It seems “we” talk about world peace often, even claim to
strive for it, but how can “we” attain
world peace (international peace) when we don’t even have national peace, and
in many places, not even local peace, or in some cases peace within families?
These days it seems like we hear about violence somewhere,
daily.
·
Domestic violence
·
Racial violence
·
Political violence
·
Sexual or physical violence
·
Terrorist attacks
·
Wars
And the list could go on.
It’s a crazy world.
So, back to the original question. Is peace possible?
I believe peace has to come from the heart. It has to start with forgiveness and end with
love. This brings us to a different question…
Can all people forgive and love each other?
Not in a physical way, but from the heart, in a humanitarian way.
I am blessed to be surrounded by people who try very hard
to forgive and love everyone they come in contact with. When you are surrounded by that behavior, it
makes it easier to replicate the behavior.
I am not naive enough to believe my circle of influence is perfect and
can always achieve what they attempt, but they try. I also know that not everyone tries to have
love in their hearts for their fellow “man.”
Unfortunately, there are some people who actually try to do harm to
others, intentionally. It’s sad.
Backtrack to the second question… Can all people forgive
and love each other? Unfortunately, I believe
the answer is “No.” You see, some people have evil in their hearts instead of
love. We cannot force someone to forgive
and love others. I wrote a blog, four
years ago, on a similar topic. You can
read it here.
Now, back to the original question. Is peace possible? Again, I have to say, “No.” As long as there are people who seek to do
harm to others, intentionally, we cannot have peace. We cannot control the actions of others. As long as there is prejudice, hatred, and
violence, there cannot be peace. We
can, however, control our own actions.
We can take personal action to bring peace to our little
corner of the world. We can be the
peacemaker in our families, in our neighborhoods, and our towns. We can set a peaceful example for others and
perhaps help them to see that a peaceful existence is preferable to one filled
with violence. Even though
international/world peace is likely unattainable, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t
strive for it. We should.
Oh, today is the first day of autumn. For all those who enjoy cooler weather and
pumpkin everything…
Happy Fall, ya’ll!
