A piece on peace

I read an interesting article in the March issue of the Independent. The article was titled Peace Treaty and was written by Janice Brooks-Nichter. I wasn't sure who this person was, but a quick google search gave me the scant information that she is an inspirational and motivational speaker who lives in Ivins. So I still don't know much about her, but she had a couple of things to say that I found enlightening.
One idea she discusses is how it feels to be at peace with yourself. She feels that she is at peace with herself and proposes that being at peace, personally in your life, is a different experience than she expected it to be, and probably different than most people would expect. She (and most of us, probably) expected being at peace to feel calm and soothed, quiet and passive. Her experience was the opposite.

The original definition of peace was to be without conflict, or the have the absence or cessation of war or hostility. The definition of being soothed or tranquil is actually a later definition of the word peace. But her point is: peace, true inner peace, is not passive. It is electric, full of energy. The author felt harmonious in heart and brain, in belief and intellect. Sparkling. Exuberant. Invigorated. This was a novel idea for me. I also had the idea that people with inner peace would be calm, quiet, soothing, almost passive. I thought I should feel those quiet things to truly be a person at peace with myself. Now I think I see more possibilities from inner peace. If I am at peace, I will be without inner conflict, I will have an absence of hostility towards myself or my beliefs or my actions. But be passive? No way. I can easily imagine I would be full of joy and love, and wanting to share that joy and love with fervor and determination. I would actively try to bring my peace to others by my service and my devotion, and by sharing my knowledge. It's really a nice image, this idea of an ebullient inner peace. I like it. And I think it's far more achievable for me than my previous ideal of calm, quiet contentment.

The other idea she shares that gave me pause was one of her steps towards achieving inner peace. The number one step Ms. Brooks-Nichter suggested was to forgive. I had heard the admonition to forgive all my life, and can see the importance of that step. I have tried very hard to forgive anyone that I have held a grudge against in an effort to avoid the consequent resentment cankering my soul. But then the author suggested that not only should we make a list of those who have wronged us, but that we also should make a list of those we may have wronged in our past and try to contact them to apologize. We should make the effort to make sure no one has a reason to hold a grudge against us. By not making that effort, we may be instrumental in jeopardizing someone else's long-term peace and happiness. This was a bit of a revelation to me. I have always tried to apologize when I have made mistakes, but in terms of looking back farther than, say, last month, I have only ever focused on myself forgiving others, not the other way round. I, apparently, have been very self-centered when it comes to forgiveness. "Who has wronged ME? Whom do I need to forgive? In terms of all those less enlightened souls who have sinned against ME, look how my magnanimous forgiveness will keep ME from suffering." My selfish attitude leads me to believe I may have wronged many more people that I had previously admitted to. I should try, and hopefully will try, to make more effort towards righting past wrongs, most especially the ones I may have committed.

The entire article was interesting to read, and helpful to me as I look for ways to reduce stress in my life and find more peace. I highly recommend it. (The Independent, March, 2010, page 5.)