William Sutherland's photos with the keyword: Peace

Created from a photograph of an icon of Our Lady of Kazan , circa 1970 in Sofrino, Russia. The original icon was created in Constantinople in the 13th century and brought to Russia shortly thereafter. When the Tatars captured Kazan in 1438 the icon disappeared. It was rediscovered under the ruins of a burnt down house in 1579 by a young girl Matrona who had received messages from the Virgin Mary. This icon has a lot in common with Fátima, Portugal. Consequently, with the expansion of wars and hardening of the already rigid and unyielding positions by world leaders that reject compromise and who have discarded the concept of mutually assured destruction (coined during the Franco-Prussian War in 1870), the 13 July 1917 Fatima message to Lucia – “ When you see a night illuminated by an unknown light, know that it is the great sign God gives you that He is going to punish the world… ” – remains relevant and fitting today. On 25 January 1938 an intense geomagnetic storm lit up the night sky all across Europe and could be seen as far south as Bermuda. A month later Hitler invaded Austria. Eight months later he invaded Poland and World War II was officially underway. On 11 May 2024 an intense geomagnetic storm (perhaps the most intense since record-keeping began in1932) lit up the skies across much of the world. Auroral displays could be seen all across the United States into Mexico, in the Bahamas, western Africa and as far south as Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina. Could this be history repeating itself with the greater intensity warning of an even greater conflagration that leads to nuclear war? Let’s hope world leaders rediscover reason and pursue peace if we are to remain a planet of the living. In the meantime, as the Blessed Mother has repeatedly implored through the ages – La Salette, France (1846), Lourdes, France (1858), Fátima, Portugal (1917), Medjugorje, Bosnia and Herzegovina (1981), to name four such instances – we should pray for peace . And as we pray for peace Our Lady of Kazan can serve as a protector. Although we may not live to see that day when peoples and nations are reconciled to each other and live in peace, one day it will happen if humanity doesn’t first extinguish itself into extinction through nuclear war and consequent Armageddon.

Larchmont, NY

Photos taken 5 and 9 November, 2023 in Larchmont and Mamaroneck, NY Note: It's now been one month since the terrorist attack on Israel (7 October 2023) in which more than 1400 innocent people were murdered in cold blood and more than 240 persons were taken hostage. May they not be forgotten and be brought home as soon as possible, in time for Hanukkah 2023.

Photo taken in Larchmont, NY. Silent night, holy night! All is calm, all is bright. Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child. Holy infant so tender and mild, Sleep in heavenly peace. [Lyrics from Silent Night written by Fr. Josephus Mohr in 1816] This Christmas classic was written to inspire hope and bring much needed relief when Fr. Josephus’ Austrian town had been decimated by 12 years of war and had suffered undue hardship from crop failures and famine. The world also suffered greatly from the latter, because 1816 was the “Year without a Summer.” Some things never change... Today the world again suffers from war, devastation from climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic that is in its third year. While 2022 marked new beginnings for most countries with re-openings, restored intimacy and social relationships and the easing of the pandemic, this is not the case for the entire world. :( We must remember the people of China who are right now enduring a dark holiday season gripped by COVID-19 and the parts of the world where peoples struggle in the cold and live in rubble with the next day not assured, victim to war and violence because of the absence of empathy from their leaders who choose war, power and intransigence over peace, goodwill and compromise. Nevertheless, may this holiday season bring much needed renewal and the new year bring peace, prosperity, goodwill, health and happiness. Note: The Nativity Clipart comes from a free image available in Clipart Library.

Created from DALL·E 2 – Open AI and Smart Photo Editor . As millions of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving on this conflicted day, it is important to remember this is a day of mourning for the indigenous peoples of the USA especially since “thanksgivings” were repeatedly offered to celebrate acts of genocide and murder committed against Native American peoples. There can be no joy until the 415-year occupation, though realistically irreversible, is addressed. At a minimum Native American nations (575 at least – if the Eastern Pequots are given their due recognition) should be granted autonomy over their lands and some form of reparations consisting of land awards and financial compensation are given for their suffering to ensure self-sufficiency. The same holds true with regard to reparations for African-Americans because of the disgusting stain of slavery and racism, the latter that remains endemic in our 21st century society. The soft pastel colors represent a new dawn with the soft red symbolizing life, the abundance of lines represent natural phenomena, water and the Native American connection with the spiritual world. The two circles represent the sun (a symbol of life giving warmth, healing and peace) and the moon (a guide and protector). The silhouetted tepees represent Native American peoples and nations. Therefore, as Americans celebrate Thanksgiving – we should be mindful of the sadness of Native Americans, take a moment to mourn and pray for their ancestors who were slaughtered, yearn for the day the 415-year occupation is addressed, and give thanks that in spite of the evils of the past, Native Americans are STILL HERE and LIVE along with our traditional gratitude for family, friends and health and for those who believe regardless of faith – to God for His abundance of blessings.

