Universal Peace Federation

international | arts and media | news report Tuesday July 31, 2007 04:07 by George Ramsey - Universal Peace Foundation fmuldowney at yahoo dot com AUS 0407 435 196

Global Pilgrimage for Peace - Talks on Monday.

Mr Frank Muldowney - The Irishman who began a 6,000 walk for World peace in April 2006, has captured the thoughts and minds of the Ambassadors of the Universal Peace Federation in Australia. Mr Muldowneys desire for a Global Pilgrimage for Peace, is now being discussed next Monday with Ambassadors from South Korea, Australia, China, Indonesia and New Zealand.

The walk

World Peace by 2015 – according to Harvey?

Irishman Mr Frank Muldowney (picture right - walking across Australia) believes we will have world peace in 8 years, speaking on behalf for ‘Harvey’ the imaginary peace maker. It sounds brainless but read on to see that is not the case.

Mr. Muldowney’s story is remarkable. In 1985 at the age of 19, he suffered a brain haemorrhage (AVM), reported having intensive brain damage after 8 hours of brain surgery. For close to a year, he lived in his own world in the future as he was unable to speak or comprehend correctly in society, but he believed it was temporary, just like medical knowledge and intelligence, time changes everything. While learning how to read again, Mr. Muldowney read a quotation from Albert Einstein that confirmed his own belief of the power of the human mind can cure oneself – “Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the entire world”

Mr. Muldowney then applied the philosophical strength of that quotation to his own recovery. Despite having no prior medical knowledge, he decided to ignore medical diagnosis and treatment and took charge of his own health, through physical training, travelling, learning, walking and thinking of the future rather in the past. At 2003 Mr. Muldowney still suffered from epilepsy, visual, speech and comprehension problems, but his attitude improved his mental health. Mr. Muldowney knew he must continue this approach through his positive thoughts, and use it in other areas more than just his health.

From 1989 to 1999, Mr. Muldowney completed 16 long distant walks for charity in Ireland, France, Spain and Peru, to improve himself and learn from the wisdom of others. These walks were pilgrimages and Mr. Muldowney felt peacefulness spreading within himself and others from these walks. He then knew it was the most powerful source of healing, both his health and creating peace between people. It came to be his belief that world peace will come from these historical paths in the future, and he must expand on it. The practice of being an advocate for world peace accelerated vast improvements in Mr. Muldowney’s speech, comprehension and thinking skills over the last 2 years. In 2006 he used the same Einstein-inspired approach when he embarked on his 6,000km walk for peace across Australia carrying ‘Harvey’ the imaginary peace maker, the catalyst, who can unify peoples desire for peace.

“The truly important things of life are invisible, love, respect and morality. When I talk to people, about the imaginary peace maker, one can feel the presence of peace, like Mother Theresa, Gandhi or Martin Luther King. The dream for peace is in everyone’s heart, a dream that cannot die, this is Harvey. This desire for peace is something we have in common, of all races and creeds, a desire to be free, together, not alone. Harvey's wheelchair is a symbol for everyone, for a world disabled by fear, racism and injustice. We are all disabled until we have peace.”

Mr. Muldowney knew he must create a Pilgrimage of Peace, that can join people together. When he walked the Camino de Santiago in Spain and the trail to Macchu Piccu in Peru, he felt that violence cannot survive on these pilgrimages. Love conquers violence on these paths. He aims to ask the councils, citizens and governments to acknowledge this walk across Australia, as an official pilgrimage and promote it as part of this country’s culture. Them expand this walk to be a single global Pilgrimage of Peace, to allow all the peace makers to create a new pilgrimage for peace in every country. This unified walk of peace can transform areas of violence into places of peace over time, and rid the world of the ignorance or hate and war.

Symbols of tyranny, dictatorship, weapons and power encourages fear and war, but they never last. Mr Muldowney now believes it is time to create symbols of peace on this Global Pilgrimage for Peace, which will empower the people of each town on this path, by participate creating it as artists, walkers, speakers and travellers. Peace is now the first thought and objective, where as thoughts of fear and war are becoming a part of history.

“Using one’s imagination and being prepared to work hard to create it, is the way to happiness, and happiness is the way to peace” Frank Muldowney

For full details - www.believinginharvey.com
Mr Frank Muldowney’s email - fmuldowney@yahoo.com
Mobile - 0407 435196 (Australian)

*Mr Muldowney has already walked over 5,000km across Australia creating the roots of this Global Pilgrimage for Peace. He will be writing to the United Nations when the walk is completed.