Clowning as Peace - International Day of Peace

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PEACE 21 September, 2009

By Peacefull (peace-fool) the clown

I had tears on my return from clowning today, I felt a great privilege and humility in being a clown, I felt I would share with others what it is like and the incredible insights I have into people’s lives as a clown. I honestly just feel a gratitude I can’t put into words. I have the ability to see the beauty in this world, that so few know, it is not rose coloured it is reality, we live in an amazing society that is lost in misunderstandings of each other. This is what my clown buddy Hairy Potter and I agreed on today. Would you like to travel into the city with us and feel what it is like to be a clown amongst the crowds of strangers, we call friends. I might add Hairy Potter and me a Peace-fool are not street performers, we are clowns. The world makes us laugh, not the other way round. We do it for love not money. To serve society is our greatest reward.

Today is particularly important to me as a peace clown. It is 21st September, the International Day of Peace, this is the day that United Nations designated as a day of peace and nonviolence for the entire world. All nations are to observe this day and all warring parties are to stop killing for just one day. Is this possible? Out of 365 days per year, just one day set aside where everyone agrees peace is possible. Jeremy Gilley the founder of this day spent 2 years lobbying peace laureates, politicians and triumphed against all the odds to have this day commemorated every year. In his film Peace One Day he shows footage of the day at the United Nations, Kofi Annan is about to ring the Peace Bell in New York, to the shock and horror of all in attendance the twin towers of the World Trade Centre are imploding, this was September 11, 2001. This was the day the impenetrable facade of the Americans dream was shattered and the shock of vulnerability shook the very foundations of the structure reduced to rubble shifting under all feet. This was the moment terror or terrorism was born in the US and had reverberations around the global consciousness. In the confusion, the significance of an International Peace Day was lost as the reality of violence floated across New York in dark plumes of smoke obscuring all visions of hope, as the war zone descended like a nuclear winter. This was a reality check of the long road to peace and that it is in all our interests to move beyond symbols and start to think of peace within the minds and hearts of ourselves and then watch the world change. As a peace clown I know the magic of love, so let me share a peace with you.

My day started when a friend told me to ring 774 ABC radio to let them know it is the International Day of Peace. I am formerly on community radio I didn’t think they would be interested. Remember the adage if it bleeds it leads, peace just aint sexy. Unbeknownst to me I was given the talk back number and explained to the operator the reason for my call. She talked about whether Chechen dictator should enter the country to attend the Melbourne Cup. My thoughts in my mind went to division. If we are to really become peaceful we have to accept all people, even mass murderers, that doesn’t mean you condone what they do but each human has been violent in thought, word or deed. We have to look deeper into the why of a violence we all share? This is my central question. I told the talkback girl I didn’t know much about the issue and she quickly hung up before I had even finished speaking. I felt tension and rang back to say that she hung up and I hadn’t finished speaking. The new operator said it was a talk back line and they were flat out. I said I am a world peace clown and I am trained in conflict resolution, but she said we are too busy. I laughed and let it go. I said thanks for explaining and hung up. As I went on my morning walk I contemplated how realistically we can live in a world of peace when there are so many negative attitudes? I wondered how much time the world really has.

Anyway this is my day to be a World Peace Clown so I put the media behind me. I packed my clown gear and caught a tram into the city. As I walked through the mall disguised as an ordinary person I made myself observe the faces and feel the energy of the crowds as I walked through feeling what I call the vibe. A part of myself was slightly daunted at transforming myself into a peace clown and being the centre of attention. There is always a temptation to stay in the comfort zone, where it is easy to be anonymous. I silently said to myself I am going to explore the difference before and after, consciously. I observed all the serious faces, no-one smiled at each other, separate universes ignoring the thousands of people around them, somewhat lonely in a crowd, a deafening silence and absence of life. They walked, sat down, plugged into music, talked on mobile phones with plain faces in a sea of masks that never questioned, simply accepting this is the way it is. I felt invisible in the crowd, no-one interacted with me, it was dull and uninspiring, like a black and white movie. Kind of like slow motion.

I went and saw my friends in a building in Bourke Street and transformed myself into a peace clown in the toilets. I have done this so many times for 9 years now. I’ve clowned in detention centres, Federal Parliament, conferences, overseas in slums, refugee camps, HIV clinics, orphanages in Russia, with chenobyl kids and in hospitals and the list goes on, I guess I am experienced by now. I had nearly finished the final touches to my make-up with glitter when a woman came in and said what are you dressing up for? I said I am celebrating, it is the International Day of Peace, did you know that, she said no. She told me she was starting a business to cook at people’s homes and make sauces for rich women who pay a fortune in the shops, she saw a target market. She was positioning herself as premium. I felt she will probably do well a bit like the celebrity chef, perhaps that is what inspired her. Anyway, make-up done, I had to get going and greet the world as a world peace clown.

