Critics argued that Jeremy Gilley’s campaign, “Peace One Day”, would merely be a day of symbolism. They asked, “What difference can one day really make?” To that, Jude Law, Peace One Day Ambassador, replied, “The difference is life or death.”

Here are the facts:

• On September 7, 2001, the United Nations officially proclaimed September 21st to be an international day of ceasefire, conflict, and war; a world wide truce.
• In the past, Afghanistan reported that the day of peace has lowered the level of violence by 70%.
• The Taliban has participated and even agreed to not interfere with health workers involved in the campaign.
• Several other countries have reported lower levels of domestic violence on the day of peace.

Jeremy Gilley hoped his 2011 campaign would be bigger than it ever had been before. He toiled to get the online community (Twitter, Facebook), grassroots, celebrities, the UN, and governments from all over the world to be a part of the largest reduction of violence the world had ever seen.

This September 21^st, thousands of people around the world united against violence as they tweeted in outrage as a man on death row sat down, forgoing his final meal, to spend his last moments with loved ones.

Though clearly controversial, the Troy Davis case isn’t unprecedented. What sets this case apart is how it quickly spread like wildfire. News of the Troy Davis case multiplied exponentially due to scrupulous Twitter coverage. Every minute was documented by passionate tweeters expressing their indignation. Alec Baldwin of NBC’s 30 Rock became engaged in a Twitter battle with conservative blogger Michelle Malkin and tweeted, “Every sensible American is appalled when police officer is killed. But the attendent charges are grave. U don’t want 2 kill an innocent man.”

If the public shows a surging interest in current events and has found an effective media through which to express their opinions, are the officials not obligated to hear them out? As Andrew Rasiej, the founder of Personal Democracy Media, puts it, “We are living in a 21st century communications infrastructure, but we are still governed by a 20th century political system.” 

So what are we, the people of the United States (heck, the people of today’s 21^st century society!), going to do in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, and provide for the common defense? Tune in, turn on, and drop out?

Not quite.

If the Troy Davis and Jeremy Gilley have taught us anything, it is that while us mere plebians do not have the power to create public policy, we have the power to influence and change it. If we stand united, we can create a more stable foundation. If we stand united, peace is possible.

We are the “Age of the Information” and we must use this to our advantage. Politicians, celebrities, and other figure heads can stir up the media with a passionate plea, Twitter and other forms of social medial will be the most important tool to utilize if the US wants to see a change in policy. 

Stay alert, stay active, and most importantly, my friends, stay hungry.

Arianna