Photo by Andrew Gosine on Unsplash
Short answer: probably not. The thing is, peace doesn’t have to be all doves and rainbows, though that can be nice for some of us some of the time. Think of peace as a way of getting yourself centered so you can see things clearly.
Sometimes when you can see clearly, you can see some really beautiful stuff. Sometimes people do really kind things. Trees are amazing. Smart humans have engineered some incredible machines. Simple acts, like that moment when you are pulling a full trash bag out of the kitchen trash can, and it is slowly creeping out because it is kind of stuck and there is a little bit of suction, but then the suction releases and the whole bag just slides out with a satisfying whoosh – that can be pretty pleasant if you are paying attention.
Sometimes when you can see clearly, you can see some really horrifying stuff. Sometimes people do really cruel things. Car crashes are scary. Wars are violent. Lines at the DMV and airport security really don’t make sense no matter how you look at them.
Peace does not have to look like a serene Buddha meditating beneath a tree. If peace is seeing clearly, then your peace can give you the skill to see both the beautiful and the horrifying. And when you look at those things through the lens of peace, you can keep some perspective. And with that perspective, you can make your choice of whether to respond to any circumstance with stillness or with action.
You can have peace at the same time as any emotion: sadness, happiness, anger, love, confusion, excitement, whatever. Your peace can give you a strong foundation to be the very best you can be, whether you are a lover, a warrior, both, or something altogether different.
