Today, along with thousands of people all over the world, I am blogging for peace. If words matter, this is important.
People always talk about the human race as if we are warmongers, and yes, some people are, most notably those who make money and take power from wars, but think about it. How many wars have you personally started? For the most part, we (you and me, anyway) are peace lovers. We shy away from violence. We seldom start personal conflicts, though sometimes we do unwilling get involved in contretemps we don’t quite know how to end.
Although I don’t think we can do much on an individual basis to bring global peace, we can try to find peace within ourselves. If all on this earth were at peace with themselves and those they see every day, then our human world would be at peace.
Environmental scientist David Orr wrote in his book Ecological Literacy: Educating Our Children for a Sustainable World, “The plain fact is that the planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind. It needs people who live well in their places. It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world habitable and humane. And these qualities have little to do with success as we have defined it.”
Let us be peacemakers. Let us find the freedom that only peace within can bring.
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Pat Bertram is the author of Grief: The Inside Story – A Guide to Surviving the Loss of a Loved One. “Grief: The Inside Story is perfect and that is not hyperbole! It is exactly what folk who are grieving need to read.” –Leesa Healy, RN, GDAS GDAT, Emotional/Mental Health Therapist & Educator.
Bertram's Blog 
November 4, 2019 at 8:38 am
I love that Orr quote so much. We need every person with moral courage that we can find. And people who live well in their places. Thank you for this post.
November 4, 2019 at 9:12 am
So often that quote is attributed to the Dalai Lama, so I had to set the record straight!
November 4, 2019 at 8:58 am
There’s a well known scripture verse that says, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” [Matthew 5:9, NIV] I also like how it’s said in The Message: “You’re blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That’s when you discover who you really are, and your place in God’s family.” [Matthew 5:9, MSG] But in today’s world it doesn’t benefit anyone if peace is sought only for the purpose of receiving a blessings in return. I think we need to be passionate about fostering it wherever we are, in whatever we’re doing, with whomever we encounter, just because….
November 4, 2019 at 9:13 am
I agree. Just because . . .
November 4, 2019 at 5:17 pm
“It needs people who live well in their places”…..You said it so well. We don’t need more businessmen making zillions of dollars at the expense of the human race. We just need to learn to live peacefully with ourselves first and it will organically reach to everyone else. Simple, no? I should be…
Thank you for helping so many with loss and sorrow. You are my go-to when I need to refer someone for this kind of advice and counseling. You write beautifully.
Thank you for blogging for peace with us today.
Peace to you and yours,
Mimi
November 4, 2019 at 5:46 pm
My peace mission, to the extent that I have a mission, is to help bring peace to the bereaved, especially the forgotten bereaved. (After a few months, friends and family start acting as if nothing had happened, which brings added stress.). I hope you are finding peace after your loss.
November 5, 2019 at 5:07 am
You & I strive for peace wherever we can. Thank You.
November 6, 2019 at 10:56 am
[…] blog blast for peace almost by definition demands thoughts of the opposite state (violence and fears) because if peace […]