Peace, like anything else we create in our lives, is a result of our actions. Our actions are a result of our commitments to it. Our commitments are a result of our intention to create it. Our intentions come from our thoughts, dreams and visions. And our thoughts, dreams and visions come from our learning and being awake to the thoughts, dreams and visions of others.
So, here's my recipe for Peace Pie 2009.
Attention + learning source
dreams and visions which source
intentions which source
commitments which source
action which source
Peace!
Bake at a temperature that is outside your comfort zone until it's done and enjoy! Yummy....AND zero calories! Hee, hee, hee!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Stuff and Peace: An hommage to George Carlin!
When humans can't find meaning they often fill the empty space in their lives with stuff. They then attach meaning to the stuff. "My stuff is proof that I am a success or worthwhile". Unfortunately, keeping and maintaining lots of stuff can be a burden preventing us from engaging deeply with the world.
If having a lot of stuff points to a lack of deep meaning in life, I risk losing my meaning when my stuff disappears. Yikes! And many people celebrated for making a difference in the world have very little stuff. Fascinating!
Peace is available with or without stuff. The trick is, will you find deep meaning in your life, in simply being, and in other beings, so your life is not about your stuff or about making up stuff about your stuff?
A Peace practice today is to look at the meaning you have attached to your stuff. Who are you without it? Does having stuff create suffering for you? Does not having stuff create suffering? How can you be Peace with or without stuff?
Another Peace practice this Peace Tuesday is to stuff some stuff you don't use in a bag and give stuff away!
Love,
Darlene
If having a lot of stuff points to a lack of deep meaning in life, I risk losing my meaning when my stuff disappears. Yikes! And many people celebrated for making a difference in the world have very little stuff. Fascinating!
Peace is available with or without stuff. The trick is, will you find deep meaning in your life, in simply being, and in other beings, so your life is not about your stuff or about making up stuff about your stuff?
A Peace practice today is to look at the meaning you have attached to your stuff. Who are you without it? Does having stuff create suffering for you? Does not having stuff create suffering? How can you be Peace with or without stuff?
Another Peace practice this Peace Tuesday is to stuff some stuff you don't use in a bag and give stuff away!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Appreciating Peace!
I sat in my second story office yesterday looking out the window at the trees, the elm leaves yellow and the plumb tree still a gorgeous maroon despite all of the rain. And there was Peace! Right in front of me. Peace in the blue sky and the grey and white clouds; Peace in the dogs napping at my feet; Peace even in the distant rumble of a jet descending to land.
There is plenty of Peace in our world. All we need to do is stop regularly, open our eyes and hearts and acknowledge that it is there. Revel in it! Appreciate the Peace that is already present in your life. What you appreciate appreciates!
Have a Peaceful holiday.
Love,
Darlene
There is plenty of Peace in our world. All we need to do is stop regularly, open our eyes and hearts and acknowledge that it is there. Revel in it! Appreciate the Peace that is already present in your life. What you appreciate appreciates!
Have a Peaceful holiday.
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Peaceful Holidays!
Many people struggle with perfectionism or an internal conversation that goes, "Maybe if I do it perfectly they will love me". Then we discover that it's not what we do, but who we be that invites others to love us. They love us because we are lovable and loving, not because we are perfect!
This season folks drive themselves crazy trying to do the holidays perfectly. Peace happens when we realize we can experience the wonder of this loving season without doing it perfectly. It doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful. More importantly, we don't have to be perfect to be wonderful!
Have wonderful, imperfect and Peaceful holidays!
Love,
Darlene
This season folks drive themselves crazy trying to do the holidays perfectly. Peace happens when we realize we can experience the wonder of this loving season without doing it perfectly. It doesn't have to be perfect to be wonderful. More importantly, we don't have to be perfect to be wonderful!
Have wonderful, imperfect and Peaceful holidays!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
It's no mistake that Christ's birth, and many other spiritual and religious events are celebrated in the earth's northern hemisphere at this time of year. As winter approaches, with cold and scarcity of resources, human beings turn from independent activity to depending more on others - for warmth, company and often, survival. We become especially vulnerable in harsh physical conditions and it requires us to open our hearts to others, to get closer in order to get along. So, the very earth reminds us to set aside our perceived differences and snuggle together!
Peace is "heart work". It requires us to suspend our heavy reliance on our thinking selves and focus on our hearts. We bring the warmth of our hearts to our communities so that we may all survive. Most of us learn to do this in our spiritual communities. But for those of you without a spiritual community there is BePeace Training! Check out www.spiritpathonline.org if you are interested. I also recommend The Institute of Heart Math and the Center for Nonviolent Communication (Marshal Rosenberg's work)as places to start.
Focus on your heart this Peace Tuesday. What you focus on expands!
Love,
Darlene
Peace is "heart work". It requires us to suspend our heavy reliance on our thinking selves and focus on our hearts. We bring the warmth of our hearts to our communities so that we may all survive. Most of us learn to do this in our spiritual communities. But for those of you without a spiritual community there is BePeace Training! Check out www.spiritpathonline.org if you are interested. I also recommend The Institute of Heart Math and the Center for Nonviolent Communication (Marshal Rosenberg's work)as places to start.
Focus on your heart this Peace Tuesday. What you focus on expands!
Love,
Darlene
Monday, December 1, 2008
'Tis the Season. Give the gift of Peace!
Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Lama) says, "If you wish to experience Peace, provide Peace for another." What a lovely thought as this holiday season approaches. You can give Peace as a gift and receive the gift of Peace right back - without the shopping, the boxing and all that wrapping. How simple! How elegant! How timeless! How cheap!
And because you are brilliant, I'm certain you can think of many ways to do this. But, if you insist on spending money, you can give and receive two gifts for the price of one! "No way" you say. Way! By giving to third world causes you give both Peace AND JUSTICE! Now that's real value. Plus you will be giving credence to something that Plato, Socrates, Gandhi and Martin Luther King believed; that Peace is only possible when justice is present.
'Tis the time for Peace and Justice. Fa la la la la, la la la la!
Love,
Darlene
P.S. Please check out my blog site for places to give. My favorites are Oxfam, The Heffer Project and Kiva. But there are zillions of others. Really, zillions!
And because you are brilliant, I'm certain you can think of many ways to do this. But, if you insist on spending money, you can give and receive two gifts for the price of one! "No way" you say. Way! By giving to third world causes you give both Peace AND JUSTICE! Now that's real value. Plus you will be giving credence to something that Plato, Socrates, Gandhi and Martin Luther King believed; that Peace is only possible when justice is present.
