Finding Peace in the Chaos

Photo Credit: Steve Johnson on Pexels

I’m not on social media a whole lot and that is on purpose. I don’t want to get sucked into all of the drama playing out in the world right now. But I’m not blind to what is going on either. I know there are some real issues that need to be brought to light and some very courageous people looking for support. I hear those who are speaking up and encouraging others to take action. I also appreciate that not all of us are made to be activists and to take off on a boat across the ocean towards a war that is unjust and to help people that are clearly suffering.

However, I also believe that each of us has a purpose and not everyone is built to lead an army or to march in protest. We are all here to bring our specific gifts to the table and some of us are made to act behind the scenes. That can be building new systems to replace the ones that are broken, or to take action in their community where there is also suffering, just on a smaller scale. There are wars and conflicts across the world and just because they aren’t front and center, that doesn’t make them any less important. I for one believe that we have opportunities to support in our communities that allow us to make an impact that is just as important.

If you’ve ever played on a sports team, you know that every position has a purpose and importance. Winning doesn’t come from the talent of just one person, it comes from everyone working together playing the role they are assigned. Even in war, which I certainly don’t support as a first point of action, there are those that fight on the front lines, but also those that are there to tell the story through journalism, those there to heal the wounded, those there to feed the soldiers, and those there to lead with strategy. We can’t all be called to do the same thing, and I feel it’s important to frame the world in this way because there can be a lot of pressure from those who are activists to make statements like….”if you are out here fighting and marching with us, you are supporting those abusing power” which I just don’t feel is a fair statement to make.

I have written in past posts about how energy works and how we each have the power to impact the world around us through our thoughts, beliefs and actions. What we focus on becomes our reality, and that sends energy out into the world that makes an impact, even if we can’t see that impact directly. When we focus on war, we put out the energy of war. When we focus on peace, we put out the energy of peace. That’s not to say that there isn’t the need to stand up in defiance of injustice, it just means that we can choose our response. That is why I’m excited about so many of the peaceful protests happening right now. People are choosing to use their voice in a way that supports an energy of peace. And that is also where those of us who are not called to march, can still contribute to that energy.

I have been thinking about the energy of peace for the past few months and wondering how I might bring that into the world in a bigger way. I think of peace and I use my meditation practice with intention to send that energy out into the world. I think of those suffering and pray for peace. I think of those who are disadvantaged and being victimized by those in power and I focus my thoughts and energy on a world filled with tolerance, kindness and compassion. I practice listening more to those around me and in my conversations with others to truly hear their perspective and understand how that can be different from my own. I practice responding rather than reacting. All of this practice helps me be more and more authentic in my relationships and in how I show up in the world and I’ve noticed less conflict in my experience. 

I truly believe that we as human beings have more in common than there are differences. At our core, we all want to be loved, to be seen and to be accepted for who we are in our authenticity. Everyone has a story and beliefs that make sense to them because of their lived experience. It takes work but I truly believe we have the capacity to change the energy in the world and move towards peace instead of towards division. I am seeing in social media posts I do pay attention to, and I am seeing less and less tolerance for the divisiveness some people want to sow in the world.

So, to those of us who are more comfortable focusing a little closer to home, and feeling guilty we aren’t acting in the same way as some people on this planet, I am here to say that it’s OK. Peace can be won in our everyday actions and our intentions for how we show up and the energy we bring to the world every day. It can be found in how we welcome immigrants and newcomers looking for safety, it can be found in how we speak of those who are being targeted, and it can be found in the conversations we have about the conflicts present in our communities. Peace comes from having the hard conversations and bringing a sense of honour to everyone’s lived experience, especially when it differs from our own. We do that by asking more questions and making fewer assumptions. It comes from an appreciation for the multi-cultural society we live in and the different customs and beliefs that come from centuries of community shaped by the environment and realities of the land and the way nature impacts those communities. It’s spending the time to take a step back and wonder what it must be like to live under the conditions some people live under.

Peace to me is a state of being, that is achieved through both an understanding of oneself, and our relationship to others. It comes from living in the moment and approaching the world from a place of love versus fear. If we can make decisions from a place of peace, we no longer react to the drama architected by the media and governments to hijack our fear response and create chaos so we forget that we have a choice in how we respond to our lived experience. So today, and every day going forward, I choose to practice peace wherever I can and to learn from those situations where it is difficult to choose that state. I choose to be intentional about the energy I send out into the world and I start where I live, in my home and community, with the people most important to me and then it becomes easier and easier to spread that peace to spaces I am not in, but want to impact in a positive way. I choose to play my part as the lighthouse, steady in my purpose to bring light to those lost in the dark, ready to show the way no matter what the conditions are at the moment. It isn’t easy as the waves can crash up against us, making it hard to stand strong. But that is what I was built for and I think that is just as important and impactful for the future of our world!