I walked out of the toilet immediately people are noticing. I have broken the shackles of conformity and can feel immediately uplifted. I have bright coloured hair, multi-coloured eye lashes, bright face paint with a peace sign on one cheek and a love heart on the other (hmm), my jester’s hat and bright yellow overalls with purple tights and my red runners. I can feel my bells ringing, actually they are within my heart. You can’t miss me even if you tried and believe me many have, but for fun I come up and play. So I switch into clown mode and I become fearless. Not even slight discomfort. I go down in the lift, and say to someone you coming in my lift you lucky person, won the lottery with me. The door opens and there is a crowded lift, I say got room for a clown make way make way, the wig takes up a lot of room. Don’t worry I don’t have a whoopee cushion but plenty of whoopee (as Patch Adams would say), people are just smiling and asking me what I am doing. I told them about the auspicious day, all didn’t know. I break out of the lift and head for Swanston street. I wave at everyone and make eye contact. I stop in a group of smokers and ask them about this day, they said they didn’t know but they were peace makers. So I hand them UNESCO’s Culture of Peace information. They are smiling and laughing as I give them all hugs and ask them to pass peace on. I walk past Asian people having coffee wave and smile whilst tweaking my red nose. They laugh and I start to connect with all the people moving through my space. I feel very at peace and enjoy the eye contact. I walk down to Swanston Street increasingly speaking with people, waving, smiling and asking them did they know it was the International Day of Peace 9 out of 10 people said no, that is the clown poll and I’d say pretty accurate. I ask them how they make peace, some laugh at jokes and forget jokes, others say don’t disagree (just nod), peace is natural one commented, some didn’t know etc. I asked people if we start peace for one day then we can do the second day, the third and so on until we reach 365 days and we are all at peace, do you think this is a great strategy? Is this an idealistic dream or is it as Gillian Lynne (choreographer of Cats) once told me in her London home, creativity is like working a muscle, just keep practicing and it expands. I kind of like that analogy when I think of peace. Edward de Bono told me that all people have to do is lateral thinking and world peace will happen. I think he has some good ideas. Another famous nuclear activist said that the problem was ‘men’ I can hear a loud chorus of women agreeing and men seeing it as human nature (violence that is). All though in truth we are all responsible for the world we create.

I met so many different people from all walks of life, all nationalities, all ages, shapes and sizes. Such is the kaleidoscope of life we walk past every day and we just allow it to blend into a shade of grey, why? because everyone does that. Yet each moment is golden and the magic of each person is lost when we live on automatic pilot and don’t go forth bravely and embrace each amazing story that is inherent behind all eyes. We just see people as people but as a clown all nationalities become alive with personality and fun and suddenly the differences dissolve as we break out laughing and looking for the points where we connect. An eager willingness to engage. This is the magic of the clown and every person is a magical moment that brings the spark of joy that is continually passed like the light of a candle of peace, that lights up your face with a big smile. Every person is a friend and there is no hesitation to go up and speak to them, we just see the colours and have no doubt we can relate to everyone. What a privilege is it to be a clown. Would you like to meet some more of our new friends on our journey through Melbourne? Come join us on our international day of peace-making.

I met an older gentleman lovely curly grey hair, sitting on a bench closing his eyes in the sun, I make the comment lovely in the sun to snooze. He looks up startled and acknowledges me. He doesn’t seem happy in his eyes but I talk to him about peace, he says he knows a lot about it and can look it up on the net. I ask him if he believes it is possible, he says yes. I wish him peace and give him a big hug, he looks surprised. Who knows what he was feeling. We all have our battles hey.

As I am walking waving at people I make eye contact with a Yarra tram driver another Hindu driver on the tram (I like his turban). Then a kid with a big hand walks passed, he caught my attention. I ask him if it has swelled up, but it has a Collingwood colour on it, hmmm very bruised. I said did you hurt yourself and were you pointing at the time, he laughs and keeps looking back. It is good to play, kids are the masters, I do bow to them. I wave at cars but don’t play in the traffic, not good for my health. I like to indicate for them to stop and let me pass or I wave them through like traffic police. I then notice some young girls, tell them about peace and what do they think, they are smiling and asking for a photo. Then I spot a row of Indian men, two wearing dark glasses, tell them no-one knows who they really are. We talk about making peace in the world. One of them says what about making love. I said yes of course both, love is peace hey…. hmmm. I give them a head massage and a culture of peace brochure. They think it is possible, perhaps the massage was what did it just pleasure them into submission to a higher power, why not. Then I sidle up to an older lady around 65 and her husband as they are walking, I tell her I am not following her honest, just walking with her enjoying the sun with a big sunny smile, I ask her what she thinks about peace, is it possible? Yes, definitely. I said how do you make peace. She says peace is when people are nice to each other. I say to her - so people have to remember to be nice, she said they shouldn’t have to remember it should come naturally. True I nod agreeably. I then parallel park with two young men in their twenties I ask them about peace, if they knew about the international day, they said no but nice. They felt that peace should be fun and jokes, but one of them never remembers. I said the main thing is to laugh at your own jokes, even if no-one gets it, that is peace huh. I then found myself chatting with a woman about the football promotion she was getting people into at Federation Square. I said wouldn’t it be nice to have new games that are win/win, we always have football, tennis, cricket you don’t often see new ones. People win or lose, so lets make them all happy and both win, that’s got to be a winner. I have a preference for that myself. She said she’d never thought of that. She wondered if it would be exciting, I said I will have to think up one and make it fun hey.

