What is the "power of peace"?

Around my junior year in high school, I started looking for a peace sign necklace. I wanted one so badly. Peace sign necklaces aren't hard to find because, obviously, peace is so popular these days. But I didn't want just ANY peace sign necklace, I had this exact, specific one in my mind that I wanted. A few months ago, my mom found one and out of no where, bought it for me and gave it to me as a surprise! It was so great. I love it and wear it all the time. I love that necklace, or like the peace sign in general a) because it's trendy right now, I guess and b) peace is just so vital in my everyday life. I love looking at that necklace and being reminded of that.

Earlier this semester we had this project in humanities where we were supposed to construct a 3D or 2D object. A collage, a poster board, whatever...it just had to represent who we were and what we stood for. If I'm remembering correctly, every girl in my class had at LEAST one picture or object on her board of peace or something of that nature. I'm sure you haven't failed to notice that over the past 3 or 4 or 5 years now, people are obsessed with peace! Especially young people. Girls in my class giving their presentations were saying "I love peace, I'm all about peace. I'm kind of a hippie." Hippies are no longer a thing of the 70's. But when we think hippie, other things come to our mind other than peace and love. There is a stigma of drug abuse attached to the hippies, specifically the use and abuse of marijuana. So when and how did peace and love and hippies all of the sudden become a trend or fashion statement!? I am so baffled by this.

I think I am especially baffled by this for two reasons: 1) I myself have a peace sign necklace! I like it! and 2) You would think with everyone being obsessed with this idea of free love and peace....our individual lives would reflect that, or this generation as a whole would reflect young people living peaceful and loving lives. And for some reason, I don't really think that's what this generation is known for.

Not necessarily this generation specifically, but I think America as a whole is known for being busy. Workaholics. Soccer moms of one too many soccer players. Not sleeping enough because of stress. This generation specifically (or more, high school and junior high girls because that's typically where this love of peace and love is coming from) have a stigma attached to them of being gossipy, or back-biting, or just..far from being known as peace makers. Speaking for myself as a fan of the peace sign, my life right now I think looks far from peaceful or restful!

I just find this whole "love is the movement," and "the power of peace" revolution to be a bit ironic because you'd think with how much of a trend it's become, people's lives would just be EXPLODING with peace and love. And not that in order to be a fan of peace and love you have to EXEMPLIFY both of those qualities perfectly all the time, but 

I mean...the hippies were a fan of peace because they were opposing the war that was going on. I don't think that's where this fashion statement is coming from today.

So why peace? Why aren't people saying they love patience or selflessness...? Obviously, I have a peace sign necklace and peace background on my phone...so I'm far from hating on this movement. Just so intrigued by it!