This is Part 2 of a two-party entry I began this morning. There was much, much more to say.
My belief (click to read the previous post) is this: War is never the answer... Peace is. I have countless reasons why I believe this but only a few thoughts were shared in my previous post. The reality of saying things out loud (or writing them out loud, as the case may be) opens me to other's opinions. I love that about humanity. I also love that I live in a free society where I am free to believe in Peace. Specifically, as it turns out, the freedom of Peace.
Peace does not cost anything - and even someone living without freedom can embrace, embody and spread Peace. Consider what Nelson Mandela has achieved through Peace, as a prisoner for 27 years of his life.
“If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work
with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner.”
- Nelson Mandela
Every action has an equal and opposite reaction (Einstein - another Peacemaker speaking of a "universal truth", if you will) and matter will not change on its own unless external conditions such as temperature, or internal conditions such as chemical content, are changed. And a tiny, simple, almost imperceptible change can completely alter something from one form to another, like combining 2 Hydrogen atoms (H2) with one oxygen atom (O2) makes an entirely different compound every human needs for survival: H20, or water.
We also need oxygen but, like hydrogen, when it is combined with other elements, entirely different and often deadly substances are created that are nothing at all like water. So, now that I have used almost all of my high school chemistry on you, you can begin to see why I will argue that bringing more Peace to the world has the potential to change things significantly simply by introducing it somewhere where it does not currently exist, if you only look at it from a scientific perspective.
If we go one step further and consider that quantum mechanics has shown us that things happen beyond our scientific method's ability to measure, then we can be even more open to the unknown impact of Peace on a world full of suffering. And consider, for a moment, a mind-blowing discovery within quantum mechanics called Young's Double Slit experiment that illustrates how the act of observing a thing changes it (this fascinating discovery is also called Relational Quantum Mechanics). If even passive observation can change the behavior of particles then I implore you to consider how prayer and intention for Peace by millions and millions of people can, indeed, change the world.
"Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding"
- Albert Einstein
Here's a video illustrating Thomas Young's Double Slit experiment - worth the watch. But stick with me on this Peace business...So, since I am not a scientist (though I did love my high school physics class!), and because I do believe in the great power of the mystical and metaphysical, I will implore you further to consider just how powerful Peace has been on this planet and will continue to be.
The most famous peacemakers in history are household names - Jesus, Buddha, Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, The Dalai Lama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Yes, the greatest terrorists and murders in history are also household names but it is because of the pain and suffering they have caused, not the love they brought to the world. When you hear the name Hitler, you instantly feel the impact of that name. The fear, the violence, the unconscionable destruction of human life on a massive scale. You heart sinks. You sigh. Your shoulders drop or your muscles may tighten. You would prefer not to have heard or read the name at all. It is a name with a low, sinking, painful feeling.
But go back to the list of names I wrote in blue and read those again. Pause on each one. You gaze may rise, your face may relax, you may take a cleansing breath, you feel stronger, more hopeful, you might smile. You might even nod or breathe audibly at the recognition of a powerfully loving, giving, compassionate human being. You may see pictures of each in your mind - Mother Theresa holding a dying child, Jesus healing the sick. You may hear "I have a dream" in Martin Luther King's own voice in your head. You may feel the sacrifice Gandhi made of his own body. And all of these names together, emit Peace. A strong and sturdy Peace that each has left here on Earth for us in moments like this.
I was challenged by a friend today on my statement that war is never the answer. My friend challenged me not on the issue of Peace but on my insistence of "Never." My friend argued that had we not gone to war against Hitler, he and the Third Reich would have succeeded with the extermination of the Jews. As Gadhafi is now killing his own people, is war not a possible solution to allow his people to be free? My friend doesn't like war either but argued that opting for peace and hoping for the best outcome, while desirable, is not preferable to war when there are instances that seem to have no other solution. I understand this, but I still take a different view.
