Peace Resonates

Eternally, Man has searched for peace at different places, always forcing it to his grasp. But no, that’s not how the river flows. Peace isn’t forced nor is it found anywhere. Real peace can only be found within our hearts. There, it stays, undiscovered.

I was browsing the Internet when I stumbled upon an article by Neela Ghoshal – a graduate from Yale School for International Relations – entitled Burundi: A Fragile Peace. The first paragraph of the article immediately caught my attention:

Looking at a map of the world you almost feel you can fit Burundi in the palm of your hand. Small, fragile, unbreakable, an Easter egg dipped by clumsy child-hands into dyes of uneven rainbow colors. Burundi: a baby bird still unable to fly. As if there is a risk of death at any moment. As if there is a chance it will blossom unimaginably.

Reading these words, it occurred to me: while Neela perfectly painted the current picture of Burundi, a small country in East Africa, she was also able to describe the current status of peace in our world today.

I believe the first step to salvage peace is to understand it. The concept of peace may sound easy but it isn’t. It is colossal in scope, which somehow reminds me of Jonathan Smith’s imagined land of civilized giants, Brobdingnag, where chaos is masked by pretense. The monosyllabicity of Peace does not excuse it from being complex as it may mean differently to different people. To a defense secretary of a state, peace is the normal, nonwarring state of the country, truce or a treaty between warring nations to end hostilities or antagonism; to my room mates, it is a condition of mutual harmony of personal relations; to my stressed-out professor, it is the tranquility of a mountain resort, one he needs most after a long week of exhaustion; to my parents, it is the freedom from marital problems, financial instability and the assurance that tomorrow is going to be a better day for the family; and to me, peace is when I am inside my dim lit room reading a philosophical book while the rain falls outside my window pane.

As a common student studying in a reputable university, let me share to you my simple idea of peace. Few days ago, our apartment was pillaged. Feeling anxious about the whole situation, my personal peace was completely shattered. After reporting to the police, I decided to go home to the province hoping I can still pick up the remnants of my devastated, internal peace, omitting the fact that I have two talkative, little siblings in there who do not fail to mess up my mind with their annoying importunateness, and a whiny grandmother who never stops talking. Instead of finding a serene place to rest and recuperate my peace of mind, I found more trouble instead. When my siblings and my grandma started disturbing my silence, I vented to them all my angst and frustrations. It’s an ego defense mechanism we call Displacement. This sparked the conflict between my family and me. So instead of making things better for me, they turned out worse.

My point is peace starts from us and when we have it, we can influence others. It’s a domino effect. If we have peace in our hearts, we can spread it like a virus.

But in my case, it was not the ‘peace’ virus that was present in my system that time; it was the anger at the security guards who failed to do their job to protect us; hatred towards the person who stole something precious to me; disappointment with myself because I could’ve been more careful; and all the frustrations engulfing my system. In short, I was in absolute chaos. Chaos attacks peace just the same as a virus attacks our immune system. If we let it invade and consume us, it can completely rule us. After we become entirely infected and we come in contact with other people, there is a high chance we transmit the ‘chaos’ to them. The mechanisms of peace and chaos are the same. They both infect.

As peace starts from within, it goes to a higher level until it reaches supreme peace and social harmony – utopia; and absolute chaos — dystopia. If every member of a family has peace of heart and mind, they have a harmonious relationship; and if all families in a community have this kind of relationship, that community is surely at peace, too. Can you just imagine how beautiful the earth would become if every person in the world has peace in his heart and mind? But I’m well-aware that nothing in the world is perfect.

If peace starts from each and every one of us, then what keeps us from having inner peace? Why are there persons who steal and kill just to live? Why do we still hear news of wars and conflicts on the television? Why are we not yet at peace when it is readily available and the only thing we have to do is recognize it?

