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In order for peace to prevail, we must alter our thinking to believe that as individuals we can make a difference in the world. As a result of our efforts, it will be seen that we honor and are tolerant of each other’s humanity, respecting our differences and emphasizing our similarities.
Peace begins with centering the self…
If we wish to ease the burden that is ‘”out there” in the world, it is necessary to ease our own burdens first. To help accomplish this, we must focus the mind or consciousness to reflect within and pray for assistance from the Cosmic Energy, God, the Great Source, the Mind, or however we choose to recognize the ultimate power of life and being.
Someone once said, “God doesn’t make junk.” We must know that we are loved by God, for we are a part of God. We must love ourselves with all our faults and failings, yet strive to overcome these. Most of us let little things get under our skin from time to time. We play a blame game that makes us victims of imagined wrongs. We do not accept responsibility for effects we feel from actions we have caused. When we can get away from our own self-deception that tells us we are not good enough, and move instead to a point of balance and self-love, then we are able to achieve a state of imperturbability. Then the small stuff ceases to bother us. This creates a peace of mind within and a consciousness poised to serve others as well as ourselves.
Earth roots humanity to the same strivings…
Everyday on this planet people are working hard to survive. There is great disparity among the human race: some are born in wealth, more in poverty; some in fine health, others in a daily struggle to exist. Yet, however one may encounter humanity, the basic needs are the same—food, shelter, water, health, self-respect, employment, appreciation, love, laughter, family. In fact, there is so much more in common that should bring us together, rather than drive us apart by dwelling on differences. Neil Diamond’s song, “Done Too Soon,” poignantly emphasizes this sameness: “They all sweated beneath the same sun, looked up in wonder at the same moon; and wept when it was all done, for being done too soon.”
We all tread the ground beneath us. It is a foundation and a connection for us while we are here on Mother Earth. We have choices in how we deal with those we encounter on our path in life. Recently in Canada there was a program bringing Palestinian and Israeli teenagers together at a summer camp. Through games and projects where they needed to rely on each other for success and even safety, these young people gained respect for one another and a sense of hope for their shared future in the Middle East. Their cautious “cease fire” was nurtured by seeing each other as non-threatening and having like goals simply as people. This gives us hope.
Air is the breath of God we share…
Another commonality of the human race is evident in the biblical verse in Genesis which says “God breathed the breath of life into man and he became a living soul.” In other words, every breath of air we take is life, is God, and we are all, therefore, connected through the one soul. This truly makes us brothers and sisters with every other person on earth. Think about that….we all come from the same source, and air, or nous, connects us all.
There is a line in Leon Uris’ book Exodus which reads, “The dead share the earth in peace; it is time for the living.” With every breath, we in-spire the consciousness of God. How we choose to use this great gift of life is up to us. Let us choose peace.
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