The World Peace Project

There are 7,000 different languages currently spoken on earth, add to that dead or ancient languages, artificial languages or conlang (constructed languages) and dialects that almost rises to the level of a language and you have over 10,000 languages. Some of these languages have dictionaries and millions of speakers, while others are spoken only by one or a very few number of people. This newsletter will explore the word for peace in 10,000 languages. These words can be used to meditate on peace, find more robust inner peace, learn something about another culture and thereby increase peace and understanding in the world. Learning words of peace in different languages can also increase brain plasticity and form new connections in the brain. This helps people improve their brain health. It is said, "Learning a new language after age 50 delays symptoms of Alzheimer's disease." Learn the language of peace, one word at a time, one language at a time.

Peaceful Jaguar

"Hau, hau, hau"

the sound of a Jaguar calling

in the Peruvian language of Aguaruna

half a world away in Tahitian,

spoken on the island of Tahiti

"Hau, hau, hau" means peace, peace, peace

Dictionary Poetry, The Words Around

In an English dictionary the word “peace”

is often found between the entry for “pay” or “pea” and “peacock”,

“peach”, or “pearl.”

since other languages spell the word for “peace” differently,

words like “paix”, “vrede”, and “damai” are found between

different word entries in a bilingual dictionary

It is in these dictionary entries,

before and after a particular word,

that poetry is found.

Emotional Gizzards and Hearts in the Wilderness with Calm

In a language of Mali,

Bondum Dom Dogon dictionary

"c??ndà ??lùm" means calm and nice

it is wedged among

the words for heart and gizzard

"c??c??j???" means gizzard

c??ndáà [t???ndáà] is heart

c??ndà ??jábò honest

c??ndà ?jàl dishonest

c??ndà ??lùm calm, nice

c??ndà ??ndà ɡé sad the heart is taken with something bad

c??ndà ɡìy?? angry my heart is taken

c??ndà jóɡó courage (one who has courage)

c??ndà jóɡóndí/c?nda ma ondi courage (one who does not have courage)

c??ndà màà ɡw???? sick of, be fed up with my heart is out of it

c??ndà màà óndí discouraged

c??ndá ?ámín worried, anxious

c??ndà ?á?èè angered made my heart cry

c??ndà pàrè sadness, taken off guard heart is cut

c??ndá súɡùrú quick to anger heart is fast/quick

c??ndà tàbè pleasing heart is touched

c??ndà yààmè angered taken my heart

c??ndá ????? angry heart rises

c??r??n wilderness

Tsup: Peace as a Bird

"Tsup" is a Nigerian Bura word

to be at peace

with calm spirit

as well as the alighting of a bird

"Tsup" describes a feeling

and I imagine a heart calming

relaxed among friends

or turkeys roosting as dusk falls

and the sigh of relief of a calm spirit

at peace watching the sunset

one a moment in time

Early Irish Peaceful Fairies

“Sìobhalta” means “peaceful” from the Irish “sibhealta”

and Early Irish “sídamail”

perhaps borrowed from the English “civil”

peace in the countryside

The next word in the Gaelic Etymology Dictionary

“sìochaint” or Gaelic peace

relates to Middle Irish’s “sídchanta” peaceful from “síth”

and the Irish “síocháin” or “peace”, “síothchánta” or “peaceful”

as well as “síodhchan” “atonement”

showing the way to find peace

as it saves us magically and completely

The following dictionary entry is “sìochair”

a dwarf or fairy from the Middle Irish “sidhcaire” or “fairy host”

and the Early Irish “síthchaire” from “síth” fairy

bringing to bear how magical peace is when we find it

Change the dot and “sith” means to “stride” or “dart”

from the Middle Irish “sidhe”

while “sìth” also means “peace”

from the Irish “síth” or “síoth”

and Latin “sêdo” or “settle”

as if peace can help us dart and sit

holding the energy of both

and settle peacefully and magical like the fairies

“Sìth” meaning “a fairy” follows

from the Irish “sídh” a fairy hill

and the Latin “s?dus” or “a constellation” or “dwelling of the gods”

would that peace could come from fairy dust

on a green hill where gods dwell

and we could dart from one perspective to another

sometimes sitting in that place that feels so tranquil

all the while maintaining “Sìth”

Each The World Peace Project newsletter will include five or more meditations on the word for peace in different languages.

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For more information see Awakenings: Peace Dictionary, Language and the Mind (Peace in 10,000 World Languages with Visualizations and Brain Health Exercises) https://amzn.to/3QrgfXo