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Ahh The Simple Name
11-19-13, 11:55am
Christmas reminds us of our longing for peaceonearth. What does peace mean to you? How can we achieve peace?

Here's my recent post on Ahh The Simple Life: http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/peace-on-earth-goodwill-toward-men/
Peace on Earth, Goodwill Toward Men

The meeting of enemies as friends in no-man's land was experienced by hundreds, if not thousands, of men on the Western Front during Christmas 1914. A British Daily Telegraph correspondent wrote that on one part of the line the Germans had managed to slip a chocolate cake into British trenches. More amazingly, the cake was accompanied with a message asking for a ceasefire later that evening so they could celebrate the festive season and their captain's birthday. They proposed a concert at 7.30 p. m., when candles, the British were told, would be placed on the parapets of their trenches. To read the full story, visit this page on firstworldwar.com: The Christmas Truce (http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm). This Christmas season, be sure to watch the movie Joyeux Noël (2005) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0424205/).
Why Does Peace Allude Us?

The First World War was supposed to be "the war to end all wars." To gain an understanding of the horrors and sorrowful legacies of that war, read the "Maisie Dobbs" series by Jacqueline Winspear. Here is the link to the author's website: Jacqueline Winspear (http://www.jacquelinewinspear.com/about.php).
Nations continue to make war. Families fight. Our world is riddled by violence, and not just physical violence. Click on the graphic below to learn more.

http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Violence.png (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Violence.png)
What is peace? Why does peace allude us? These questions are very difficult to answer, but we must try. I have gathered up some of the wisdom of others, and present these below.
Quotes About Peace


“peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet”
― Anne Lamott (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7113.Anne_Lamott), Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith (http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/14828)

“Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12080.Ralph_Waldo_Emerson)

“Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.”
― Albert Schweitzer (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/47146.Albert_Schweitzer)

“The day the power of love overrules the love of power, the world will know peace.”
― Mahatma Gandhi (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5810891.Mahatma_Gandhi)

“The Simple Path
Silence is Prayer
Prayer is Faith
Faith is Love
Love is Service
The Fruit of Service is Peace”
― Mother Teresa (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/838305.Mother_Teresa)

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”
― Dalai Lama XIV (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/570218.Dalai_Lama_XIV)


Prayers for Peace


http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Oseh_Shalom_-_A_Prayer_for_Peace_medium_english.gif (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Oseh_Shalom_-_A_Prayer_for_Peace_medium_english.gif)
JEWISH: OSEH SHALOM


He who makes peace in High Places, He will make
peace for us and for all Israel and let us say, Amen.
(Job 25:2; end of Amidah prayer)


http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/St.-Francis-oh-Assisi.jpg (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/St.-Francis-oh-Assisi.jpg)St. Francis of Assisi
CHRISTIAN: MAKE ME AN INSTRUMENT OF YOUR PEACE


"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
when there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand,
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying [to ourselves] that we are born to eternal life."
― St. Francis of Assisi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_of_Assisi)

http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/muhammad.jpg (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/muhammad.jpg)

ISLAMIC: OH GOD, YOU ARE PEACE


Oh God,
You are peace.
From you comes peace,
To you returns peace.
Revive us with a salutation of peace,
And lead us to your abode of peace.
― Muhammad (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad)

http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/shanti-300x191.jpg (http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/shanti.jpg)Shanti (Sanskrit Calligraphy)

HINDU: PRAYER FOR PEACE


Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real. Oh God, lead us from darkness to light. Oh God, lead us from death to immortality. Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all. Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial regions. May there be peace on earth. May the waters be appeasing. May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent beings bring peace to us. May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all through the world. May all things be a source of peace to us. And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all, and may that peace come to me also.
― Anonymous

please continue at: http://www.ahhthesimplelife.com/peace-on-earth-goodwill-toward-men/

Xmac
11-19-13, 3:46pm
Very insightful post.

When I first heard quotes like, "let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me", I used to skim over it and regard it as an admirable attitude but I would challenge it too. My mother used to sing it, but I saw nothing very profound there.

Many years later, I see it was very profound and literal. Peace on Earth is available to anyone now. It is not contingent on what others do...ever. This is what is being said above.

There's a certain irony to it. If you see violence, you'll experience violence, the absence of peace. This why I think Emerson is seeing what I see. Understanding is that which will bring peace. Not understanding what should be, but what is.

For example, if I see a rapist, I see only violence. If I see a person who used a woman to see her suffer as he suffers, I see someone needing empathy who has no idea that he needs it or how to get it. That seeing is compassion and it is peace on Earth already realized in that seeing.

dado potato
11-20-13, 10:26pm
Shalom.