Mamaroneck, NY God created… all from the same organic dust… [1] All souls are alike... None is superior or inferior. [2] [T]he seeds of the kingdom are planted in both female and male… [I]n the kingdom there is no difference… [3] All [are] sisters and brothers… reaching out to a common… destiny… [4] And He gave you… the diversity of your tongues and colors. What should it matter that one bowl is dark and the other pale, if each is of good design and serves its purpose well... [5] Heaven covers all without partiality; earth sustains and embraces without partiality; the sun and the moon shine upon all without partiality. [6] _____________ [1] Bahai’ism. [2] Jainism: Mahavira Vardhamana (599-527 BCE): Thus Spake Lord Mahavir: Excerpts from the Sacred Books of Jainism. Jainism Literature Center. 21 July 2013. [3] The “Luminous” Religion (practiced in China from c. 635-1399 CE before being stamped out by oppression and persecution in mid-to-late 14th century CE). [4] Cao Daoism: Emiel Van Den Boomen. Mesmerizing Vietnam – Fusion in religion. 3 July 2011. www.actoftraveling.com/2011/07/mesmerizing-about-vietnam-fusion-in-religion and Basic Catechism of Caodaism. 8 March 2012. en.nhipcautamgiao.net/news/136-basic-catechism-of-caodaism-1.html [5] North American Indian: Polingaysi Qoyawayma, Hopi. [6] Confucianism. Note: human was created from garbage and litter consisting primarily of discarded plastic from an air conditioner, broken yellow plastic pieces, red and white plastic bolts, a discarded piece of wood, copper piece, broken light bulb and piece of a discarded cardboard box. The colors and shades of black, brown, red, white, and yellow represent the races that comprise the diverse fabric of humanity. Each color is indispensable and integral without which there would be an unbridgeable loss of beauty. The pixellation represents the fragility of life and the smile face represents joy when all peoples of every ethnic background, gender and religion of the one human race live in peace and harmony.

Mamaroneck, NY Created from garbage and litter consisting of metal shards, plastic mats and other debris to provide a much needed smile during these challenging times of COVID and war and to honor Psalm 72:3 written c. 700-500 BCE in reference to King Solomon who brought in an era of peace and prosperity in Israel from c. 970-931 BCE - hence the title 72:3 . "Let there be peace!" [Psalm 72:3 ERV]

Photo composition created from a photo of tanks taken in Moscow, USSR (now Russia) on 31 October 1991 in the aftermath of the Putsch and a statue at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, New Rochelle, NY on 3 August 2012. Tragically war has broken out, the consequence of zero sum politics and the failure to seek common ground and compromise. My prayers go out to the people of Ukraine and Russia who are the victims of this unnecessary conflict that threatens to plunge the planet into World War III if errors in judgment continue and a war that should have been avoided if only everyone had taken the time to sincerely understand the other.

Mamaroneck, NY Digital Art created from a tiny sign standing in 9 inches of snow following a storm. This sign is more relevant than ever as the threat of war looms large -- World War III? My prayer is that cooler heads prevail. For that, reason and trust are needed. If President Kennedy did not want Russian missiles in Cuba during the 1960s, is it so unreasonable Russia does not want NATO on its border with missiles in Ukraine? Too bad we blew an opportunity to include Russia in NATO, which could have averted this mess, but unfortunately Russophobes won the day. :( Also, it would be nice if civility returned to the Olympics. Kamila Valieva earned her gold medal in the team event with an incredible and awe-inspiring performance and should not have it stripped to elevate teams that had inferior performances. She tested NEGATIVE during the European Championships in January and tested NEGATIVE during these Olympic games and should not have her reputation and life destroyed by geopolitics; she's a human being with feelings, dreams and aspirations like everyone else! Also, her rights were violated and so for any form of justice to prevail and to correct this wrong, she should be ruled eligible to compete based on her tests prior to and after the December test that could have been tainted or contaminated. [Update:] 14 February 2022 - the Court of Arbitration in Sport (CAS) did the right thing and cleared Valieva to compete in the Olympics.