I respect my friend for making this statement as it planted the seed of what you are reading right now. What I said in response was this: Stopping Hitler was one thing, the world war that surmounted was something else. I believe that we are advanced enough as a human race to learn from thousands of years of war and death and destruction that war is never the answer. I think that something could have stopped Hitler years and years before he grew a following. Turning a blind eye was as much of the fertilizer for the Third Reich as Hitler himself was. And I still think that we are at a point in human history where we risk greater damage to the world and humanity than ever before if we do not find ways beyond war to address all of these issues that are arising and will continue to arise around the planet. My belief is that every Hitler, every Gadhafi, rises to power as a challenge to all of humanity to find a New Way to combat hatred. In order to find that new way, we must look outside the war "box" and see what else we have in us to employ. If we just keep turning to war, we'll never find that something else. Nothing changes if we keep doing the same thing over and over. So in order to turn hate to love, we must employ more love, more peace - and it is going to take ALL of us to do this.
Suffering around the planet is our opportunity to engage in the act of Ending Suffering. After thousands and thousands of years, we have evolved as a human race to a global community with responsibility to each other just as we are responsible to our family, our neighbors and our nation. There are no borders, there are no lines. There is no difference between you and me and someone we've never met 7,000 miles away. Our task as a human race is not to wage war, not to have more [money/food/possessions/power] than others, not to pretend it doesn't matter because it's happening to someone else born somewhere else. You could have just as easily been born into the body of a suffering orphan in Africa. And so could I. Because we are now all connected, we must feel empathy. And once you do, even for just a moment, you will also feel the innate need to replace the feeling of suffering (Hitler) with compassion (Mother Theresa). Hatred with love. War with Peace.
We were not born with a single cell in our tiny bodies that knew of hatred or violence or war. These are man-made things. We were born only with cells knowing of the need for food, human touch and love. Think of the number of times a day a baby smiles or giggles. The number of times a child laughs in a given day in comparison to an adult. It is not until we achieve adulthood that we begin to incorporate fear, pain, suffering, abuse, trauma, neglect into the psyches of others. And yes, we do it to others, just as others did it to us. That baby was not born knowing these things - the world in which he grows up exposes him to it. And therein lies the problem: The cycle of suffering from one generation to the next by being born into a world that solves problems with fear, not love.
We must now solve the problems we face with love in order to end the cycle. The time has come and we each have everything within us we need to become ambassadors for Peace on this planet. And if you can begin to live your own Peace and then send it out to the rest of the world, imagine the power it might contain. I won't try to convince you that I know it to be true (and I do), but the power of Peace, when spoken, when shared, when employed as a habit in your daily life, feels just as loving and powerful as the names of Ghandi, of Jesus, of the Dalai Lama, when they are spoken. Those humans are not in the same room with you, nor are some even some even alive on this planet, but the mere mention or thought of their names can be uplifting. That is the very same universal positive power that exists in prayers of Peace, conversations about Peace, and Peaceful action in your daily life.
And, just like love, when given, Peace comes back to you tenfold. So bring Peace to your life today and see what happens. Choose to not engage in road rage tomorrow even if you are late for work and someone cuts you off (while it is not about what you get in return, pay attention to what begins happening around you - you might find that someone else lets you cut in front of them in traffic - or a parking spot opens up just as you need it). Look for an opportunity to give something small to someone else - let someone go ahead of you in line at the grocery store, or give a dollar to a beggar and look him in the eye and smile while you do.
Perhaps, just like the electron in the video above which acted differently once it was aware it was being watched, we too can affect different behavior all over the world by becoming aware that everyone is watching us. You're watching what I'm doing right now, who is watching you and how might knowing that someone is watching you change your behavior? If you think about it for a moment, you'll find yet one more reason to act in Peace because whether you think you are being watched or not, the universal laws that govern our world will bring us more of that which we give. So give Peace. Today and every day.
“As I have said, the first thing is to be honest with yourself.
You can never have an impact on society if you have not changed yourself...
Great peacemakers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.”
- Nelson Mandela
You certainly do have a lot to say and it is more powerful each day. You and people you've listed above and people like Wayne Dyer--are changing the world to a better place. I am profoundly touched by your words and deeds and so very proud. I love you.
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