Real Peace is not Passive

Peace doesn’t get much good press. It doesn’t make big headlines; “PEACE BREAKS OUT!” No ad would dare promote a new film as: “No violence, No anger, No guns, No rape, No war…Just a love story about Peace.”
Yeah, Peace gets a bum rap. Peaceful non-aggression still sounds wimpy, weak-kneed, spineless, definitely not the preferred approach for the macho guy or competitive woman. Yet how many times have the strongest world leaders been men and women of Peace – from Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King to Mother Teresa of Calcutta?
We’re often told we’ll be healthier -- even happier -- if we learn to be more peaceful. Or that we need some kind of peaceful stability at the center of our lives if we’re to grow and thrive as human beings, much less hold onto our sanity.
But how can we begin to make Peace a priority – when most of us haven’t a clue what Peace feels like, or how to acquire it?
First, I think, we have to get over this idea that Peace is somehow soft, mellow, spineless, tranquil, quiet, dreamy, non-active. That’s passive peace: call it pleasure, relaxation, contentment, feeling good, giving in, giving up, whatever. This kind of peace may simply mean a temporary lack of conflict or crisis in our lives. But we all know it won’t last. It can blow up at one thoughtless remark, one angry look, one personal rejection, one rude gesture.
Real Peace is anything but passive. And it’s not dependent on how we feel today, or who does what – good or bad -- to us. Real Peace is a personal commitment to a particular mode of thinking about life. It’s highly engaged, involved, dedicated, determined.
Real Peace is a personal choice about specific ways of acting and re-acting in any and all circumstances. It’s always on the offensive, always trying to defuse conflict, create a negotiating tactic, explore alternative approaches to solving a problem or rebuilding a relationship. This kind of Active Peace takes constant practice…like training for the Olympics. It means daily doing for others before they do for you; thinking what others might need to make them happy before you think about what makes you happy; pausing to consider if the price of another argument is worth the loss of even one moment’s Peace. Most of all, it inspires constant creativity that expands the mind and opens the heart and produces results that will astound us.
As I said, Peace is anything but wimpy. Too bad it doesn’t get enough credit for being the ACTION ADVENTURE Story it really is!

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