'Tis the time for Peace and Justice. Fa la la la la, la la la la!
Love,
Darlene
P.S. Please check out my blog site for places to give. My favorites are Oxfam, The Heffer Project and Kiva. But there are zillions of others. Really, zillions!
Monday, November 24, 2008
The art of Peace: Surrender
Ekhart Tolle writes that Peace comes from surrendered action, from consciously choosing what you are doing this moment;choosing to accept it fully AND enjoy it. We can bring joy to anything we are doing and that will bring Peace. Practice being responsible, being straight about this thing you are doing right now - that at some conscious or unconscious level you chose it, you amazing and powerful person you!
A practice that works is to walk around for a period of time saying (out loud is best), "I choose this" to everything you are doing, to every circumstance that presents itself. The game is to see how long you can choose whatever happens!
Enjoy!
Love,
Darlene
A practice that works is to walk around for a period of time saying (out loud is best), "I choose this" to everything you are doing, to every circumstance that presents itself. The game is to see how long you can choose whatever happens!
Enjoy!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Peace is the way!
Tich Naht Hanh a well known Buddhist monk says, "There is no way to Peace. Peace is the way". What he means is that personal (and world) Peace is a commitment, an intention IN THIS MOMENT, one we carry with us and are aware of at all times. It requires that we "be Peace" as we take on "doing Peace".
One thing that will definitely get in the way of being Peace is what I call "seasonal guilt": the guilt that grabs us during the Christmas holidays and yells, "you should be doing more, buying more"! Please give yourself the gift of Peaceful holidays this year by graciously saying "no" to excessive buying and doing. Choose lovingly what you will do and buy and let it be enough. Let it represent the Peace that it the true gift of this season. Consider giving to charities in lieu of stuff, so your gift gives twice! Then notice how Peaceful your holidays are.
Love,
Darlene
One thing that will definitely get in the way of being Peace is what I call "seasonal guilt": the guilt that grabs us during the Christmas holidays and yells, "you should be doing more, buying more"! Please give yourself the gift of Peaceful holidays this year by graciously saying "no" to excessive buying and doing. Choose lovingly what you will do and buy and let it be enough. Let it represent the Peace that it the true gift of this season. Consider giving to charities in lieu of stuff, so your gift gives twice! Then notice how Peaceful your holidays are.
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Do what works for Peace!
Which do you think works better: Imagining that you are completely loved and trusted by the great mystery and miracle that brought you here OR walking around convinced that you are a big mistake? Which do you think brings you Peace?
Begin your day declaring that you are cherished. Work your imagination muscle:feel the joy of running out of the house on a fresh fall day, knowing in your bones that you and all around you are part of something amazing - like you did when you were 5 years old!
The universe seems to be a reciprocal kind of a place. When we feel loved and trusted we can love and trust. AND when we begin to love and trust, we are able to see that we are loved and trusted.
Peace!
Begin your day declaring that you are cherished. Work your imagination muscle:feel the joy of running out of the house on a fresh fall day, knowing in your bones that you and all around you are part of something amazing - like you did when you were 5 years old!
The universe seems to be a reciprocal kind of a place. When we feel loved and trusted we can love and trust. AND when we begin to love and trust, we are able to see that we are loved and trusted.
Peace!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Breathe
Breathe in. Breathe out.
Breathe in Peace. Breathe out Peace.
Throughout the day. Each day.
Paying attention.
That's all!
Love,
Darlene
Breathe in Peace. Breathe out Peace.
Throughout the day. Each day.
Paying attention.
That's all!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Unique and Connected on Peace Tuesday
Personal Peace happens when we recognize that we are both unique, original creations AND that we are deeply connected to others by our common humanity. Yet leaders often exploit our need to feel good about ourselves by telling us we are better, righter, smarter, more moral than "those others". Setting up divisions between and amongst people rips Peace right off the table. It is no longer possible to love those "other" wrong, stupid, immoral people.
I am regularly tempted to create this separation from others in my head; I learned this well at a young age and no longer need a politician to do it for me!
This Peace Tuesday I request that you NOTICE all of the places you separate yourself from others by judging and assessing, in order to feel better about yourself. Build an awareness that you do this. Then shift your focus to your shared humanity. How are you connected to others, even those others who seem completely different from you? Go around looking for that and I promise you Peace!
Love,
Darlene
I am regularly tempted to create this separation from others in my head; I learned this well at a young age and no longer need a politician to do it for me!
This Peace Tuesday I request that you NOTICE all of the places you separate yourself from others by judging and assessing, in order to feel better about yourself. Build an awareness that you do this. Then shift your focus to your shared humanity. How are you connected to others, even those others who seem completely different from you? Go around looking for that and I promise you Peace!
Love,
Darlene
Monday, October 20, 2008
Imperfect Peace!
Greetings on Peace Tuesday!
My mother often told me this story about myself when I was very small: I wouldn't participate in a new activity until I could do it perfectly. As a result I missed out on lots of fun and growth. Going for perfection got in the way of important social learning, the most important of which was not to take myself so darned seriously (that's Rule #6 in The Art of Possibilty!).
In Juddaism the Sabbath evening prayer asks that "the 'sukkah' of Peace spread over us". A sukkah is a flimsy, makeshift booth. The prayer points to the notion that even a flimsy and imperfect Peace, some attempt, any attempt at Peace, is a blessing.
I invite you to practice bringing imperfect Peace today. Notice where you are holding back your Peace offering hoping to get it exactly right before you share it. Any contribution to Peace is a right one. Or as my vocal coach loves to say, "the only bad notes are the ones you don't sing"! So, sing out this Peace Tuesday and know that any Peace you offer is a right and good gift.
Love,
Darlene
My mother often told me this story about myself when I was very small: I wouldn't participate in a new activity until I could do it perfectly. As a result I missed out on lots of fun and growth. Going for perfection got in the way of important social learning, the most important of which was not to take myself so darned seriously (that's Rule #6 in The Art of Possibilty!).
In Juddaism the Sabbath evening prayer asks that "the 'sukkah' of Peace spread over us". A sukkah is a flimsy, makeshift booth. The prayer points to the notion that even a flimsy and imperfect Peace, some attempt, any attempt at Peace, is a blessing.
I invite you to practice bringing imperfect Peace today. Notice where you are holding back your Peace offering hoping to get it exactly right before you share it. Any contribution to Peace is a right one. Or as my vocal coach loves to say, "the only bad notes are the ones you don't sing"! So, sing out this Peace Tuesday and know that any Peace you offer is a right and good gift.
