Peace Pilgrim
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| Peace Pilgrim | |
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| Born | July 18, 1908 Egg Harbor City, New Jersey |
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| Died | July 07, 1981 Knox, Indiana |
| Website http://www.peacepilgrim.org |
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Peace Pilgrim (July 18, 1908 – July 7, 1981) born Mildred Lisette Norman, was an American pacifist, vegetarian, and peace activist. In 1952, she became the first woman to walk the entire length of the Appalachian Trail in one season.[1] Starting on January 1, 1953, in Pasadena, California, she adopted the name "Peace Pilgrim" and walked across the United States for 28 years.
A transcript of a 1964 conversation with Peace Pilgrim from a broadcast on KPFK radio in Los Angeles, California, was published as "Steps Toward Inner Peace". She stopped counting miles in that year, having walked more than 40,000 km (25,000 miles) for peace.
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[edit] Early life
Mildred Norman was born on a poultry farm in Egg Harbor City, New Jersey, in 1908, the oldest of three children. Her mother, Josephine Marie Ranch, was a tailor, and her father, Ernest Norman, a carpenter. Although poor, the family were well-thought-of in a community of German immigrants, whose relatives originally settled the area after escaping Germany in 1855.[2]
In 1933 she eloped with Stanley Ryder and moved to Philadelphia in 1939. They divorced in 1946.[3]
[edit] Pilgrimage
| “ | In order for the world to become peaceful, people must become more peaceful. Among mature people war would not be a problem - it would be impossible. In their immaturity people want, at the same time, peace and the things which make war. However, people can mature just as children grow up. Yes, our institutions and our leaders reflect our immaturity, but as we mature we will elect better leaders and set up better institutions. It always comes back to the thing so many of us wish to avoid: working to improve ourselves. | ” |
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—Peace Pilgrim, [4] |
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Her pilgrimage spanned almost three decades beginning January 1, 1953, in Pasadena, California. The Korean War was in progress. She continued walking for 28 years, spanning the American involvement in the Vietnam War and beyond. Peace Pilgrim was a frequent speaker at churches, universities, and local and national radio and television. In the course of her pilgrimage she touched the hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals all across North America. Her message was both simple and profound, and it continues to inspire people all over the world.
Expressing her ideas about peace, she referred to herself only as "Peace Pilgrim." Peace Pilgrim's only possessions were the clothes on her back and the few items she carried in the pockets of her blue tunic which read "Peace Pilgrim" on the front and "25,000 Miles on foot for peace" on the back. She had no organizational backing, carried no money, and would not even ask for food or shelter. When she began her pilgrimage she had taken a vow to "remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food." For 28 years, all her needs were met. "Aren't people good," she would often say. She spoke to all who would listen about the entire peace picture: peace among nations, peace among groups, and the very important "inner peace", because she believed that was where peace began. Peace Pilgrim was a strict vegetarian and did not use fur, feathers, leather or bone.[5]
On July 7, 1981, while being driven to a speaking engagement near Knox, Indiana, Peace Pilgrim was killed in an automobile accident. At the time of her death, she was crossing the United States for the seventh time. After her death, she was cremated, and her ashes were interred in a family plot near Egg Harbor City, New Jersey.
[edit] Friends of Peace Pilgrim
Friends of Peace Pilgrim, a non profit corporation dedicated to the publication and dissemination of the words of Peace Pilgrim, has distributed almost 500,000 copies of the book, Peace Pilgrim: Her life and work in her own words, available for free in 10 languages, as well as over one and a half million copies of the booklet, Steps Toward Inner Peace, available in 24 languages.[6]
[edit] Awards
- Peace Abbey Courage of Conscience Award (1992)[7]
[edit] Bibliography
- Steps Toward Inner Peace (1964)
- Peace Pilgrim, Her Life and Work in her Own Words (1983)
- Peace Pilgrim: The Spirit of Peace (1997)
- Peace Pilgrim: An American Sage Who Walked Her Talk (2000)
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Cousineau, Phil (2000), The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred, Red Wheel, ISBN 1573245097.
- Daniels, Marta (2005), “Mildred Norman Ryder (Peace Pilgrim)”, in Ware, Susan, Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, vol. 5, Harvard University Press, pp. 564-566, ISBN 067401488X.
- Pilgrim, Peace (1992), “Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words”, Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words, Ocean Tree Books, ISBN 0943734290.
- Reichenberg-Ullman, Judyth (2001), Mystics, Masters, Saints, and Sages: Stories of Enlightenment, Ocean Tree Books, ISBN 1573245070.
[edit] External links
