The Peace Construct

It’s a common misconception that peace reflects the absence of conflict. That’s only a facile impression. Conflict, tension, diversity and critical thought, as a few examples, are essential ingredients to life.

Just as the breath consists of an inhale (strength, power), it’s very existence is generated from the exhale (letting go, surrender). Peace has the exact same dynamic. Even the basic element of matter, the atom, contains electrons and protons, seemingly opposites that also hold it all together. These are but two examples of the universe in motion illuminating the road map to true peace.

The most peaceful time in my life was two and a half years spent on a small, communal, spiritual farm in very rural, northeast Pennsylvania. It was peaceful, yet there was always conflict, differences of opinions and more. We subsumed our egos to a higher consciousness, not allowing these conflicts to result in intractable divisions. Rather, we enhanced the vibrancy of joy by appreciating each other as loving beings sharing a common purpose.

There is a compelling awareness in our diversity as a whole. From our wholeness manifests unique experiences and modes of sharing a common planet. Virtues of the venerable truths consist of non-attachment, listening, and seeing the other person, not as an object separate from yourself, but part of a whole. This essential humility is what all currents of spirituality express in their chosen vernacular.

War, as an opposite of peace, is ego driven, intolerant, and an illusory perception that we are different, superior, or more powerful. There is an unhealthy attachment, ego hegemony, and merely surface homage to higher power, acting as a pretext for rationalizing exploitative objectives. Just ask any Native American.

Teachings of peace and non-violence are more imperative now than ever before.