Many of us follow the war between Israel and Hamas as well as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, there are also ongoing wars in Sudan, Syria, and many other countries. In the 1960s, many of us chanted, “Give peace a chance.” In this video, I share my own experience of working for peace and how we can make peace in the world. Thanks for taking a moment to watch.
It’s a confusing time for many people. The world is at war. Yes, there’s the war between Russia and Ukraine as well as the war between Israel and Hamas. But there are many other wars and civil breakdowns, like the failed government in Haiti and the conflict in Yemen. People are facing violence and strife in many countries leading to an increased number of refugees. Even within supposedly civilized countries, politicians and political groups make war against each other by fomenting hatred and fear of the opposition. Amid all the violence, division, and strife, I recall the slogan from the 1960s: give peace a chance. How do we even do that?
When I was young, I participated in many protests for civil rights and nuclear disarmament. I often chanted slogans and yelled so much that I lost my voice. I’d get riled up and angry over the entrenched positions that made life more difficult for others. I saw myself as fighting for just causes. In time, I had a different insight. When I was around 40, I realized that my anger was part of the problem. I saw that I was adding anger and pain to the world and not peace or compassion. I realized that I had to be at peace to work for peace in the world.
It’s not that I didn’t pray and meditate. If you watched other videos, then you learned that I started my meditation practice in middle school. I was very young. However, it took me a while to recognize that anger was preventing me from allowing my spiritual practices to change the way I lived.
There’s a basic principle at work in what I’m saying. If you want more peace in the world, then there needs to be more peace in you. Anger, fear, and resentment don’t lead to peace. Peace and compassion in the world are outgrowths of peace and compassion in our lives. When we live rooted in peace and compassion, people experience it. They notice it. Some people will want to find it for themselves. As that happens, peace and compassion grow in the world – one person at a time.
We can’t make others want peace. Trying to force peace on others is an act of violence. But living in peace, allowing others to experience peace as well as compassion is an invitation to live differently.
Sometimes I go to demonstrations today. I think that protesting injustice is an important thing to do. But when I protest, I make sure that I focus on maintaining my own peace and walking with peace as I walk a protest line. If I find myself getting angry, that’s a signal to me that I’m not bringing peace into the world.
One last thing: when you learn to walk through life with peace and compassion, others can’t easily manipulate you with fear and threats that divide people. Fear and threats that divide people one from another are tools for creating violence and hatred in the world. Carrying oneself with peace enables us to see the manipulation more quickly and not accept it. In that way, the tools of those who want to stir violence and division no longer work. When those tools no longer work, peace has an opportunity to grow.
Today, I want to encourage you to work for peace in our broken world. Join me in focusing on living in peace and compassion so that there will be more peace in the world. Give peace a chance.
There are many great points here the first that hit me was how you mention the anger that occurs in protests. I remember a few years ago some protestors carried “Love not Hate” posters but when you looked at their body language they carried hate. You are so right we need to allow peace to take over our inner being and then live out that peace to those around us. If people could do a real peaceful protest it would have a better effect on the world. I hope more people take to heart what you are saying here.