The Color of Peace

“An eye for an eye

will only make the whole world blind.” 

(Mahatma Gandhi)

I appreciate the endless variety of music available on YouTube, especially the meditation playlists I have compiled. In order, however, to listen to Ashana's, Deep Peace, I have to endure Kate Upton's commercial for the online video game called, Game of War. "Play it now for free..." Kate announces. I have repeatedly heard the siren call to join the combatant culture, and have equally often dismissed it from my thoughts; until today. 

Recently, I brought up my playlist, tapped on a song, and Kate Upton's voice broke through the fog of my thoughts with "game of war, play it now for free." This time I heard Kate - heard her, and our culture, and many cultures before us, call out with an invitation to turn violence and destruction into a contest, a game. I heard the call and can say that I am truly tired of hearing it.

“Peace cannot be kept by force;

it can only be achieved by understanding.” 

(Albert Einstein)

I am beginning to understand that humanity has upon its being the imprint of something divine, the touch of a power so vast it created the singularity from which all that is has come. We are a species that has only scratched the surface of our potential, barely glimpsed at the what we can do in this universe when Love empowers us. Nonetheless, with all of this unexplored, untapped potential we continue to wallow in the foolishness of violence.

“Dad, how do soldiers killing each other

solve the world's problems?” 

(Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes)

Humanity stands poised to destroy itself, or to evolve into the beings that Love intends us to be. We really do face the possibility of healing the hurts we have caused, of partnering with the earth to experience life abundant. To do so though, we must turn away from our obsession with war and combat. Our birthing beyond our current limitations requires that we grow beyond the primal hind-brain instincts of our fore-bearers. 

Our Sacred writings call us to be self-aware, to awaken, to be en-lightened - that is, filled with Light. So be it; in this day, when you feel inclined to react with conflict, to absorb the media's trauma stories, or when the violence of movies, games, or the lure of testosterone beckons... pause, breathe deeply, and listen to the sounds of Spirit whispering peace and calm. To this we are called; for this we are created - to be people of peace.

I leave the last word to the writer of the Psalms:

"Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it."

(Psalm 34.14)

The color of peace...

humanity's destiny.

To one holding a hammer

everthing

is a

nail

To the dove

all the

world

is an

olive branch

Pause

Breathe

Listen

To Ponder Further:

- From the Bible: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you." (Christianity, John 14.27)

- Buddhism: "This is peace, this is the excellent, namely the calm of all the impulses, the casting out of all "basis," the extinction of craving, dispassion, stopping, Nirvana." (Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya v.322)

- From Sikhism: "If a man sings of God and hears of Him, and lets love of God sprout within him, All his sorrows shall vanish, And in his mind, God will bestow abiding peace." (Sikhism. Adi Granth, Japuji 5, M.1, p. 2)