Waging Peace

If the Earth were your body, you would be able to feel the many areas where it is suffering.  War, political and economic oppression, famine, and pollution wreak havoc in so many places.  Everyday, children are becoming blind from malnutrition, their hands searching hopelessly through mounds of trash for a few ounces of food.  Adults are dying slowly in prisons for trying to oppose violence.  Rivers are dying, and the air is becoming more and more difficult to breathe. 

Many people are aware of the world's suffering; their hearts are filled with compassion.  They know what needs to be done, and they engage in political, social, and environmental work to try to change things.  But after a period of intense involvement, they may become discouraged if they lack the strength needed to sustain a life of action.  Real strength is not in power, money, or weapons, but in deep, inner peace.

Practicing mindfulness in each moment of our daily lives, we can cultivate our own peace.  With clarity, determination, and patience - their fruits of meditation- we can sustain a life of action and be real instruments of peace.

This excerpt is from Thich Nhat Hanh's book, Peace is  Every Step, The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life.  Read more about this book in November Book Review.

Peace.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.vpweb.com