Blessed Are The Peacemakers
Junious Ricardo Stanton
As the world spirals towards war on multiple fronts: Eastern Europe, West Asia and in the not too distant future Taiwan, it behooves us to think about the alternative to global destruction. The only way the planet can survive the madness metastasizing around the world is if more and more of us make a genuine commitment to peace, true peace. Peace depends upon one deciding to live a life dedicated to peace and nonaggression. Peace begins and spreads one person at a time.
The plutocrats have duped us into thinking peace is secured only by arming ourselves to the teeth, possessing huge stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. That type of thinking is what drives and enriches the US Military Industrial Complex. The military industrial complex thrives because of the consciousness of the US misleadership, they love war because war is profitable.
Looking at the history of the United States through a filter of rationality and truth, we realize this country loves war, it cannot be denied since it has been at war with one tribe, group, nation state or other for ninety-three percent of its existence! Let that marinate for a few minuets, ninety-three percent of this nation’s existence has been taking up arms and killing fellow humans!
Today there are wars raging around the globe many we don’t know about because the corporate mind control apparatus doesn’t cover them, places like Sudan, Burkina Faso, Myanmar and Columbia just to name a few. War is counterproductive, disastrous and rarely accomplishes anything positive. In modern warfare it is the innocents who bare the brunt of suffering and death, children, women and male noncombatants are the ones displaced, maimed, wounded, traumatized and killed during these conflicts. For what, mineral resources, geo-strategic positioning, the egos and pride of warmongers, profiteering and money?
Life is precious, sadly most of the world doesn’t even pay lip service to this fact. Yeah they may say it on occasion but the actions of the oligarchs and plutocrats who run multinational corporations and governments demonstrates daily our lives do not count, we do not matter unless it is profiting them!
In the cosmos peace is preeminent. When we look into the heavens we do not see clashes of worlds, eruptions of wanton violence and destruction, we see expansion in an orderly harmonious fashion. The word universe means one song. We are all linked together in a magnificent ecosystem that blends spirit and the material. The ancients had a saying, “As above so below” meaning on this physical plane, our personal activities and interactions should mirror the peace, harmony and orderliness of the universe. We have gotten away from this notion as we push the limits of modernity and so called progress.
If we are to prevent the annihilation of humanity we must return to thinking and acting peacefully. Since peace is not a priority in America we have to take the initiative to place real peace in the forefront of our ideation and actions. What does peace mean to you? How much thought have you actually given to what this world would be like if peace permeated our conversations, discussions and activities? What is your idea of peace collectively and personally? Is it the absence of negative thoughts, hostility, is it compassion, empathy, tolerance and non-violence?
You don’t have to be a monk, a saint or a hermit to live a peaceful life. It doesn’t mean you never get angry, it does mean you use restraint and self-mastery. To be a peaceful person you just have to make a commitment to being at peace in every situation. Is this possible? Yes because others have done it. Yes because there are/were cultures in human history around the world where peace self-knowledge and self-mastery were encouraged and practiced. Ancient Egypt was such a place, the Society of Friends is a group that promotes personal and collective peace as are many mystical and metaphysical organizations. Is everyone perfect? No. The goal is personal peace or equanimity remaining calm, collected, focused and in control, even in the most dire, stressful and trying situations.
Peace is not the conscious suppression of one’s emotions. Peace is a state of mind, a consciousness that allows one to tap into an inner reservoir of clam even if you are a “type A” personality. Peace doesn’t mean you allow folks to walk over you or exploit you. In fact it is the opposite. During a tense situation remaining peaceful (full of peace) is beneficial in practical ways. You will be more alert, more focused and aware rather then uptight and overwhelmed by emotions, you will be less apt to say the wrong thing to make the situation more volatile. You will be in control of yourself which is all you can be and do.
Am I suggesting you become an evolved master in this lifetime? No, I am suggesting there is another way to live rather than highly agitated, on edge, high strung and emotionally discombobulated. Peace and calm generate good health, you are not in constant fight/flight mode which saves your vital organs and prevents the constant secretion of the fight flight hormones cortisol, glucagon, epinephrine and norepinephrine. You are more balanced and in harmony within yourself. Peace generates eustress the good/beneficial stress like when you are doing something you really enjoy and you lose track of time.
Practice deep breathing several times a day, calm your mind as you breathe deeply, refrain from fighting the thoughts and images that pass through your consciousness, remain quiet, observe them without judgment or energizing them; stay serene. Practice this when you are alone but also when you are out and about in the world, when you are faced with stressful situations, events and people you might perceive as threats. In the calmness you will realize usually they are not a threat and if they are you will be better prepared to deal with them.
There are blessings attached to being peaceful: you are calmer, more reserved, less agitated, you think more clearly and you act more rationally than when you are not agitated. Good health is a by-product of inner peace. Blessed are the peacemakers.
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Posted By: Junious Stanton
Saturday, October 5th 2024 at 12:01PM
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