Then I followed Hairy Potter who was chatting to an indigenous man showing him his famous paper cut doilies made of love hearts and a cross. Hairy is very clever at these paper cuts and blows many people away by all his symmetrical intricate weaves in paper. He is also a great poet. The indigenous fellow was very intrigued. He looked great wearing clothes covered in dots and colours. My clown buddy asked him what the rock and feather around his neck was about, he said he can make things happen. A magic man I thought. Can you pull this hat out of a hat I fanaticised then tuned back into the conversation. He is like a medicine man for his people. He said he thinks what he wants and gets it, I said like the law of attraction and he smiled. He has formulas in his mind. I reflected on how much knowledge indigenous people had, we were privileged to meet this man. He was painting a dot painting on the ground on a canvas, I guess he was going dotty. He said come back in a few days, it will evolve. I think we all will evolve hanging out with him. Perhaps he could evolve world peace, forgot to ask that, my big chance missed. Nearly saved the world, oh well have to keep working on it.

Saw a wonderful performer sliding a glass ball over his arms and body, it looked like magic as it seemed he suspended it above his hands as he gracefully rolled it with such precision and control. I watched like a fascinated child and told him how great he is and he makes a difference to people by bringing such a beautiful performance. Adults and kids alike focused on this magician. He says he is not good at taking compliments, I said you are wonderful, good practice for him. He was really conscious of me staring and smiling, a fellow clown. He would struggle being one of those stiff manikin like performers who just stand there and stare, pretending to be statues. Always tempted to get my feather duster out and tickle them, like the guards in front of Westminster Palace, can feel the urge. This street performer was tickled by my costume and I think we had a friend there, camaraderie on the streets, love it. I was so pleased, he showed me how to use the balls how to do it. I had a little go but will have to practice for 100 years to perfect it. Perhaps I stick with juggling balls. I did notice him juggle about 6 of them, impressive wow. Maybe I just blow bubbles and make a wish.

As I walked along the road saw a lovely girl reading a book sitting against a wall. I just made a bee line to her and she is wondering what this is about. She asks me to speak slowly and I ask her if she knows it is the international day of peace today. She didn’t so I gave her a brochure. I said send peace to someone today. Another was from France, she said her English is not good, I said mercy, ovwa and a few words I knew enjoying the sound of my own voice, she smiled bemused at my attempts to destroy her language. I said you can make peace there too. She smiled.

I told people it is to make peace visible, it already exists, we are sitting here having a nice conversation, this is peace, do you think or am I wrong. They just smiled, yes of course. I asked another man sitting alone and looking down, he was my first who didn’t believe it was possible, he looked very sad, he said no. For him there was no peace. I saw a deep sorrow in him. As I walked on I waved at business men and smiled. Perhaps our inner world is the determinant of whether peace is possible. If you don’t believe it, you don’t see it.

Chatted with a young boy with his mother, asked her if peace was possible, she said there is a lot of problems in the world, she had done a lot of reading, she was worried at all the money spent on the military and not on social services. She believed peace was possible. Spoke to some well dressed middle aged women who had been shopping, said to them how great life is, every moment is great, just to breath they enthusiastically agreed. Did they think peace was possible they agreed in a chorus, yes. Another tick in the box, it is looking like intent is there, yay.

Met an Indian man looking for his soul mate, he asked my clown buddy if I was his soul mate, he smiled and said yes, I just pointed to my soul of my shoe and said soul and in Australia we say ‘mate’. So yes he is under my foot, he is my soul mate ha. I think he was hoping I might be his. I said to him go up to a girl and say you really see her and read out a poem, perhaps I just wrecked his future love life, but being a poet I liked the romance of it. I guess if you read a poem to each girl, eventually one melts.