Love,
Darlene
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Transforming Hate on Peace Tuesday
Yikes! Been watching sound bites from some of the political rallies? Seems to be lots of anger showing up as hate speech. It's easy to get sucked into a cycle of hate, by responding indignantly to hate speech with your own judgments and anger - meeting hate with hate.
I invite you to take the less traveled path with me by realizing that people who hate are deeply frightened. And you wouldn't hate someone who was really scared would you?
No, you would simply be with and allow their fear, reassuring them if you could, but knowing that they need.......LOVE! The antidote for fear is LOVE!
Hating back just multiplies hate. Meeting hate with love and acceptance creates possibility and the space for people to let go of their fear.
So, today notice when you are hooked by people who act angry and hateful.Notice I said "act" not "are"! Know that they are simply scared. Meet their fear with all the love you can muster! Doesn't that feel better than hating back! I thought so. Invite someone you know to play this game with you. It's so much nicer with two!
Love,
Darlene
I invite you to take the less traveled path with me by realizing that people who hate are deeply frightened. And you wouldn't hate someone who was really scared would you?
No, you would simply be with and allow their fear, reassuring them if you could, but knowing that they need.......LOVE! The antidote for fear is LOVE!
Hating back just multiplies hate. Meeting hate with love and acceptance creates possibility and the space for people to let go of their fear.
So, today notice when you are hooked by people who act angry and hateful.Notice I said "act" not "are"! Know that they are simply scared. Meet their fear with all the love you can muster! Doesn't that feel better than hating back! I thought so. Invite someone you know to play this game with you. It's so much nicer with two!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Peace Hints from.........The Wall Street Journal?????
Yes! The Wall Street Journal has a brilliant insight this morning, and it's pertinent to our pursuit of Peace, to our commitment to bringing Peace into our lives and the world. In an article titled "For Investors Dealing with a Loss of Control" Professor Jennifer Whitson of the University of Texas points out that "when you sense ...a lack of control you're much more likely to try twisting and pretzeling explanations and seeing patterns that aren't even there".
In short, when our sense of control is threatened, which it often is, in large ways and small, we tend to see the information we have as more complete and reliable than it really is and we imagine we know what's coming next. This gives us a false sense of control, even if what we imagine is bad!
Our brains like to make up stories, in the absence of information. And often that story attempts to confirm a sense we already have of the world, that it is a dangerous place.
So, the Peace practice today is to relax in the face of the unknown. Practice holding the world as a safe place, one with ups and downs, but one that tends to land gently for most of us, most of the time. Notice the stories your brain extrapolates with little information. Laugh at them! They are not real!
Love,
Darlene
In short, when our sense of control is threatened, which it often is, in large ways and small, we tend to see the information we have as more complete and reliable than it really is and we imagine we know what's coming next. This gives us a false sense of control, even if what we imagine is bad!
Our brains like to make up stories, in the absence of information. And often that story attempts to confirm a sense we already have of the world, that it is a dangerous place.
So, the Peace practice today is to relax in the face of the unknown. Practice holding the world as a safe place, one with ups and downs, but one that tends to land gently for most of us, most of the time. Notice the stories your brain extrapolates with little information. Laugh at them! They are not real!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Servants of Peace
What would it take for you to be a Servant of Peace? Pema Chodron writes about this from a Buddhist perspective in her book "When Things Fall Apart", which I highly, again, recommend! She says "we don't set out to save the world; we set out to wonder how other people are doing and to REFLECT ON HOW OUR ACTIONS AFFECT OTHER PEOPLE'S HEARTS!"
My invitation this Peace Tuesday is to wonder how your actions affect, not just others, but other's hearts. The operative word here is WONDER! When we wonder we are curious, unattached, noticing. There is no blame or guilt because those ways of being actually stop us from looking deeply at our own actions.
So, today please wonder how you affect others hearts and notice how others affect your heart. How could you serve Peace today by lovingly touching the heart of a "stranger"!
Love,
Darlene
My invitation this Peace Tuesday is to wonder how your actions affect, not just others, but other's hearts. The operative word here is WONDER! When we wonder we are curious, unattached, noticing. There is no blame or guilt because those ways of being actually stop us from looking deeply at our own actions.
So, today please wonder how you affect others hearts and notice how others affect your heart. How could you serve Peace today by lovingly touching the heart of a "stranger"!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
How Fascinating!
How fascinating! That's my response to the wackiness of the financial markets these days. There doesn't appear to be much Peace there. And the goofiness, the uncertainty of it can easily spread like a virus, eating away at your heart and soul if you let it.
There are probably many secrets to sailing Peacefully through these rough seas. There are two first things to do here: the first is to create financial integrity for yourself. That means simply to begin living within your means and save for a rainy day. The other first is to be even more intentional about bringing Peace into your life by focusing on who you can be in the face of all of this turmoil. One way to see who you are, or who you can be, is to see who you are not. For that I have a book recommendation; There is Nothing Wrong With You by Cheri Huber, who says all of life is a choice. We can choose to feel constantly tossed and turned by forces beyond our control OR "we can live our lives seeing how everything works (which means seeing the perfection in everything and anything that happens). When we step back and look at it that way, it is obvious that an attitude of fascination is the only intelligent (I would add Peaceful) one to bring to anything."
So, go be fascinated today and be at Peace!
Love,
Darlene
There are probably many secrets to sailing Peacefully through these rough seas. There are two first things to do here: the first is to create financial integrity for yourself. That means simply to begin living within your means and save for a rainy day. The other first is to be even more intentional about bringing Peace into your life by focusing on who you can be in the face of all of this turmoil. One way to see who you are, or who you can be, is to see who you are not. For that I have a book recommendation; There is Nothing Wrong With You by Cheri Huber, who says all of life is a choice. We can choose to feel constantly tossed and turned by forces beyond our control OR "we can live our lives seeing how everything works (which means seeing the perfection in everything and anything that happens). When we step back and look at it that way, it is obvious that an attitude of fascination is the only intelligent (I would add Peaceful) one to bring to anything."
So, go be fascinated today and be at Peace!
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Make a request for Peace!
It's Peace Tuesday and I request that you take 5 minutes to focus on Peace in someway today. For those of you new to this blog, please go to www.PeaceTuesday.blogspot.com, then scroll to my first entry which explains why I'm blogging for Peace.
Notice that this is a request. You have the choice to say "yes", "no" or negotiate with me! And, what's really lovely about it, is that my request is one way to create Peace. It shifts my focus from complaining about "how people aren't peaceful", and turns it into something powerful: a request for people to be Peaceful!
