Peace:
A Three Piece Suite
The
first peace, the deepest, the root from which it grows; the silence
that calms and heals; the point of is-ness when there is no I, no me,
no not me, no knowing, no not-knowing, no you, no not-you, no us, no
not us – just pure being and the ground-of-being – the rest point
of being in the moment – at one with the in-breath, the drawing-in
of all that there is and all we are part of – open and accepting to
whatever comes. At one with the out-breath, circulating fully and
giving out all that we are. Being without attachment or aversion as
the Buddhists say. Knowing that the attachments and aversions are
what distorts and blinds.
The
second being at peace with those around you. Being at peace with the
small things of life; a peace that begets patience and concern; a
ministry of presence for others, wholeheartedly witnessing their
being, no matter how small the transaction, no matter how small the
moment. Others are not simply instruments to our well-being - they
are not background music to our songs - it is together that we are
the choir of life. We are each and all witness to each other; we are
each and all ministers one to another. It is of the small things of
life that the world is woven.
The
third piece is that world peace; that of governments and societies;
that of renouncing violence as a means, as a political weapon, of not
letting war be, as Clausewitz remarked, “… a continuation of
politics by other means”. It is not the continuation of politics -
it is the failure of politics, in fact, the greatest of all its
failures.
Having
recently visited a country that has been at peace for two-hundred
years, that has not killed or harmed even so much as one person in
its name, I cannot but feel shame to come from a country that has not
even managed a decade in those two hundred years when it has not
killed and maimed, has not wrought violence and havoc, has not
devastated lives in its name.
This
is the three piece suite of peace - and one on which we could all sit
comfortably if we choose.
[Published in the Friend of 24 February 2017]
