image credit: obbino
Mahatma Gandhi said, “There is no way to Peace, Peace is the way.” Peace is already within ourselves and in the world, and just as we practice mindfulness in order to experience the peace that is already inherent within us, so too we must be mindful of the obstacles that we ourselves create that obstruct the experience of peace in the world. Peace is a practice, a way of being. We do not do such and such in the hope of attaining peace. When we practice the way of peace, we have already arrived. Peace is, it is not a destination.
In The Compassionate Life, the Dalai Lama said,“World history is simply the collective record of the effects of the negative and positive thoughts of human beings. This, I think, is quite clear. By reflecting on history, we can see that if we want to have a better and happier future, we must examine our mindset now and reflect on the way of life that this mindset will bring about in the future. The pervasive power of these negative attitudes cannot be overstated.”
What is the mindset that disturbs the peace that is? It is the same whether we are examining the disturbance of the peace in our own minds or in the larger world around us. The key words that reflect the mindset of non-peace are: self-righteousness, disrespect, intolerance, insecurity, fear, anger and greed. You can add to that list, what I have left out, but you get the gist of it.
One of the greatest obstacles to peace is the concept of us and them. We set up barriers of self righteousness, intolerance, fear and anger towards people and situations that are different to what we are accustomed to. The most obvious one in North America is the gross intolerance of the culture and religious beliefs of non-christian nations. Our intolerance and self-righteousness that moves us to make them like us, is perhaps one major factor in the creation of a radical fundamentalist stance that further alienates everyone including practitioners of the same religious beliefs.
With the introduction of Coca-Cola, MacDonalds and Starbucks, to name a few of the mega- corporations, and their cultures, we are creating a mono-culture that imposes a way of life and mentality that is counter to the ancient cultures of these regions. These companies are moving into areas where water has always been a scarce commodity and arable land is at a premium. We see the rise of conservatism in religion and culture as a backlash to stop the invasion of western culture and its accompanying profiteering that is insensitive to sustainable uses of resources.
In the name of modernization and progress, western mega-corporations are imposing our way of life on third world countries, destroying whole cultures and peaceful living in its wake. For example, in Ladakh, India, a land with extreme winters, the people have learned how to adapt and feed themselves over thousands of years. With the introduction of a new economy, the people of Ladakh are starving because they no longer grow their own food. They depend on imported food but the roads are impassable for more than half of the year. This scenario repeats itself in other parts of the world, due to similar introductions of “a better way of life.”
Looking in from the outside, some of the customs that we do not understand and label as oppressive may not be so. We may be quick to judge a society that separates men and women in social contact, but for women it can be a safe haven. When I lived in India, I was grateful for some of the customs. I was grateful for the separate train cars where only women and children can ride. Women can ride with men if they choose to, but why would they? I traveled both first and third class with my husband. In first class, everyone is as remote as we are in the West. In third class, you are jammed like sardines in a can. I loved the safety and sisterly camaraderie of the women’s car.
If we look at other cultures and compare them to ours, with a black and white perspective, we not only lose the beauty of diversity, but we can draw some incorrect conclusions. For example, women wearing sleeveless tops in India is considered immodest. However, wearing the traditional sari with lots of mid-torso bare, is the optimum in decent dress! And it is inappropriate for unmarried couples to hold hands, but men friends walk hand in hand, with lots of physical affection, which we disapprove of in the West.
Mindfulness then, of people and cultures that are different is paramount to the experience of peace in the world. When we practice inclusiveness for all religions, cultural customs with openness and acceptance, we are practicing peace. When we are mindful of how our actions affect the tapestry of a culture and the lifestyle of its people, we are practicing peace. When we notice ourselves acting fearful or judgemental of the differences we encounter in others and look for the similarities, we come back to openness and acceptance, we are practicing peace. Peace is the way.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Miruh,
Firstly, I must commend you on the fabulous photo. I LOVE it. It brings peace to my Soul.
There are so many cultures around the world that we may never hear about because they are not written about. I wonder if big corporations will eventually obliterate those people just to sell a few more cups of coffee of burgers.
Thanks for giving me a glimpse of an India I didn’t know. It is my hope that we can move toward peaceful resolutions within ourselves and within the world outside of ourselves.
Very provocative post. Thanks.
Hi there
When I left the Christian church 7 years ago, I went through a very dark period when anything ’spiritual’ just wasn’t of interest to me.
That period didn’t last long
a year or so. When I decided that I wanted to connect with God again..in a new way, with new understanding, I first had to define the goal of my search.
It was PEACE.
I agree that Peace is within us, and by removing those obstacles, we can achieve that serenity that passes all understanding. The biggest obstacle to peace that I had to remove, was fear.
Thank you for the post. May God forgive ‘us’ all, for what ‘we’ have done to others in the Name of… progress.
Miruh, you remind readers “better” does not exist. The power of now invites people to realize anything other than complete presence is permitting ego to take control of perception and views of what is right.
Modern food production, the nature and distance of food transport, and seasonal and quantity expectations of western countries drive systems to where they contribute to imbalance and invite revision.
You may be interested in this post on Ramana’s Musings Blog:
http://rummuser.com/?p=887
Hello Alexys,
Thanks for stopping by. I too love the photo. The Peace symbol more than ever, is a vision of hope. I read somewhere that in 2003, there were about thirty military conflicts being fought in the world. That is a lot of killing!
Perhaps the most insidious acts of non-peace is the destabilization of poorer nations with the introduction of food and water technologies, that are hurting people but provides big profits for the multi-national corporations. Perhaps the world economic downturn is a blessing to prevent further destruction of culture and local economies of these countries
What I described about India may be fast fading from what I hear of the leaps in modernization in the cities. I am grateful for the opportunity to have traveled to Europe and Asia before the onset of the mono-culture of commerce.
May we learn to cherish peace and unity.
Hello Grace,
I think as with any relationship that is not working out, it is good to make a complete break for some time, so as to have some perspective and then regroup with clarity. It sounds like that is what you were doing.
I agree, the biggest obstacle to peace is fear, and it is an ongoing clearing that we have to do with loving-kindness for ourselves for what we did not know.
I appreciate your openness in sharing your experience.
May you continue to uncover the peace and joy you deserve!
Hello Liara,
Yes, as you commented on Ramana’s blog, the change that is sometimes imposed in the name of “better” may not be welcomed by those it is supposed to help. We may think we know what is best for others from our perspective but it often-times is not in the best interest of those we are trying to help.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Peace to you, my friend!
Maybe there is something i am missing or that i don’t know about, but what i see in the U.S.A. is tolerance preached for everyone , every perversion, and all religions EXCEPT Christians! Christians can not be blamed for changes in other countries toward western culture, only greed can be to blame for that, and true Christians are not greedy and do not try to force their beliefs on anyone, only to pass on what they believe, so that others can make their choice. Yes western buisness is a greedy beast, but i don’t think they can force another countrie to let them build on their land or force the people to patronize their buisnesses.
Hello Billy,
Welcome!
I agree, true Christians practice the teachings of love and acceptance and that it is greed that is the cause of the atrocities of man’s injustice to man.
My reference to intolerance in the West of other religions and cultures was to the wave of opinions in the media in the aftermath of 9/11: “One of the greatest obstacles to peace is the concept of us and them. We set up barriers of self righteousness, intolerance, fear and anger towards people and situations that are different to what we are accustomed to..”
In all religions the goal is love and acceptance of self and others which we are all working towards.
I appreciate your input, it allows me to clarify my thoughts.
Love and Blessings!
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