Peace Makers

      Peace is like an elusive sound. We may have heard it, we may have felt it, but it is hard to define its tone. It really appears to be the absence of sound for we experience peace in a quieter setting than is normal. Perhaps we haven't really ever experienced peace. A few moments of quiet, a meditative experience or the absence of real problems may simulate peace, but it is fleeting. We may be with a particular person or in a relationship that also can simulate peace. Lack of conflict is the most outstanding aspect of peace on earth, but when is there absence of conflict? In some part of the world there is conflict, war, disagreement or unrest. We may think that since it is not in our immediate surroundings that it doesn't affect us, but in some subtle ways it does leave its mark, knowingly or unknowingly.

      To balance the self is truly a 'balancing act'. It demands enough of our attention that we must be aware of our bodies and how they need to be maintained in such a way that health becomes a daily experience. We are often in conflict within ourselves as there is conflict between the mind and the body and sometimes between the spirit and the body. We need to be a unit that works as one. Unfortunately, just having the desire to be centered and balanced and a good working unit does not assure that it will come by simply desiring it.

      Where do we start and how do we realize the importance of our effect on others? Think back on some experiences you have had with a crowd of people. Perhaps they were those you didn't know and just passed in a shopping area. Was your mind on your purchases? Did you notice how the different people affected you or how you might have affected them? Did you notice the difference in the stores? It doesn't take a particular sensitivity to notice that some stores have more warmth and good feeling than others. It is the result of the people who work there. They would probably laugh if they thought of themselves as ambassadors of peace and yet by their very standards of behavior, they spread a sense of calm admist a busy time.

      Within our family life we cannot expect that there will be balance or that there will be an absence of conflict, but we can work on contributing the calmer sides of ourselves to those who are closest to us. Often those who are closest to us are the ones who receive the brunt of anger or the result of stress or conflict.

      How important is it to you to become calmer for one cannot be a peace maker unless there is calm within. We are not all the calm type, but within all the varities of personalities there is a core, a central area that is the calm within the storm. From this center we have to draw strength for it does take strength to claim peacefulness. As you approach your daily life, try to be conscious of peacefulness. Even at the busiest times of the year we can concentrate momentarily on the thought of peace. Perhaps by shifting to the thought we may be able to lift our spirit and release a bit of the stress and strain of daily life. We are then making peace with ourselves.