Someone I love and admire reminded me this week that complaints are in the way of Peace. And I know that "anything that isn't Peace (or is in the way of Peace) is an opportunity to create Peace out of it", according to Helen Keller! So, the Peace practice I have for you today is to notice yourself complaining, either in you thoughts or out loud. Simply notice and see if you can discern the request in your complaint. If you can't, ask someone else if they can see it, knowing that there may be several. When you find a request, look to see how you can make the request. If it takes some courage to make the request, consider this another opportunity for growth. Make the request and give the other person permission to say "yes", "no" or negotiate.
I am always surprised by the number of "yes's" I get! So, please turn your complaints into request today and create Peace on the planet.
Love,
Darlene
Notice that this is a request. You have the choice to say "yes", "no" or negotiate with me! And, what's really lovely about it, is that my request is one way to create Peace. It shifts my focus from complaining about "how people aren't peaceful", and turns it into something powerful: a request for people to be Peaceful!
Someone I love and admire reminded me this week that complaints are in the way of Peace. And I know that "anything that isn't Peace (or is in the way of Peace) is an opportunity to create Peace out of it", according to Helen Keller! So, the Peace practice I have for you today is to notice yourself complaining, either in you thoughts or out loud. Simply notice and see if you can discern the request in your complaint. If you can't, ask someone else if they can see it, knowing that there may be several. When you find a request, look to see how you can make the request. If it takes some courage to make the request, consider this another opportunity for growth. Make the request and give the other person permission to say "yes", "no" or negotiate.
I am always surprised by the number of "yes's" I get! So, please turn your complaints into request today and create Peace on the planet.
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Mahalo! It's Peace Tuesday!
Yes it is! How will you celebrate Peace today?
I celebrated Peace all week last week while I vacationed in Maui. Which is why, just in case you missed it, you did not receive a Peace Tuesday blog. Several readers thought something was wrong. And really, everything was quite perfect. Which suggests the following Peace Tuesday practice.
Today, whenever you don't know why something is happening or not happening (traffic comes to a halt, someone doesn't call you or misses an appointment), or whenever your expectations aren't met and you don't know why, NOTICE WHAT YOUR BRAIN DOES! Many folks assume the worst. I used to do this "in order to not be devastated when the worst happens"! But that HABIT of assuming the worst kept me in a constant state of turmoil, vigilance and worry. Not too Peaceful that! It was such an all consuming habit for me that my husband began to refer to it as "wasting a worry" when my fear about the unknown turned out not to be true - which was most of the time. "There goes Darlene, wasting another worry", he'd say!
So, this Peace Tuesday, practice catching yourself assuming the worst. Then choose another, more empowering and Peaceful interpretation about what's happening. Write this new interpretation down, and imagine fully what this possibility looks like. Remember it whenever you catch yourself worrying.
I highly recommend reading any of Byron Katie's books for a more in depth look at learning to think more Peacefully. Byron Katie says, "Reality is always kinder than the story we tell ourselves." How true!
Love and Mahalo,
Darlene
I celebrated Peace all week last week while I vacationed in Maui. Which is why, just in case you missed it, you did not receive a Peace Tuesday blog. Several readers thought something was wrong. And really, everything was quite perfect. Which suggests the following Peace Tuesday practice.
Today, whenever you don't know why something is happening or not happening (traffic comes to a halt, someone doesn't call you or misses an appointment), or whenever your expectations aren't met and you don't know why, NOTICE WHAT YOUR BRAIN DOES! Many folks assume the worst. I used to do this "in order to not be devastated when the worst happens"! But that HABIT of assuming the worst kept me in a constant state of turmoil, vigilance and worry. Not too Peaceful that! It was such an all consuming habit for me that my husband began to refer to it as "wasting a worry" when my fear about the unknown turned out not to be true - which was most of the time. "There goes Darlene, wasting another worry", he'd say!
So, this Peace Tuesday, practice catching yourself assuming the worst. Then choose another, more empowering and Peaceful interpretation about what's happening. Write this new interpretation down, and imagine fully what this possibility looks like. Remember it whenever you catch yourself worrying.
I highly recommend reading any of Byron Katie's books for a more in depth look at learning to think more Peacefully. Byron Katie says, "Reality is always kinder than the story we tell ourselves." How true!
Love and Mahalo,
Darlene
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Namaste on Peace Tuesday!
Namaste! If you are new to this blog I encourage you to find my first blog in July at www.peacetuesday.blogspot.com. In that first blog I explain that my purpose for creating the blog was a way, one of many, to provide a Peace focus for myself and others. What I know is that what we focus on expands, so having a weekly Peace focus creates the possibility of expanding Peace in the world and in our lives.
Namaste (why does she keep typing that?)! Well, I keep typing and offering "Namaste" to you because it is a Japanese greeting that point us toward Peace. I have several translations for Namaste. It can mean: "I honor the best and highest in you" or " I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells" or "I honor the place in you which is love, integrity, wisdom and Peace. When you are in that place, I am in that place also. We are one!". How completely awesome is that for a greeting? "Hello" or "How are you" just doesn't begin to measure up does it?
Honoring the highest and best in you, and because we are one, can be access to Peace.
However, like most things, simply saying it doesn't always get us to that place of truly honoring deep in our being. It is possible to simply keep saying it as a practice, say it as if you meant it (even when you don't) and eventually you can own fully the notion that you can honor the other, any other, and honor yourself in the same breath. I highly recommend this practice because it focuses you on Peace.
Often fear and anger are in between us and honoring the best and highest in others, seeing that we are one. So, here is an even more powerful practice to bring Peace into your life, remembering that it becomes a struggle to bring Peace to others when it isn't present for you. In coaching we refer to this practice as getting or being Complete, Present and Responsible or CPR! This is not my own creation, but was one of many practices I learned in the Accomplishment Coaching Coach and Leadership Training Program (yes, this is a shameless plug for an amazing program).
Recently another coach referred a client to me because the client "wanted what I have", which is Peace in my life. I told her the most critical practice I took on was to get complete with everyone in my life who I was not at Peace with. These were people for whom I was holding some anger, resentment or sadness. I began by first writing a letter (one you never send!) to my mother. I started with her because she was clearly the person I was most angry with in my life. In the letter I ranted and raved for a long paragraph about how she had never honored my sensitive nature, but had ridiculed my bookishness, my love of music, my spirituality, my idealism. By the end of the paragraph I was as livid with her as I was when I was 15!
Next, I forgave her, realizing that her upbringing by a sweet and loving mother who "died young of a broken heart", but a brutal and alcoholic father, had her afraid that anyone she loved would be weak and victimized, like her mother. She was so afraid for herself and for us she became determined that she and we would be strong (and safe) in a dangerous world.
