" symbol. Change starts with you and I, today, as we turn each peace sign around, one by one.

Looking for some unique, handmade gifts to spread this message? Stop by our Zibbet shop and check out the fun items we've already made with the flipped sign on it. Got an idea? Contact us and we'll see what we can do to make that perfect item for you with this powerful symbol on it!