Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
Peace is our inherent condition. It’s an essential ingredient for happiness, but most people don’t realize that until they have no peace. It’s unfortunate that peace is something most people appreciate only when they stop having it.
For some, peace is a privilege. In some forgotten village in Africa; in a busy Mexican city; or in a capital of the world such as New York or Berlin, there are people who spend every single minute fighting to keep their physical and emotional integrity. These people long for a peace they have never known. Some of them will achieve it. How about the rest of them who will not? Who speaks for them? Whose responsibility is it to break the cycle, and reach out?
Yes, that’s right: WE are responsible. We are their emissaries for peace. It is up to us to break the cycle of violence, not only when there are wars or attacks; but every day, in everything we do.
There’s also those of us who are fortunate enough to live in a city that is not perfect – which place is? – but that has all the necessary conditions for it to become a place of peace. We are so lucky to be part of an active and supportive community, full of creativity and love! San Miguel is indeed a blessed city.
And yet…sometimes, we end up choosing a path other than peace. A path of self-deprecation, disrespect, rudeness, stress, frustration and remorse. It can happen any day, when we choose to react without considering the consequences. Friendships may be lost. Respect, as well. Work relationships come to an abrupt ending. In the end, when we choose not to walk the path of peace – what is left in our lives? What good comes from ‘reacting’?
Even in the most difficult situations, when every hope seems pointless, we always get to choose: do we walk the path of peace, or do we resort to violence?
Peace starts within us. Peace is a daily choice. Join Camino de la Paz on September 21st for the first celebration of the International Day of Peace in San Miguel de Allende. Find out more details here: www.caminodelapaz.org.
docbeverly@aol.com. .