I wrote next how I could be responsible for "taking on" my mother's fear for me, making it my own, so that I became wary of my sensitive side, working hard to avoid it, to cover it up, to pretend I was something other than who I was. I wrote how I could be responsible for creating a wall of anger between the two of us, blaming her for my lack of courage in the face of mostly invented fears. Notice please that there is no blame in this letter. I am not blaming her or me, but simply being responsible for what was or for what occurs to me to be so right now.
Lastly, I wrote that I was committed to healing my relationship with her, telling her how much I appreciated all she had done (a ginormous amount) for me and for countless others. I wrote that
I was committed to living a life from love rather than fear, determined to find a way to do that, as determined as she was to keep us safe in a world where safety is really an illusion.
I wrote and rewrote that letter until there was no more anger to express AND, more importantly, I no longer blamed her for anything that had happened in my life. Not only was I able to forgive her, I was able to see that there was NOTHING TO FORGIVE. And at the end of that I noticed that fear began to slip from my life gradually, then faster and faster. And what replaced it was sweet and spacious Peace. I got complete with my mom, and so many others. I got present to what was in the way of me loving more fully, and I got responsible for choosing a life of Peace.
My invitation to you this Peace Tuesday is to practice Peace for some time today. If following the "Angry Letter" format above to get complete, present and responsible works for you that's fabulous. The most powerful access to Peace I know is not merely forgiveness, but seeing that there is nothing to forgive. My mother was not awake to the depth of her desperate need for safety for us, for herself. Quite the contrary, had you asked her if she was afraid, she would have declared, "Not of anyone or anything!" and meant it. Her fear was deeply buried beneath her actions, her anger seeping out when she was tired, scared or frusterated and getting all over her children on regular basis.
So, Peace is possible when there is nothing to forgive. And you have access to that by getting Complete, Present and Responsible. Pema Chodron writes about reaching this Peaceful place of "nothing to forgive" in several of her books. When Things Fall Apart is one of hers that I keep on my bookshelf.
Lastly, I have a recommendation for you as a place to bring Peace to the planet. Go to kiva.org and you will find requests for loans from individuals in third world countries. You can INVEST in any one of hundreds of entrepreneurs, and their track record for paying back the money is 100% because it becomes a community responsibility and the loan requests are "approved" by the requesters community before they are listed on the Kiva site! You will get your investment back with a small amount of interest which you can turn around and reinvest. Kiva is one of thousands of small organizations that Paul Hawken, in his book Blessed Unrest, refers to as part of the planet's immune system, mobilizing with others to combat the viruses of greed, war and pollution that threatens the earth body. Imagine giving kiva investments to everyone on your holiday gift list year. It's like giving twice - once to the third world entrepreneur who receives the gift of business capital and twice for your friend or family member, who receives the gift of making a difference.
Namaste again!
Love,
Darlene
Namaste (why does she keep typing that?)! Well, I keep typing and offering "Namaste" to you because it is a Japanese greeting that point us toward Peace. I have several translations for Namaste. It can mean: "I honor the best and highest in you" or " I honor the place in you in which the entire Universe dwells" or "I honor the place in you which is love, integrity, wisdom and Peace. When you are in that place, I am in that place also. We are one!". How completely awesome is that for a greeting? "Hello" or "How are you" just doesn't begin to measure up does it?
Honoring the highest and best in you, and because we are one, can be access to Peace.
However, like most things, simply saying it doesn't always get us to that place of truly honoring deep in our being. It is possible to simply keep saying it as a practice, say it as if you meant it (even when you don't) and eventually you can own fully the notion that you can honor the other, any other, and honor yourself in the same breath. I highly recommend this practice because it focuses you on Peace.
Often fear and anger are in between us and honoring the best and highest in others, seeing that we are one. So, here is an even more powerful practice to bring Peace into your life, remembering that it becomes a struggle to bring Peace to others when it isn't present for you. In coaching we refer to this practice as getting or being Complete, Present and Responsible or CPR! This is not my own creation, but was one of many practices I learned in the Accomplishment Coaching Coach and Leadership Training Program (yes, this is a shameless plug for an amazing program).
Recently another coach referred a client to me because the client "wanted what I have", which is Peace in my life. I told her the most critical practice I took on was to get complete with everyone in my life who I was not at Peace with. These were people for whom I was holding some anger, resentment or sadness. I began by first writing a letter (one you never send!) to my mother. I started with her because she was clearly the person I was most angry with in my life. In the letter I ranted and raved for a long paragraph about how she had never honored my sensitive nature, but had ridiculed my bookishness, my love of music, my spirituality, my idealism. By the end of the paragraph I was as livid with her as I was when I was 15!
Next, I forgave her, realizing that her upbringing by a sweet and loving mother who "died young of a broken heart", but a brutal and alcoholic father, had her afraid that anyone she loved would be weak and victimized, like her mother. She was so afraid for herself and for us she became determined that she and we would be strong (and safe) in a dangerous world.
I wrote next how I could be responsible for "taking on" my mother's fear for me, making it my own, so that I became wary of my sensitive side, working hard to avoid it, to cover it up, to pretend I was something other than who I was. I wrote how I could be responsible for creating a wall of anger between the two of us, blaming her for my lack of courage in the face of mostly invented fears. Notice please that there is no blame in this letter. I am not blaming her or me, but simply being responsible for what was or for what occurs to me to be so right now.
Lastly, I wrote that I was committed to healing my relationship with her, telling her how much I appreciated all she had done (a ginormous amount) for me and for countless others. I wrote that
I was committed to living a life from love rather than fear, determined to find a way to do that, as determined as she was to keep us safe in a world where safety is really an illusion.
I wrote and rewrote that letter until there was no more anger to express AND, more importantly, I no longer blamed her for anything that had happened in my life. Not only was I able to forgive her, I was able to see that there was NOTHING TO FORGIVE. And at the end of that I noticed that fear began to slip from my life gradually, then faster and faster. And what replaced it was sweet and spacious Peace. I got complete with my mom, and so many others. I got present to what was in the way of me loving more fully, and I got responsible for choosing a life of Peace.
My invitation to you this Peace Tuesday is to practice Peace for some time today. If following the "Angry Letter" format above to get complete, present and responsible works for you that's fabulous. The most powerful access to Peace I know is not merely forgiveness, but seeing that there is nothing to forgive. My mother was not awake to the depth of her desperate need for safety for us, for herself. Quite the contrary, had you asked her if she was afraid, she would have declared, "Not of anyone or anything!" and meant it. Her fear was deeply buried beneath her actions, her anger seeping out when she was tired, scared or frusterated and getting all over her children on regular basis.
