Several celebrities are using their Twitter and Instagram accounts to spread a message of goodwill in honor of the United Nations' International Day of Peace.
Stars including Justin Bieber, Goldie Hawn, Ricki Lake, LL Cool J and Ellen DeGeneres showed their support to the Forgive for Peace Campaign -- which is based on the principle that "forgiveness is the first step on the path towards peace" - in the form of tweets and Instagram videos.
Justin, 21, encouraged his 67.6 million followers to spread forgiveness, writing, "Let's all join the UN today and spread peace together through forgiveness. #ForgiveForPeace." Famous host Ellen, on the other hand, has urged her 47.7 million followers to promote peace year-round. "Today is an International Day of Peace. I'm going to celebrate tomorrow too. And the next day. And the next... #ForgiveForPeace," she said in a tweet.
LL, 47, posted a brief video of himself holding up a sheet of paper with the word "HATE" printed on it, and then ripping that paper into pieces and throwing them away. Goldie took to Twitter to express her support to the campaign and said: "Today is United Nations #ForgiveForPeace day. Forgiveness is a pathway to peace. A peaceful heart creates a peaceful world."
Meanwhile, Deepak Chopra led a guided mediation in New York City's Central Park on Monday morning in celebration of the movement. He told attendees to let go of their "resentments" and "grievances" and to "choose miracles" instead during the event.
"Every decision I make is a choice between a grievance and a miracle," he shared to the attendees. "We are gathered here this morning to let go of all grievances, all resentment, all anger, all hostility, so that we may heal and be healed. Forgiveness heals because it it is the opposite of inflammation."
The General Assembly established the International Day of Peace in 1981, according to UN's official website. It was observed for the first time in September 1982, one year later.