The children are always great to clown with. As I moved through the crowd and met a mother sitting with her two boys I gave her a peace of my mind, asked her if she wanted to actually feel peace. Yes she said and bowed her head. I pressed the button to my vibrating massager and then preceded to her boy and placed the head massage or rather my giggle stick. They loved it, I said their IQ would jump as I was stimulating the brain. Do you feel smarter, they just laughed and said it felt funny. I then had a cheeky game with a little boy running rings around me, he wanted a game of hide and seek, that is peace in action or a piece of the action hmm. Although my action has a time limit, who needs aerobics when kids can run you in circles for hours whew… I then met this amazing little girl with intense eyes and glasses. Must be brainy, probably smarter than a 5th grader at age 5, a future Einstein who knows. Anyway, she asked me direct questions. She said why do you wear make up, why are you wearing a wig, why are you a clown? I felt he magic stripped away as I had to confront the stark reality she was placing before me – logic eek. I thought - why do we breath, what makes us walk, what is the molecular structure of the planet (that is my imagination going off, I just laughed such a sharp kid). I could see her logical mind and she was no fool, although I was, so I could baffle her with illogic. Wow. My first child in 9 years who sees the person behind the makeup clearly, usually they see the clown and play. I really liked her style. I said I am not a clown I just dress colourfully (not true, I am a clown … really). I looked at the other kids and said do you think I am a clown? They laughed. What makes you think I am? I ask quizzically I could be a taxi driver or rocket scientist, I am just wearing colours to give me energy ha. I then offered to shake hands with her and deliberately missed a few times and then let her grab me then faked that she had such a grip. Mighty mouse. That was probably the next Prime Minister. You never know who you meet. I once met the only survivor from Hiroshima, he remembered the blast. I met George Bush’s neighbour amongst many others, all as a clown. Who would have thought.

It is all fun, nothing serious. It is the seriousness that actually takes our lives away that covers our thoughts in a blanket of darkness clouding the potential of what can be. I have learned that over and over, thankfully I am a clown, it reminds me of what is important in life. I feel it returns me to my true self. I meet too many stern faces in ordinary life and I feel a relief to clown around and remember who I really am. Footloose and fancy free.

Hairy Potter got the car and I got my bag from my friends at Bourke Street. I waited on a street corner juggling. I waved at a man in the car and hoped he didn’t think I was a new type of street worker. I laughed to myself. I tweaking my nose and waved to acknowledge people going about their day. I had a lot of fun throwing the ball under my leg into a cascade juggle. Had them bouncing around like B B Berocca’s. Jumped in the car with Hairy and I said to him, you know it is all misunderstanding. People just don’t know each other. He agreed, it is amazing the people we meet. We have an amazing life meeting everyone, I have to do this every day.

I feel today was the first day of my new life. The 21st September will signify to me a moment in time where I made up my mind what I want to do with my life. I will live my dream of peace, I will no longer desire anyone else to do or be anything else. My love will become just a source of freedom. I will no longer cry over small things, but save my heart and tears for compassion for those who need my smile. For me peacemaking is smiling and it is the greatest joy of my life. To just give endlessly to the world is sharing my heart with no expectation of return. Yet funnily enough the treasure I get is the joy I feel, no amount of money could pay me for the honour of my experience. It is my privilege to be with everyone as a friend, the real tribe we all belong to. I am so lucky. I can never convey to anyone the true beauty of the life I live, it is truly great. I honestly feel truly blessed as I see how blessed everyone is. For life is always a mirror of myself and there is nothing that I will reject, it is all acceptable through my eyes, the eyes of the clown sees only love. For only love is real in my world.

So my original thought – be aware of before and after clowning. No comparison. The reality of the clown is unbelievable, it is moving images, colour, dynamism, stories, excitement, spontaneity and above all freedom. The black and white world of conditioned day to day life, feels heavy, predictable and lonely. I will opt for the clowning every time. This is the real world, believe me, I meet people and interact, I am not imagining my community, I am getting to know them. It all comes down to communication. That is why I believe in peace, I believe in my community. Now having said that, many were not aware that it was the International Day of Peace and apparently I heard all events were cancelled, so it looks like myself and Hairy were the only ones. I felt inspired to come and did so. However, all the people we met except one, believed in peace with great confidence, this was affirming for me, as I also have no doubt peace is, not will be, just a question of seeing it beyond the mundane and routine media images. It is in the smallest acts of kindness and the openness of people, I can see and feel the warmth of people, that is why I believe we have real hope for the future. Real hope for children.

So my friends, when I got home my eyes filled with tears as the reality of my life as a clown impacted on me, as the truth I have always known just surfaces in a feeling of humility. To be happy and never forget to smile and let go of sadness, there is much in the world waiting for you and many wanting to love you and waiting for you to love. Each moment is precious, surely. We just have to give people a chance. Was it John Lennon who said ‘let’s give peace a chance’, we do that when we open our eyes and hearts to the possibility that peace is indeed a reality. It is only when we believe it, that we see it.

That is the secret life of clowns for peace….magic happens…really. Believe it or not 