Digital Art created from three photos: Crescent Moon, Irvington, NY (3 August 2008), Minaret, Queens, NY (8 August 2014) and Tulip, Mamaroneck, NY (12 April 2021). The Minaret, the tallest point of a Mosque serves as the place where a muezzin makes the call for prayer based on the command from the Prophet Mohammad – “Rise, O Bilal, and summon to prayer!” The shape, form, and color of a minaret also serve as strong symbols in Islam. The “cuboid” structure represents stability and equality based on the Qu’ranic verses (Apartments 49:13) – “O mankind! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you nations and tribes that you may identify yourselves with one another,” (The Byzantines 30:22) “Among His signs is the creations of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colors…” and (The Family of Imran 3:195) – “I will not lose sight of the labor of any of you who labors in My way, be it man or woman; each of you is equal to the other.” The geometric form of the minaret also represents Islamic belief that God created order (e.g. the laws of physics that govern the universes in which “the sun, the moon, the stars… follow an unalterable law and do not deviate even slightly from their ordained course” and “matter, energy and life… obey laws by which they must grow or change, live or die”) and everything in His creation has a significant place in His “grand scheme.” The roof or dome points towards the sky symbolizing the “gate from heaven and earth” that marks the transition from temporary to eternity” to remind people based on the Qu’ranic verse (The Forgiver 40:39) – “…the life of this world is nothing but a passing enjoyment and indeed, the Hereafter is the abiding home.” It is because of this Islam declares, “When we are reduced to bones and ashes, will we… be raised as a new creation? ‘Yes, even if you become stones, or iron, or whatever you think is harder to bring to life…’ Who will bring us back to life? ‘The One Who created you the first time.’” [Qu’ran: The Night Journey 17:49-51] The white color of the minaret symbolizes “God’s Pure Light,” the “source of existence” and eternity that derives from God’s great love based on the fact that in Islam, God is known as al-Wadud or "He who loves." "Religion is love and love is religion" -- Islam: Imam al-Baqir (676-733 CE) “The Eternal… made all things in [l]ove. On [l]ove they all depend.” [Islam: Farid ud Din Attar, 12th Century CE Sufi poet] Because of this, a key principle of Islam is peace (also symbolized by the white color of the minaret) based on the Prophet Mohammad’s noble and compassionate example when his troops conquered Mecca on 11 December 629. Despite the ill-treatment he had received and attempts on his life, he gave that city’s residents that chance to determine their own fate – “O Quraysh, what do you think of the treatment… I should accord you?” And they said, “Mercy, O Prophet of God. We expect nothing but good from you.” Thereupon Mohammad declared, “…This day there is no reproof against you; go your way, for you are free.” [1] “God created a hundred portions of mercy. He placed one portion between His creation [so] they [could] have compassion on each other…” [Islam: Saheeh Al-Bukhari, Saheeh Muslim, Al-Tirmidhi, et al.] In Islam, the crescent moon serves as a powerful symbol of God’s greatness while the color “blue” (al-azraq) represents “the impenetrable depths of the universe” and the mystical nature of God, the Creator. At the same time, the color “green” represents life and paradise – “As you look, you will see… bliss and a great kingdom. Upon them will be cloaks of green silk…” [Qu’ran: Man 76:20-21] “And among His signs is that you see the earth barren, but when We send down water on it, it is stirred to life and growth. Verily, He Who gives it life… is able to give life to the dead. Indeed! He is able to do all things.” [Qu’ran: Elaborated 41:39] In addition, in Islam, the tulip not only symbolizes beauty, perfection, and paradise, it also resembles a dome and represents the Muslim written name for God – “Allah.” Last the Arabic cursive to the left declares “Salam!” or “Peace!” since it is the primary attribute of Islam – “Allah guides all who seek to please Him to the ways of peace…” [Qu’ran: The Table 5:16]. It is also fitting since on this evening of 12 April 2021, Muslims around the world Muslims enter into Ramadan , a holy month of prayer and fasting. Wishing every Muslim the best for a peaceful and spiritually uplifting holy month. ________ [1] Conquest of Mecca. Wikipedia. 5 April 2021. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conquest_of_Mecca#:~:text=The%20conquest%20of%20Mecca%20(Arabic,Muhammad%20and%20the%20Quraysh%20tribe . Additional Source: Wan Athirah binti Wan Ahmad Kamal. The Significance of the Minaret as the Symbol of the Official Religion. University Teknologi MARA (UiTM). 8 April 2021. www.academia.edu/8661994/The_Significance_of_the_Minaret_as_the_Symbol_of_the_Official_Religion

Barclays Center, Brooklyn, NY In light of the unlawful murder of George Floyd at the hands of four MPD cops and the nationwide riots, looting and acts of arson, I chose to focus on the positive with hope this time will be different and African-Americans will have their lives valued and will no longer have to live under "police-state" conditions in America. Therefore, I photographed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s inspirational saying that is eternally relevant as well as "Black Lives Matter" posters and graffiti honoring George Floyd, the latter two digitally edited, found also in Brooklyn, NY. I did not include the looted and borded up stores around Barclays Center that include but are not limited to Shake Shack, Target, Modell's, Old Navy. I also didn't include photos of rage influenced graffiti since hopefully now these are days of healing and the beginning of a grass roots movement to create a more perfect union where human rights are respected and peoples of all diversity interact and live in peace. The LED display is located on the Barclays Center, home of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets.

Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, NY Note: This high-key photograph depicts Unisphere , the iconic stainless steel globe built by U.S. Steel for the 1964-65 World’s Fair held in Queens, NY. Unisphere represents the Earth, the World’s Fair theme – “Peace through Understanding” [1] in a globally interdependent world, that a half century later is even more dependant on each other with the presence of the Internet, abundance of multi-national corporations and real-time communication to every corner on the planet thanks to satellite technology. Unisphere was dedicated to human achievement highlighted by the reality we live in a “shrinking” world “in an expanding universe” made possible by it. The three rings represent Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin’s 1961 orbit, American astronaut John Glenn’s 1962 orbit and the 1962 launch of the 70 lb Telstar communications satellite that was conceived and built through American, British and French collaboration and responsible for the first live trans-Atlantic TV broadcast. [2] In today’s 21st century world, the planet has shrunk even more because of population growth and technological evolution. Because of this, our limits in the universe have grown exponentially. Yet, challenges relevant back to 1964-65 persist when it comes to racial, gender inequality and social inequality, the elusiveness of world peace and continued challenges of clean water shortages, immense pollution problem especially of non-biodegradable plastics, hunger and disease. To address these challenges as well as that of climate change and the protection and respect for life, it is more important than ever peoples and nations put aside their differences, make just peace with each other and work together to address them, in which the latter must include consistent and uniform standards for all (developed and developing countries alike) if we are ever to succeed and put the one human race, comprised of billions of precious, indispensable individual lives that are as it is far too short, fragile and fleeting in nature, first. I chose a perspective that included a high-key tree line to reflect the infallible reality, we live in an interconnected world that is ecologically interdependent on each other as well as our need to address climate change whether one agrees it is human-caused or cyclical in nature. As Unisphere rises above the tree line in my photograph, we too have risen from the Earth’s dirt and until we can expand our horizons to other habitable planets in the universe remain completely ecologically dependant on our planet. Thus, if nothing is done to address our planetary challenges, we along with our architecture and technology, will crumble into extinction leaving an empty, desolate and lifeless planetary legacy for others to discover millennia in the future – that’s if anything remains. ____ [1] Flushing Meadows Corona Park. . NYC Parks. 18 August 2019. www.nycgovparks.org/parks/flushing-meadows-corona-park/highlights/12712 [2] Unisphere . Wikipedia. 14 August 2019. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unisphere Additional Source: Suzanne Deffree. Telstar I makes live trans-Atlantic TV broadcast, July 23, 1962. EDN Network. 23 July 2019. www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/edn-moments/4390874/Telstar-1-makes-1st-live-trans-Atlantic-TV-broadcast--July-23--1962

Photos taken on January 1, 2017 and December 23, 2016, respectively in New York, NY. Collage created: January 20, 2017 They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. [Isaiah 2:4]

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year filled with Happiness, Prosperity, Good Health, Happiness and Peace. Created using free online clipart and images purchased from Shutterstock to incorporate elements of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Taoism for the promotion of religious tolerance. I also included the universal symbol of peace in one of the snowflakes since when religion truly serves God there can be nothing but world peace and a heart since God is Love [1 John 4:8] and the Word was made incarnate during the nativity as an expression of His boundless unconditional love for each and every work of His creation.

Times Square, New York, NY Created with Litter from the 2015 New Year's Celebration that was left in the street awaiting clean up. Wishing all a happy, healthy, prosperous and safe New Year! Note: Inspired by the below lyrics of John Lennon’s 1971 classic, “Imagine!” Imagine there’s no countries… Nothing to kill or die for… Imagine all the people living life in peace… Imagine… No need for greed or hunger… Imagine all the people sharing all the world… You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope some day you'll join us And the world will be as one. Rather than a world without religion, I imagine a world with no war over religion. I imagine a connected world where there are no ethnic differences but one human race. I imagine a world where life is sacred and protected from conception to the final breath. I imagine a world where there is no terrorism and no violence. I imagine a world free of slavery and compulsion. I imagine a world where there is no want or sickness. I imagine a world free of cruelty and evil. I imagine a world where the one and only standard is love, the basis for my title: Imagine! Love