So, Peace is possible when there is nothing to forgive. And you have access to that by getting Complete, Present and Responsible. Pema Chodron writes about reaching this Peaceful place of "nothing to forgive" in several of her books. When Things Fall Apart is one of hers that I keep on my bookshelf.
Lastly, I have a recommendation for you as a place to bring Peace to the planet. Go to kiva.org and you will find requests for loans from individuals in third world countries. You can INVEST in any one of hundreds of entrepreneurs, and their track record for paying back the money is 100% because it becomes a community responsibility and the loan requests are "approved" by the requesters community before they are listed on the Kiva site! You will get your investment back with a small amount of interest which you can turn around and reinvest. Kiva is one of thousands of small organizations that Paul Hawken, in his book Blessed Unrest, refers to as part of the planet's immune system, mobilizing with others to combat the viruses of greed, war and pollution that threatens the earth body. Imagine giving kiva investments to everyone on your holiday gift list year. It's like giving twice - once to the third world entrepreneur who receives the gift of business capital and twice for your friend or family member, who receives the gift of making a difference.
Namaste again!
Love,
Darlene
Monday, August 18, 2008
Eating Peace!
Blessings to you this Peace Tuesday. Today you can choose to take a moment, a minute or more to focus on Peace. Since all things are interconnected, the possibility exists that your moments' focus on Peace will affect your life, the lives of others, who will in turn affect others. When I take a moment to meditate, pray, sit quietly, envision or imagine that Peace is possible, I get a warm, squishy, excited feeling in the pit of my stomach. I leave my moment's focus and I smile at whoever I see, even if it's only my dog! My smile usually elicits a return smile, (yes, my dog smiles at me!) which warms me again because I know that the smile will travel throughout the day, moving from face to face. Someone will remember smiling back at a stranger, feel lighter during the day and return to work with a smile for a coworker who desperately needs one. One smile, one unexpected act of kindness yields unimagined benefits down the line. You never know where your smile will end up or the difference it will make!
How is that eating Peace? Well, it began as a random thought, eating Peace. And probably came from the Hunger Project's slogan "Visualize World Peace" which folks with a sense of humor morphed into "Visualize Whirled Peas". I know I've eaten some of those.
However, it occurs to me that you can eat Peace. You can eat Peace in the sense that you can choose to eat things that contribute to Peace on the planet. You can eat peacefully (as in no T.V. and no politics at mealtime!) and contribute to Peace in your life. You can also eat Peace by choosing to purchase food that is grown locally, organically or sustainably. You can choose to purchase foods that are whole or foods that don't involve a lot of packaging. You could choose to avoid eating meat one day a week or one meal a week or avoid meat entirely, as a way to eat Peacefully. You can grow one tomato plant, which you nurture in your garden. You can share the bounty with friends and neighbors and contribute to Peace in that way. You can nurture and love the plant, watering it each day, appreciating the gift of its fruit. Your nurturing and your gratitude contribute to Peace on the planet. I invite those of you who are already doing any of these things to celebrate your contribution to the planet. Acknowledge yourself for the difference you make.
Eating Peace is not such a ridiculous idea. It's another way to think about making a small difference, which, when added to the many small differences everyone else is making, adds up to a ginormous (Jim Carey's word) difference.
Along those lines I have been reading Paul Hawken's book Blessed Unrest. Paul writes about how millions of people on the planet are working daily to create social justice, environmental sustainability and Peace. He writes about how the work seems to be invisible because it is being done by so many individuals and groups, most of whom are not connected to each other, but that it actually constitutes a movement! The book is full of inspiring examples of people working in their communities or traveling to other countries to help and heal. Paul speaks about these millions of people as akin to the earth's immune system, working diligently and intentionally to mend the planet's wounds and prevent further damage. It's still too early to say if this "immune system" will prevail, but I love thinking of you and me as part of a larger system designed to repair and protect the earth. And we don't even have to know each other or know about each other to do our individual work! Cool beans!
So, I assert that anything small thing you do to move toward Peace will have an additive effect. And, what's even better, is that if you think of your additive effect, you are more likely to be inspired to keep doing that something you do. Or keep being that someone who contributes to Peace on the planet. Wahoo!
Paul Hawken speaks around the world and in his book he describes his audiences as full of the sort of people described by the poet, Adrienne Rich who wrote, "My heart is moved by all I cannot save. So much has been destroyed I have cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world". And another quote he includes by Barry Lopez,"There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."
And then there is a commandment I would add to Dr. Kent M. Keith's Paradoxical Commandments. These are the commandments that are often presented as being created by Mother Theresa but are not. My 11th Commandment is: If you work for and support Peace people will call you naive and idealistic. Work for Peace anyway!
And here is a practice for doing this. It is a practice that has you work from your heart, where you know that Peace is possible, instead of from your head, where you've stored all of the arguments you've ever heard for why it is not! So, the practice is to take 5 minutes and imagine that your heart is where your brain normally resides. It is big, powerful, pumping loving life force to all of your body......from your head cavity! Then imagine that your overworked, over-worrying, overstimulated brain has shrunk to the size of an orange and that it resides where your heart normally sits. Sit with this image until it sticks. Then ask your "Heart brain" what it wants to do for Peace today. Listen for the answer. And if you're feeling really frisky, practice walking around as long as you can with your heart in your head. And notice what happens to your normal internal dialogue-diet of of judging and assessing.
So, join me today. Lean into the light. Do one thing to "reconstitute the world"!
Love,
Darlene
P.S. If you want to be removed from my mailing please leave a message in the comments section. I promise I will love you anyway! And if you have a comment or question about the blog please leave that in the comment section as well. Peace Out!
How is that eating Peace? Well, it began as a random thought, eating Peace. And probably came from the Hunger Project's slogan "Visualize World Peace" which folks with a sense of humor morphed into "Visualize Whirled Peas". I know I've eaten some of those.
However, it occurs to me that you can eat Peace. You can eat Peace in the sense that you can choose to eat things that contribute to Peace on the planet. You can eat peacefully (as in no T.V. and no politics at mealtime!) and contribute to Peace in your life. You can also eat Peace by choosing to purchase food that is grown locally, organically or sustainably. You can choose to purchase foods that are whole or foods that don't involve a lot of packaging. You could choose to avoid eating meat one day a week or one meal a week or avoid meat entirely, as a way to eat Peacefully. You can grow one tomato plant, which you nurture in your garden. You can share the bounty with friends and neighbors and contribute to Peace in that way. You can nurture and love the plant, watering it each day, appreciating the gift of its fruit. Your nurturing and your gratitude contribute to Peace on the planet. I invite those of you who are already doing any of these things to celebrate your contribution to the planet. Acknowledge yourself for the difference you make.