There is peace in my house, and I would wish the same for anyone.

I would raise the aspect of justice along with the longing for and love of peace. I believe there can be no peace without justice.

Spartana
11-21-13, 1:41pm
For example, if I see a rapist, I see only violence. If I see a person who used a woman to see her suffer as he suffers, I see someone needing empathy who has no idea that he needs it or how to get it. That seeing is compassion and it is peace on Earth already realized in that seeing. You are making the assumption that the rapist suffers, or has suffered, himself at the hands of others and thus needs empathy and compassion when that may not be the case at all.

Rogar
11-21-13, 7:15pm
I think of peace on earth like other things...think globally and act locally. As far fetched as Peace on Earth is, the day that we can't offer that greeting at the Holiday season and other times of the year as a symbol of hope will indeed be a dark day.

My best understanding of the source of this in Luke is that it may imply more of a peace between man and God rather a peace of one man to another, though I might be off a little. I have no issue with the phrase having both a religious or spiritual meaning and a more secular view.

I do like Linus's version of this in Charlie Brown's Christmas.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn10FF-FQfs&feature=related

Xmac
11-22-13, 5:17pm
You are making the assumption that the rapist suffers, or has suffered, himself at the hands of others and thus needs empathy and compassion when that may not be the case at all.

Yes, I am assuming.

I think all people can agree that suffering is a condition that is universal in the human experience. Secondly, I think we can also agree that we can never fully know the extent to which another suffers, or why.

How many have been surprised when a loved one kills themselves? How many are shocked that the quiet and polite neighbor murders his family and possibly her/him self too? How often have we been shocked at even our own behavior, lashing out in an unexpected fury?

A more pointed question as relating to a rapist's state of mind, or any other perpetrator, is, can it be reasonably assumed that he/she is fulfilled, peaceful and centered before, during and after committing the crime?

Gandhi referred to such individuals as sick, and consequently, ought to be treated as such. The cliché, that some individuals are sick, betrays our own deep and intuitive insight into the true condition of someone like a rapist, but it stops there, never allowing the next heart-logical step.

Jesus asked (or at least the quote is attributed to him in the Bible), to forgive the Roman soldiers because they knew not what they did. Some like to interpret this as being, they didn't know he was the son of God. I think that that is inconsistent, however. He regularly spoke of Non-violence to those who had done "wrong".

This suggests a kind of confusion that leads one to act our of accord with our true nature. The evidence is the dis-ease, that is often denied, rationalized, or repressed, in which these acts are done, as well as within those who see an enemy image.

Spartana
12-5-13, 12:54pm
Yes, I am assuming.

I think all people can agree that suffering is a condition that is universal in the human experience. Secondly, I think we can also agree that we can never fully know the extent to which another suffers, or why.

How many have been surprised when a loved one kills themselves? How many are shocked that the quiet and polite neighbor murders his family and possibly her/him self too? How often have we been shocked at even our own behavior, lashing out in an unexpected fury?

A more pointed question as relating to a rapist's state of mind, or any other perpetrator, is, can it be reasonably assumed that he/she is fulfilled, peaceful and centered before, during and after committing the crime?

Gandhi referred to such individuals as sick, and consequently, ought to be treated as such. The cliché, that some individuals are sick, betrays our own deep and intuitive insight into the true condition of someone like a rapist, but it stops there, never allowing the next heart-logical step.

Jesus asked (or at least the quote is attributed to him in the Bible), to forgive the Roman soldiers because they knew not what they did. Some like to interpret this as being, they didn't know he was the son of God. I think that that is inconsistent, however. He regularly spoke of Non-violence to those who had done "wrong".

This suggests a kind of confusion that leads one to act our of accord with our true nature. The evidence is the dis-ease, that is often denied, rationalized, or repressed, in which these acts are done, as well as within those who see an enemy image.That's very kind hearted and compassionate of you. I know that you were a police officer for a long time so I imagine that compassion and understanding is probably hard to come by after seeing so many bad things first hand - which makes it all the more kind hearted. I suppose I am just a bit too jaded as I see that, while there are those who commit horrible acts of violence again others who deserve our compassion, I also see many who choose to act in such a way not because they are hurting, but for many other reasons. Many just out of selfishness, control, desire for a thing, opportunity, etc... I think there are many people who do not suffer, and never suffered, from any inner or outer demons yet choose to do violence towards others.

Xmac
12-5-13, 5:20pm
Many people who don't suffer? Really?

Are you sure it's not being hidden? Phrases like, suck it up, stiff upper lip, quiet desperation, be a man, et al, are commonplace because suffering is seen as weakness: the suffering of suffering. In fact, the more someone seems like they don't suffer, the more likely it is that they are suffering more than the average.

