Damai - a Time for Peace

Damai is an Indo-Malayian word meaning peace and harmony. It is also the word for a polite and respectful gesture for greeting people in which both hands are clasped together as if in prayer.

The attack on the World Trade Center in New York, the bombing of Bali, the war in Iraq, and now SARS, the emergence of a new and deadly virus epidemic.
The Damai is a peaceful way to counter the evils in the world today.

SARS, like many other diseases, could be transmitted and spread by physical contact as simple as a hand shake.
This attacks us at the initial act which bonds us as humans together, the act of greeting. It makes us fear one another.
To greet the wrong person can potentially cost you your life. At a time of war and terrorism, the fear of contracting illness from one another can only divide us and make thing worst.
We need bonding, healing, peace and tranquility.

We need a time for Damai.
As an alternative to the most common gesture for greeting, the hand shake, the Damai allows people to bond together without physical contact, yet it politely and affectionately allows us to physically say hello to one another.
It joins people together and overcomes the fear and transmission of the SARS virus.

It has no harmful side effects, unlike potent medicines.
It is a beautiful and easy solution. Say hello with your hands clasped together.
One soul greeting another. Peace and tranquility to you.
Damai is more than just a word or action: It is a reminder of an easily forgotten consciousness that we are all human.
Damai. Hello my friend.