5 Steps Toward PEACE

Practice PEACE with those already promoting world peace.

Mission World PEACE

In a previous blog, 3 Requirements for Liberty, I discussed the true requirements as being justice, PEACE and HOPE. In the last blog, we’re dove deeper into one possibility to ensure justice for all. This blog focuses on the steps to practice peace in our lives every day to promote world peace.

PEACE

Many of us have grown up hearing phrases like “peace on earth, goodwill toward men” in greeting cards and holiday songs. I used to believe that everyone truly wanted world peace and would gladly work together to create world peace. So why haven’t we?

Lots of organizations exist to promote peace. Peace day is celebrated by many every year. Yet we don’t seem to be any closer to achieving peace on earth. I gave a Sunday lesson at my spiritual center to discuss using the creation steps to create peace. When asked if they thought that world peace was possible, not one person said yes. We need to shift that mindset. The first step of the creative process is to see the light of infinite possibilities. Out of all the possibilities available to us in this moment, at least one would result in world peace. So the first step to creating world peace is to believe that it is possible.

Our culture has taught us that wars are inevitable, and most people have bought into that collective belief. Yet wars are not natural, they were created by greedy men to take resources away from others, to force religious beliefs on others, and to exert power over others. 

Early humans thrived not by dominating each other, but by cooperating with each other and forming communities to support and protect each other. Men would hunt in groups to capture animals that would probably have killed them individually. Women would gather food and collectively care for the children in the community. Every member of the community was cared for and each did what they could to help. They cared for their elderly. They tended to the sick and to the youth. They practiced equity and community for all. They lived in peace.

If they could do it with their limited resources, how much easier could it be for us to do it now! So I ask you to join me in spreading the word that world peace is possible. I created a self-defining acronym for PEACE, which is:

• Practicing

• Equity

• And

• Community

• Everywhere

PEACE is our goal. We cannot achieve it by force. We can achieve PEACE by incorporating it into our individual lives, in our families and in our local communities. The more people practice, the larger the peaceful community becomes.

Practicing

Practicing is an active verb. Of course, you need to think about peace and feel peaceful, and you also need to take action to create peace. What areas of your personal life could use more peace? What about your work life? What about your community involvement? By starting with your personal life, you will build your success in creating peace and increase your confidence in promoting peace in ever expanding groups. 

Professional meditators have demonstrated reduced violence and crime in areas where they meditate together. Imagine if every area throughout the world had people meditating together to reduce violence and crime, leading to more peace. You can meditate on your own or with a group to add your energy to the process.

You could join your efforts with others through existing organizations and activities. Here are a few suggestions to get started:

• The United Nations established September 21 as the International Day of Peace. For more information see . You can easily find activities to do with children or join activities with your local organizations.

• A quick search online will provide a long list of organizations promoting peace. Narrow your search by including “near me.” The Peace Alliance partners with a lot of local organizations and schools to provide peacebuilding programs across the United States.

• If you don’t have a lot of time to donate, you can also act by donating funds to peacebuilding organizations, such as The Carter Center, whose mission is to Wage Peace, Fight Disease, Build Hope.  

Your contribution provides a ripple that joins with others to create a wave of peacebuilding efforts. Through consistent practice, we gain consistent momentum in creating world peace.

Equity

Although we have equal rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, we need an equitable distribution of living conditions and resources to ensure that we all have equal opportunities to enjoy those rights and to thrive.

A race might be equal if all racers have to run 100 yards, but it is not equitable if one racer is in a wheelchair and another has to overcome obstacles in their lane. Our goal is to make sure everyone’s needs are met to the best of our ability. Speak out against the current laws that favor wealthy owners over the working class. Vote to ensure the laws to protect people against environmental hazards caused by corporate pollution remain intact. Vote to ensure the laws against discrimination of minority groups remain intact.

Let’s combine our efforts to discover and implement ways to promote equity and compassion for all. Together let’s remove the barriers to peace and equity.

And

“And” is typically a throw-away word, but is key to this definition of PEACE. We can’t focus on just equity or just community because we could still end up with results like segregation. We can have school systems based on communities be unequitable based on socio-economic conditions, especially those caused by old red-lining practices. Women can be given equitable work opportunities yet be excluded in the community of all male golf clubs, restaurants, or locker rooms where men make handshake deals. Let’s welcome everyone into the global community and work together to provide equitable solutions to individual challenges.

Community

The Google Definition of Community is “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals.” Our goal is to spread PEACE, and that starts with spreading the belief that PEACE is possible. What are the common attitudes, interests and goals that people promoting PEACE have in common? Here is a list to start our definition:

• Attitudes:

• Gratitude for our consciousness, our connections and our abundant resources

• Joy as a state of being, which is not dependent on external stimuli

• Peace of mind, which comes from being mindfully present

• Interests:

• Caring for all people

• Being good stewards of all creatures

• Being good stewards of the Earth, our home

• Goals:

• Provide basic necessities for all

• Encourage development of systems that help all humans thrive

• Create a culture that allows everyone to achieve self-actualization.

Although we could expand on this list, I believe this summarizes all of the general areas of focus to provide a simple and clear beginning.  

Everywhere

Our goal is to spread PEACE throughout the world - in every country; in urban and rural areas and everything in between; in native and assimilated cultures; in places impacted by natural and manmade disasters; and any place we call home. Let’s join the ripple that’s already started, so together we can create a beautiful wave of PEACE.

I love the vision of people throughout the world

Practicing Equity And Community Everywhere.

Please join us and spread the word.

Going Deeper with the 3 Requirements for Liberty

In the next blog post, I will discuss the third requirement for liberty in more depth.

• 4 Aspects of HOPE

• Learn to live with HOPE every day.