Category: Anchoring Peace

Peace never has, and never will, come from the world or conditions around us. While there may be settings in which we feel more comfortable than others, peace has always been, and always will be, our responsibility.

When truth is considered an unnecessary inconvenience, people are treated callously and vital institutions are being destroyed, it is ours as People of Peace to speak up for democracy while still maintaining inner peace.

At some point in our lives most of us internalize messages that tell us we are not enough: not smart enough, not funny enough, not good looking enough; we are simply not enough! It takes courage to love ourselves just as we are. It takes courage to love others just as they are.

How do we maintain our sanity, humanity, hope, and peace in a nation and a world that appear to be falling into chaos, cruelty, and greed? We want to be peaceful, but how?

Some years ago a friend introduced me to a playful routine of walking mantras. On a daily walk, practice speaking a word or syllable (silently or aloud) with each footstep so that an ordinary walk is transformed into a walking meditation.

Worry, uncertainty, and fear are always available as part of the human condition, and they are extremely evident now. Given that they are incompatible with peace, it is ours to be as zealous in protecting the health of our peace as we are in protecting our places of shelter in times of storms.

Peace lives and breathes within us in the present moment, not in a distant time when circumstances are exactly what we think might be ideal. What a blessing it is to know Peace is always available for the choosing.

There are, and always have been, voices willing and able to encourage us to practice “othering,” by looking for and focusing on differences and fault-finding.   As people of peace, rather than waste the blessings of being alive by getting side-tracked into division and anger, it is ours to look for, see, and rejoice in the oneness of all.

We know living by the Golden Rule is essential for living together in a society of peace. The missing component, especially in times when division, anger, and injustice are being promoted is how. How do we return to and anchor inner peace? How do we choose peace when the world is not peaceful?

Eckhart Tolle’s states :  “Whatever you accept completely will take you to peace, including the acceptance that you cannot accept, that you are in resistance.”  Isn’t that luscious?

Our minds are willing and able to create a list of failures, shortcomings, and other nonsense with which to torment ourselves and others. Fortunately, we can choose to ignore harsh comments whether they come from within or without. Instead of condemnation, we are free to choose compassion and gentleness for ourselves and for all we meet.

Open hearts and minds willing to focus on, allow, and embody Light, Love, and Peace. This is ours to be.

Peace, like laughter, is contagious. All it takes is a giggle from one person to set off a room full of laughter. All it takes is a peaceful presence from one person, to shift the energy of a room from discord to peace.