I have a friend who has a friend who's currently suffering from terminal cancer. My friend told me yesterday that he yelled at his wife and he had never done that before. For me, that is a good example of how where there is suffering, it can't be held in for long. Similarly, when life is durable joy and inner happiness, it too, can't held in for long.

If someone is willing to kill to get money, beat a spouse to feel control, "throw a friend under the bus" to get a job, it's a fairly convincing sign to me that they are suffering from something. I see that rape, murder, theft, drug addiction, etc., are the symptoms of greed, selfishness, desire, etc., and their cause is suffering/misery.

There's a lot of resistance to this way of seeing things because seemingly there's a fear that it will encourage more crime. But, I've seen evidence to the contrary.
I'm not saying to do nothing, but I am saying that the criminal penal system will continue to expand until rehabilitation is completely overhauled.

Lastly, to get back to the subject, I think this is why peace on earth has been so elusive for so long. The answer has been right under our noses all along: YOU (and me). I always thought it was somebody else's job, that they needed to snap out of it. It's not peace foundations, not governments, not your neighbor being quiet, it's you...period. The most blatantly obvious is the hardest to see.

Spartana
12-5-13, 6:33pm
And many people who have suffered, and suffered greatly, have chosen to follow a path of non-violence towards others. A path of peace and harmony. So why do you assume that the reverse could not also be true - that those who have not suffered, or have not suffered any more than the average non-violent person, choose to do violent acts?

Xmac
12-6-13, 12:20am
And many people who have suffered, and suffered greatly, have chosen to follow a path of non-violence towards others. A path of peace and harmony. So why do you assume that the reverse could not also be true - that those who have not suffered, or have not suffered any more than the average non-violent person, choose to do violent acts?

Because it has been my experience and observation that our true nature is non-violent. Yes, anger, fear, hatred, sadness and so on, are normal but I don't see them as natural.

Our capacity for violence is deeply conditioned in the human psyche, but it's not intrinsic to our nature. There is evidence that it even starts in utero. I agree with Gandhi, 'if violence was our nature, we would have died out long ago'. Also, that history is accounting of brief disruptions in peace, not the other way around.

BTW, I'm not referring to only physical or visible violence, but the entire process that begins with even the smallest thought that tweaks complete peace.

Never are we more lost to ourselves than when we've lost connection to others, including those who seem to mean us harm.

Spartana
12-7-13, 12:30pm
Because it has been my experience and observation that our true nature is non-violent. Yes, anger, fear, hatred, sadness and so on, are normal but I don't see them as natural.

Our capacity for violence is deeply conditioned in the human psyche, but it's not intrinsic to our nature. There is evidence that it even starts in utero. I agree with Gandhi, 'if violence was our nature, we would have died out long ago'. Also, that history is accounting of brief disruptions in peace, not the other way around.

BTW, I'm not referring to only physical or visible violence, but the entire process that begins with even the smallest thought that tweaks complete peace.

Never are we more lost to ourselves than when we've lost connection to others, including those who seem to mean us harm.I'm not sure I agree that our true nature is non-violent. I think we try to be non-violent so we can function in society with others. I think most have empathty for the pain others feel - especially if it is caused by our actions - so we want to limit that pain by choosing to act in a non-violent way.

However I do feel that those emotions you mentioned - anger, sadness, hurt, frustration, etc... - often lead people to act in violent ways. I also see that those same emotions lead to great works of compassion and a seeking for peace. Moral outrage, hurt or anger has lead men like Gandhi, King, and the dearly departed Mandela to peacefully (for the most part as Mandela once lead a violent militant group called the MK) fight against social and political injustice and oppression. They found a non-violent way to channel their emotions and empathy for the hurt and pain of others into righting wrongs.

Most people do the same with their anger-type emotions. They find ways to channel them into non-violent behavior and go about their day in a non-violent way. Other people resort to criminal violence as a reaction to their anger, sadness, hurt, pain, etc... Many of those people may benefit from re-hab (although that has been tried and tried again and the recidivism rates are just as high for repeat violent offenders with the exception of those with mental illness and substance abuse problems). Many others won't benefit imho because they choose to follow the path of violence for whatever reason. They choose not to control their anger and channel it into a more peaceful way.

So this is where we have to agree to disagree - I feel that anger, etc... is a natural emotion for humans and most people have it. I also feel that violence is also a natural reaction to humans as a way to deal with that hurt and anger. Most of us have the capacity and desire and control to channel our anger, pain, moral outrage, etc... into peaceful - even purposeful - outcomes and actions because we care about others and want to do the best by them and society. Others, however, don't care about those things and they choose to act in selfish, harmful, even violent ways.