As human beings, we are given the freedom to choose. We always decide on what to feel and what to think, and it is these choices that keep us from having peace of heart and mind. When I receive a mediocre grade, I can either feel upset or be contented. If I choose the former, my exasperation will affect the mood of my other classmates, starting a chain reaction. If I choose contentment, I will be at peace. I can think of so many things that keep us from having inner peace. It can be jealousy, discontent, hatred, anger, disappointment, distrust, fear, the desire to hold on to the things that tantalize us, lies and dishonesty, discrimination, the act of imposing our values on others, and pride. And then the list goes on and on. These thoughts and feelings are the seeds of chaos.

So what can we do to stop them from leeching our fertile minds?

First, we have to keep in mind Hebrews 12:14 – Strive for Peace. It takes tremendous amount of effort and patience to establish and maintain peace but a blink of an eye is enough to destroy it. Yes, peace may not be easy but it is still achievable. That is why we have to strive, which means sometimes we have to do some sacrifices. These include shutting up when it pleases us to talk ill of another person; admitting our mistakes even when we don’t feel like it; telling the truth even if it means we must take all the blame; saying sorry even though it will hurt our pride; bestowing our forgiveness to someone who badly wronged us. That also means if someone gets to your nerves, just take a deep breath and forget it. And a sole person can’t do these alone. Unite and exert effort for the peace of everyone. We are one earth.

One reason why I am proud to be a part of the FEU community is that we are a family here. Every member of the family strives for the betterment of the other members; from my professors who have influenced me to become a better person and the administration that help us hone not only our academic skills but our other talents as well, down to the security guards who painstakingly provide us safety and security, and the Tayuman’s Ates and Kuyas who always make sure they sell us safe and nutritious food. See the picture? Now, that’s what we call a harmonious relationship!

Now that we strived to achieve peace, the next thing to do is to save and preserve peace by simply continue doing what we have done to achieve it. Keep on striving and stop complaining about everyone and everything. We must always remember that peace on earth begins with us. We always have the power whether to keep it or lose it. Don’t ever say painful words to anyone, most especially to a child who will be the protector of the peace we have actualized. If a child hears a hurtful word, that automatically becomes a part of his vocabulary and it’s very possible that he will repeat that word. These children are the future ‘us’. If we want to make sure the peace we worked hard for will be in good hands when we die, we have to take good care of these children.

Lastly, we have to ‘simplify’. I can’t help but to think of the men of earlier times every time I come across this word. These early people lived in harmony because they led simple lives. They hunt. They eat. They sleep. Unfortunately, such lifestyle isn’t applicable with the kind of advancement we have now. There is a notion that technology made mankind’s existence more comfortable and easy. I sometimes do not want to believe that. Technology certainly has its advantages and disadvantages. But the good news is that there are still simple things we can do in our daily lives that can help us maintain harmony. Here are some of them: (1) Smile at someone everyday. It is a powerful tool to lighten up another person’s burdened heart. (2) Share a laugh with friends. It’s not only an effective way to maintain your young looks, it is also healthy. (3) Watch children play and join in. Isn’t it good to stay young at heart? (4) Listen to music that soothes your ears. (5) Watch the sun rise and set. (6) Do something kind of for someone. It will surely make you feel good about the world.

I may sound a little too proud but I strongly believe that it isn’t a chore for us, Filipinos, to establish peace in our country. The Filipino is naturally peace-loving. I mean, how many peaceful and bloodless revolutions have we had in the past that awed the world as we overthrew abusive regimes of a dictator and a plunderer? If there’s one thing that we lack, it’s self-faith. To achieve great things, we must not only execute, but also believe.

As the song goes, “Peace is flowing like a river, flowing out through you and me; spreading out into the desert setting all the captives free.” Peace is a rare fruit that grows in our hearts. We all have it. We just have to discover it. It starts from within us. From there, it resonates.

This work, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Philippines License.

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October 29th, 2009 by jansuing Jan Suing is currently the Editor-in-chief of The Lamp, the Official Student Publication of the Far Eastern University Institute of Nursing. He's an agnostic theist, a fan of Nietzsche and a movie buff. Among his favorite films are Sympathy for Lady Vengeance and Revolutionary Road. www.formspring.me/jansuing www.twitter.com/juansuing