Eating Peace is not such a ridiculous idea. It's another way to think about making a small difference, which, when added to the many small differences everyone else is making, adds up to a ginormous (Jim Carey's word) difference.
Along those lines I have been reading Paul Hawken's book Blessed Unrest. Paul writes about how millions of people on the planet are working daily to create social justice, environmental sustainability and Peace. He writes about how the work seems to be invisible because it is being done by so many individuals and groups, most of whom are not connected to each other, but that it actually constitutes a movement! The book is full of inspiring examples of people working in their communities or traveling to other countries to help and heal. Paul speaks about these millions of people as akin to the earth's immune system, working diligently and intentionally to mend the planet's wounds and prevent further damage. It's still too early to say if this "immune system" will prevail, but I love thinking of you and me as part of a larger system designed to repair and protect the earth. And we don't even have to know each other or know about each other to do our individual work! Cool beans!
So, I assert that anything small thing you do to move toward Peace will have an additive effect. And, what's even better, is that if you think of your additive effect, you are more likely to be inspired to keep doing that something you do. Or keep being that someone who contributes to Peace on the planet. Wahoo!
Paul Hawken speaks around the world and in his book he describes his audiences as full of the sort of people described by the poet, Adrienne Rich who wrote, "My heart is moved by all I cannot save. So much has been destroyed I have cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely, with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world". And another quote he includes by Barry Lopez,"There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."
And then there is a commandment I would add to Dr. Kent M. Keith's Paradoxical Commandments. These are the commandments that are often presented as being created by Mother Theresa but are not. My 11th Commandment is: If you work for and support Peace people will call you naive and idealistic. Work for Peace anyway!
And here is a practice for doing this. It is a practice that has you work from your heart, where you know that Peace is possible, instead of from your head, where you've stored all of the arguments you've ever heard for why it is not! So, the practice is to take 5 minutes and imagine that your heart is where your brain normally resides. It is big, powerful, pumping loving life force to all of your body......from your head cavity! Then imagine that your overworked, over-worrying, overstimulated brain has shrunk to the size of an orange and that it resides where your heart normally sits. Sit with this image until it sticks. Then ask your "Heart brain" what it wants to do for Peace today. Listen for the answer. And if you're feeling really frisky, practice walking around as long as you can with your heart in your head. And notice what happens to your normal internal dialogue-diet of of judging and assessing.
So, join me today. Lean into the light. Do one thing to "reconstitute the world"!
Love,
Darlene
P.S. If you want to be removed from my mailing please leave a message in the comments section. I promise I will love you anyway! And if you have a comment or question about the blog please leave that in the comment section as well. Peace Out!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Pace!
Pace is the Latin and Italian word for Peace. So, Pace to you on this Peace Tuesday, August 12, 2008.
Today is an opportunity to focus on Peace in some way because what we focus on expands. Appreciate Peace today wherever you create it, see or notice it, because what you appreciate grows or appreciates. Be Peace today and be amazed at how Peace shows up everywhere. That's how powerful you are!
I have been reading an informative book titled Wisdom for a Livable Planet by Carl McDaniel. I've been reading this book for six weeks! This is because each chapter focuses on a someone who has made a major contribution to current understanding of what it takes to live peacefully and sustainably, noting that the two are inextricably linked. And each chapter is loaded with references to several other notable books. So, I keep getting sidetracked by reading those books instead of finishing this one! I highly recommend this book as a great single source of information about what's happening on our planet regarding the economics and social advantages of sustainable living.
I'm currently "stuck" in chapter 7, reading about Herman Daly who is an economist who has bucked current economic thinking, and makes the case that local economies must be sustainable locally to be viable long term. Infinite economic growth is not sustainable. There are limits to what the planet and what societies can support, just as there are limits to what the human body can tolerate (think drugs, toxins, fat). People need to be able to grow their own food and supply most of their needs for the earth to sustain populations long term. I couldn't begin to paraphrase or represent his logic here so I recommend Herman Daly's book Beyond Growth or Chapter 7 of Wisdom for a Livable Planet to get the details.
Daly makes the point that war or social upheaval is most related to large scale poverty or large disparities between rich and poor. So, a way to work for Peace or ensure Peace in the future would be to do what many NGOs are focused on, which is to provide poor people across the globe the skills, knowledge and capital, through microfinance to create sustainable local economies.
Which brings me to a controversial notion I've hesitated to raise before. Call me chicken! The notion is that war is not the opposite of Peace and, stay with me here, war may be good for something - besides lining the pockets of Haliburton and Blackstone, I mean. Another way of looking at this is to ask the question we never ask, which is, "What is perfect about war"?
There, I've said it, or asked it! It strikes me that war, like anger and fist fighting among individuals, is an expensive though generally ineffective strategy for settling disagreements. So, what's perfect about it is that each time we have a war, it is a reminder that we need to develop other, less expensive, more effective and less destructive strategies for resolving disputes. In short we will keep having wars until human beings finally get the message that wars, as a rule, don't work. There is a case to be made that even World War II was avoidable, had we not punished the Germans and driven their people to look desperately for inspiration to the diseased mind of an anti semitic nutcase.
As humans we apparently need to keep seeing pictures of destroyed homes and families in order to work up the resolve to change the way we operate in the world. We didn't need to go to war in South Africa to end apartheid and we didn't need to fight a war with the Soviets to bring about some change in that country (I realize that Russia is a work in progress). War is not inevitable. Thinking war is inevitable makes war inevitable, a self fulfilling prophecy. And that thinking pushes countries to prepare for what they believe is inevitable, spending billions or more creating war tools. As we like to say in the coaching world, when all you have is a hammer (read war machine) everything looks like a nail (read international situation that needs fixing). Or, what we focus on expands. If our focus is the need to protect ourselves with a large military industrial complex, we are likely to find excuses to use it. President Eisenhower warned us about this!
On a lighter note, I just ordered myself a Peace flag, which I will fly on all national holidays and every Peace Tuesday. It's not that I'm not patriotic, I am. As a former member of the U.S. military I love this country, and I especially appreciate all of the Peaceful things it has done in the world. It's that I can no longer afford, and the planet can no longer afford, for me to be apathetic in the face of a growing need for Peace. And I believe that Peace in my life, my community, my country and the world better supports this country that war does. So, one small thing I can do is fly the world Peace flag. It is a beautiful rainbow flag (though the Wikipedia description is that it is different from the Gay pride flag because it includes an extra turquoise stripe!) and it has the word Peace, Pace or the word for Peace in any language.