Xmac
12-10-13, 4:25pm
I'm not sure I agree that our true nature is non-violent. I think we try to be non-violent so we can function in society with others. I think most have empathty for the pain others feel - especially if it is caused by our actions - so we want to limit that pain by choosing to act in a non-violent way.

However I do feel that those emotions you mentioned - anger, sadness, hurt, frustration, etc... - often lead people to act in violent ways. I also see that those same emotions lead to great works of compassion and a seeking for peace. Moral outrage, hurt or anger has lead men like Gandhi, King, and the dearly departed Mandela to peacefully (for the most part as Mandela once lead a violent militant group called the MK) fight against social and political injustice and oppression. They found a non-violent way to channel their emotions and empathy for the hurt and pain of others into righting wrongs.

Most people do the same with their anger-type emotions. They find ways to channel them into non-violent behavior and go about their day in a non-violent way. Other people resort to criminal violence as a reaction to their anger, sadness, hurt, pain, etc... Many of those people may benefit from re-hab (although that has been tried and tried again and the recidivism rates are just as high for repeat violent offenders with the exception of those with mental illness and substance abuse problems). Many others won't benefit imho because they choose to follow the path of violence for whatever reason. They choose not to control their anger and channel it into a more peaceful way.

So this is where we have to agree to disagree - I feel that anger, etc... is a natural emotion for humans and most people have it. I also feel that violence is also a natural reaction to humans as a way to deal with that hurt and anger. Most of us have the capacity and desire and control to channel our anger, pain, moral outrage, etc... into peaceful - even purposeful - outcomes and actions because we care about others and want to do the best by them and society. Others, however, don't care about those things and they choose to act in selfish, harmful, even violent ways.

Note: the following is not the Truth, it's only what I see as truth when I hit the Submit Reply button.

Trying to be non-violent is inner violence that will come back or resurface as something else. If I work somewhere and I think my boss is a tyrant, I may not hurt or kill him but I might go home every night and drink: hurt and maybe kill myself.

Actions that stem from sympathy or even empathy are selfish, not compassion. As such, we're interested in the pain of others because it makes us uncomfortable. Whether or not another person is suffering, or can't bear their pain, is just our imaginings (even if it is confirmed by the other), i.e. we imagine what it is like. It could be worse, less, or different pain; maybe even no pain at all. Even if we're very close to what the other is experiencing, we're still emersed in our own story or version of it and we're in resistance to it, which is suffering that we think is in them.

The person who is not at peace with him/herself is at war with everybody else. -M.K. Gandhi

The enduring message of King is in, the "I have a dream" phrase and most of the speech and it's a vision that was fueled by the contention that hatred can only be transformed by love, not let's fight racism because our anger is justified.

Likewise, Gandhi's legacy is that our individual futures is inextricably linked to each other. It was the application of the insight that 'the anger/violence within me is the source of my suffering, not others': "We must first be the change we wish to see in the world"

It may seem as if anger (or any of the other forms of fear) is the source of action. But I say that it is elements of our true nature that are so quickly followed by fear/anger that the noble and true part of us is obscured in it.

If I, or a group of people like me, are being physically and/or mentally abused by one or more "perpetrators", it is intelligence that sees the reactions are senseless, compassion that moves towards apparent suffering, including the "perpetrators", creativity and flexibility will enable me to respond in a novel way that mostly can't be predicted because I'm not re-ACTING the same ole script, fearlessness (not courage) that allows one to see no threats.

You mentioned choice a couple times and that people choose not control anger. Can you think of a time you got really angry and acted as such? There are events that may have happened that when you think of them they can still make you mad. Got that picture vividly in your mind? Now, don't get mad. Just choose not to. Can it be done? Even now? I don't mean small stuff. I mean intense anger. Do you feel natural? Right and ordinary? Living in a state of nature untouched by society and civilization? I never do.

One of the definitions of natural is "possessing the higher qualities (as kindness and affection) of human nature" M. Webster.

Xmac
12-20-13, 10:47pm
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Once you know a person's story, then you can love anyone." Mr. (Fred) Rogers

catherine
12-21-13, 8:10am
I agree with Xmac that it is separation that brings about violence. Another example that peace is the natural state is the fact that peace and love are utterly transformative and even politically powerful. King and Gandhi proved that.

Here's an example (http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/20/us/libya-widow-teacher-forgives-attackers/index.html?hpt=hp_t1)of what is possible for each and every one of us: if you read the news today/yesterday, wow. I'll admit that her response is not "normal" but as she said, it comes not from her, but from a place deep inside--a place she says is the Divine within her.

Xmac
12-25-13, 1:44pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADbJLo4x-tk