Stamp Collecting: A Symbol of a Peaceful Unified World
By Michael Boyajian
When I was a kid I collected stamps from around the world. It was so remarkable seeing these small colorful works of art from around the globe. I recently started collecting them again because it is a relatively inexpensive hobby and a good substitute for actually seeing the world an endeavor these tough economic times make hard to justify.
The really amazing thing about stamp collecting is that you soon realize how small the world is and how alike we all are. Most nations have the same themes for their stamps like the Olympics, animals, birds, flowers, famous people and space travel.
So I might be thousands of miles from South Africa but they love animals on their stamps as much as we do. I am around the world from China yet they celebrate flowers on their stamps as much as we do. The nations of the Gulf love space travel scenes on their stamps as much as we do. India takes great pride in their famous personalities as we do in ours.
So if we have so much in common whey do we have so much turmoil in the world? Perhaps if our political leaders and generals also collected stamps we would soon realize how alike we all are and it would lead to an end to hostilities. Or better yet, let’s put the stamp collectors in charge of the world. They after all have first hand knowledge of our close knit global family and would support peace around the world based on their experiences with stamps.
On a final note, let me suggest that one ten cent stamp can do as much to end war like xenophobia as the entire budget of the United Nations. And that is something to think about the next time you send a postcard from a far off land. It’s as if you are releasing a dove of peace when you drop that card into a mail box.
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