Peace in our time… A way forward

We are witnessing and probably feeling such a broad spectrum of emotions, much of it confusing, all of it complex and concerning, and I for one have been soul searching and asking what I can do to be of most use at this time. Many people with whom I’ve been talking have said that they feel unworthy and unequipped to do anything useful. I disagree. We are all scarred, we all carry burdens of the past and ideally, we will be working on these. But we need to acknowledge that if we wait until we are completely healed before we feel able to do any good, we will render ourselves useless for much of this lifetime. No matter what burdens we still carry, we must do our best. So, what could that be?

My by-line on peace and peace work is that peace is not the province of politicians but the potential of every human heart. So, the heart we need to begin with is our own – finding our capacity to heal, to forgive, to let go of judgement and in its place find compassion, empathy and unconditional love. This enables us to find peace in our own relationships, our own lives, our own community, so that we can be tools for peace in the world. Maybe each of us could look at finding harmony, balance and calm within ourselves, learning to use non-violent communication, let go of any tendency towards passive aggression, learn to be self-assertive rather than aggressive and to speak our truth without fear. This will enable us to carry harmony and peace within us, radiate it around us and take it with us wherever we go. Perhaps we learn to meditate and/or pray in whatever way feels acceptable and comfortable.

Let us ask that there will be peace in the hearts of us all.