A guest post from Arvind Devalia from Make It Happen
A few days ago, on Monday 21st September, was the annual “Peace One Day”, a day of non-violence and ceasefire, a 24 hour-long initiative for life-saving activities around the world.
It is amazing how within just 10 years one man’s dream has become a universal day of peace and non-violence.
A couple of weeks ago, it was the 8th anniversary of 9/11. It is amazing how quickly the time has flown by – and yet little seems to have changed in the world – there is still no peace amongst nations, people and even families. Even more importantly, there is little inner peace amongst individuals with all the different challenges that the world faces.
On such anniversaries and international days of peace, we all have an opportunity to take a step back and look at our own lives and see what we can do to bring more peace into our life and ultimately the world.
To start with, here are some words to ponder on from the Dalai Lama:-
“Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience.
It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighbouring country.
Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.
True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace.”
Talking of the Dalai Lama, a friend was once rushing to see him speak at a London lecture. She got there eventually and despite being late had to dash into the lady’s bathroom – she rushed out a few minutes later and bumped straight into the Dalai Lama coming out of the gent’s bathroom. In her haste she stepped on his foot, which evoked a loud scream of s**t from him!
This funny incident proves that his holiness is human too and not only does he suffer pain, he is also able to express it just as eloquently as the rest of us:-)
Coming back to our theme of earthly peace,
What can you do today to bring more mental peace into your life?
By bringing more peace into your own life on an ongoing basis, you can ultimately bring more peace all around you and it can then spread from there.
Beging by reflecting on these questions:-
What grievance can I let go?
Whom can I forgive?
What toxic or negative habit can I let go of?
This is not to say that you let others trod all over you – it is also about respecting your own needs and boundaries and creating your life as best you want it to be.
At the same time, searching for peace is also not about becoming a tree hugging hippy!
Though there is nothing wrong with this, and each to their own path, the majority of the people in the world just want to live “normal” fulfilling happy lives in peace and with enough for their daily needs.
So the question to ask yourself on this special day of peace is simply this – how can I bring more peace into my life today?
You can start today, wherever you are, to somehow find some time to be peaceful. For example – no petty arguments, no road rage, no shouting and definitely no backbiting or gossiping.
To get you started, here are some ideas from the “Peace One Day” website:-
• Make peace with someone you have fallen out with.
• Swim or cycle for your own peace of mind.
• Bring your family and friends together for a meal.
• Send peace cards and emails.
• Organise some lunch boxes for homeless people.
• Make peace with yourself.
• Create or visit a peace garden.
• Light a candle for peace.
• Hold a few minutes of silence.
• Write a prayer for world peace.
The key is to make peace with yourself and everyone that you have ever fallen out with. And of course, you must continue to do these activities every day and not just today.
And remember that it is not just about bringing peace in the world today – you have to do so everyday and make it a life long practice.
To end, here is a timely quote from the Peace Pilgrim:-
“We can work on inner peace and world peace at the same time”
Read more from Arvind at his blog, Make It Happen, from where you can also download his free ebook “Make It Happen”.
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how to overcome anything.
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
The interesting thing about peace is that we are not going to be able to get it at the point of gun. For there to be peace it is going to have to move through the minds and hearts of people. Starting with ourselves.
“Victory through violence is tantamount to defeat for it is momentary.”-Ghandi
.-= Justin- AlittleBetter.net´s last blog ..What Is A Better Life Anyways? =-.
Forgiving is certainly a good way to find peace with yourself. I guess when it comes to finding peace with myself, I tend to care less on the negative things in life and focus more on the positive part of it. And it works great.
.-= Karlil´s last blog ..The 4 Steps Guide To Achieving Your True Focus =-.
@Justin – thanks for sharing that Gandhi quote – we can always rely on him to have just right words for us:-)
.-= Arvind Devalia´s last blog ..Find Peace Today rather than One Day, Some Day! =-.
@Karlil
I have found that forgiving myself as well as others very powerful to make me at peace with the world.
I read somewhere recently that the ultimate peace is to accept yourself and the world and know that there is no healing needed.
Now how amazing would that be?!
Mary, Arvind,
Great post! I always tune in when the Dalai Lama is quoted.
As for gaining more mental piece, you pose 3 excellent questions. I’d like to add: “Can I do something to make someone happier today?” and when you think of something, go ahead and do it. Clearly, this is only possible when one’s basics are covered. But sometimes, I find that too many people including myself whose basics are more than covered forget that they can afford to be a little more “other-centered” instead of the usual “me-centered”. Does this make sense?
.-= Belinda Munoz´s last blog ..ALL CLEAR: FeedMedic Alert for thehalfwaypoint =-.
I love the Taoist quote that goes something like this…
peace in our hearts, peace in our families; peace in our families, peace in the village; peace in the villages, peace in the nation; peace in the nations, peace in the world.
@ Belinda,
Thanks Belinda for your suggestion about making someone happier every day.
What you say makes sense – but at the same time we can still makes others happy even if our own bases aren’t covered as you put it. Indeed, make someone happy each day and your bases are likely to be covered quite quickly:-)
@Thanks Janice for sharing that lovely Taoist quote – lets have peace everywhere…
Life and everything in it is a Gift from the Infinite
mind, And the only way Life could go wrong,
is through the limited Finite mind
by Eric Foley Saucier
writen sometime in 1992