How many times have you heard a child share a dream for world peace? Or read an article on achieving peace between war-torn countries? Or felt a sense of hopelessness when watching the news?
This dream for world peace can sometimes feel like an unattainable goal, and rightly so. How can we expect the world to do what we resist doing ourselves?
“So, what am I to do?” you might ask.
Well, we must first end the internal war with ourselves and with those around us before we can expect the entire world to follow suit.
By doing this, you will notice three things begin to happen that make “world peace” much more attainable.
I am a dreamer. I also don’t like conflict. So, the dream of world peace is one that I have had for a very, very long time. History upsets me. The news discourages me. And, I began to wonder if there was any hope anymore.
Then I started to focus on what I can control — my personal peace — and took steps towards that in my own life. The result? The world got a little brighter and my faith was renewed.
What might happen if each of us learn how to be at peace with the woman in line at the grocery store who has more than 10 items in the express lane or with the driver who cut you off or with the feeling of loneliness or with what your life situation happens to be in this very moment?
The world begins to look very different when we have inner peace.
“And, how do I go about having inner peace?” you might wonder.
By not judging, resisting or attaching to what is but simply letting it be. When we do this, three things happen:
We become more compassionate and grateful for our differences.
When we bring a non-judgmental awareness to our own and others’ emotions and actions, we begin to recognize that there is more common ground than first suspected — we all want to end our own suffering — and every exchange with another human is an opportunity, not a threat.
We create space from which to respond rather than react.
When we accept what is, we can mindfully respond from a fully grounded, open place without projecting any expectations on the situation or person involved.
We quiet the ego.
When we are not attached to how things “are” or “should be,” we remove personal attachment to ideologies, beliefs and stories we have told ourselves that often cause conflict.
What if we all spent as much time and energy on our inner peace as we do on demanding peace amongst others?
I suspect peace between neighbors, tribes and countries would be a whole lot easier to achieve if we were all at peace with ourselves first.
“The peace we seek in the world is first found within.” ~ Harold W. Becker
What is one thing you can do in the next 30 days to have more peace in your life? Join the conversation by leaving a comment.
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