So, Pace to you this Peace Tuesday. Take a moment or several moments to notice what you can do to make your life or even the world more Peaceful. As Mother Theresa might say, Peace may seem impossible, be Peace anyway.
Love,
Darlene
Today is an opportunity to focus on Peace in some way because what we focus on expands. Appreciate Peace today wherever you create it, see or notice it, because what you appreciate grows or appreciates. Be Peace today and be amazed at how Peace shows up everywhere. That's how powerful you are!
I have been reading an informative book titled Wisdom for a Livable Planet by Carl McDaniel. I've been reading this book for six weeks! This is because each chapter focuses on a someone who has made a major contribution to current understanding of what it takes to live peacefully and sustainably, noting that the two are inextricably linked. And each chapter is loaded with references to several other notable books. So, I keep getting sidetracked by reading those books instead of finishing this one! I highly recommend this book as a great single source of information about what's happening on our planet regarding the economics and social advantages of sustainable living.
I'm currently "stuck" in chapter 7, reading about Herman Daly who is an economist who has bucked current economic thinking, and makes the case that local economies must be sustainable locally to be viable long term. Infinite economic growth is not sustainable. There are limits to what the planet and what societies can support, just as there are limits to what the human body can tolerate (think drugs, toxins, fat). People need to be able to grow their own food and supply most of their needs for the earth to sustain populations long term. I couldn't begin to paraphrase or represent his logic here so I recommend Herman Daly's book Beyond Growth or Chapter 7 of Wisdom for a Livable Planet to get the details.
Daly makes the point that war or social upheaval is most related to large scale poverty or large disparities between rich and poor. So, a way to work for Peace or ensure Peace in the future would be to do what many NGOs are focused on, which is to provide poor people across the globe the skills, knowledge and capital, through microfinance to create sustainable local economies.
Which brings me to a controversial notion I've hesitated to raise before. Call me chicken! The notion is that war is not the opposite of Peace and, stay with me here, war may be good for something - besides lining the pockets of Haliburton and Blackstone, I mean. Another way of looking at this is to ask the question we never ask, which is, "What is perfect about war"?
There, I've said it, or asked it! It strikes me that war, like anger and fist fighting among individuals, is an expensive though generally ineffective strategy for settling disagreements. So, what's perfect about it is that each time we have a war, it is a reminder that we need to develop other, less expensive, more effective and less destructive strategies for resolving disputes. In short we will keep having wars until human beings finally get the message that wars, as a rule, don't work. There is a case to be made that even World War II was avoidable, had we not punished the Germans and driven their people to look desperately for inspiration to the diseased mind of an anti semitic nutcase.
As humans we apparently need to keep seeing pictures of destroyed homes and families in order to work up the resolve to change the way we operate in the world. We didn't need to go to war in South Africa to end apartheid and we didn't need to fight a war with the Soviets to bring about some change in that country (I realize that Russia is a work in progress). War is not inevitable. Thinking war is inevitable makes war inevitable, a self fulfilling prophecy. And that thinking pushes countries to prepare for what they believe is inevitable, spending billions or more creating war tools. As we like to say in the coaching world, when all you have is a hammer (read war machine) everything looks like a nail (read international situation that needs fixing). Or, what we focus on expands. If our focus is the need to protect ourselves with a large military industrial complex, we are likely to find excuses to use it. President Eisenhower warned us about this!
On a lighter note, I just ordered myself a Peace flag, which I will fly on all national holidays and every Peace Tuesday. It's not that I'm not patriotic, I am. As a former member of the U.S. military I love this country, and I especially appreciate all of the Peaceful things it has done in the world. It's that I can no longer afford, and the planet can no longer afford, for me to be apathetic in the face of a growing need for Peace. And I believe that Peace in my life, my community, my country and the world better supports this country that war does. So, one small thing I can do is fly the world Peace flag. It is a beautiful rainbow flag (though the Wikipedia description is that it is different from the Gay pride flag because it includes an extra turquoise stripe!) and it has the word Peace, Pace or the word for Peace in any language.
So, Pace to you this Peace Tuesday. Take a moment or several moments to notice what you can do to make your life or even the world more Peaceful. As Mother Theresa might say, Peace may seem impossible, be Peace anyway.
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Peace Tuesday - Perspective on World Peace and a Peace practice!
Hello fellow Peace enthusiasts!
I have two things for you this Peace Tuesday. The first is a brief look at systemic Peace in the world or peace trends. The second looks at a simple way to bring Peace into your life!
I found an informative website created by the Center for Systemic Peace. They gather information on war, the nature and location of conflict, and look at trends over time. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on that in this blog because the graphs on this site are worth thousands of my words. And you will get the point quickly from looking at the pictures these graphs create.
So, go to http://members.aol.com/cspmgm/conflict.htm and you will see a broader picture of what's been happening in the world since 1950/1960, one that may balance the picture you get from your local newspaper or the evening news (yes, even The News Hour).
And this brings me to the second topic of this weeks blog. And that is how to bring Peace into your life. I am going to give you two practices to take on, practices I give my clients. Consider, as you take them on, that you just saved yourself some bucks by not hiring a coach!
The first practice is to avoid media, newspapers, tv or online news, all of Peace Tuesday! If you're feeling really bodacious you can extend that to days, weeks or months. "What, not read the paper? Are you nuts?" Yes, many people think I've completely lost my mind. And they are right. I've walked away from that portion of my mind that wasn't serving me and made a bee line for my heart, where I now spend as much time as possible! My mind was a jumble of shoulds, and don'ts, and what ifs and the source of great unrest until I stumbled into the Peace that comes from spending time in my heart.
Media is grist for the mill in your mind. You can still stay informed. I dare you to find out how! And I double dare you to take on this practice for as long as you can manage it. Notice what happens in your life when you stay away from media. You might think of yourself as a media-aholic, someone who can't go a day without knowing the details of every last thing President Bush did or Angelina Jolie did! What would your life be like without that?
The second practice is Buddhist based. And it's purpose is to have you let go of your attachment to doing, so that you can begin to experience your being, or who you are separate from what you do!
Sound like fun? The practice is: Go 1/2 speed for an hour, two hours, 1/2 day or all day. You can start with a day off if that seems less confronting. Or you can throw caution to the wind (I highly recommend that) and do it today on Peace Tuesday, or tomorrow, since this blog is going out a bit late (I apologize)! Go 1/2 speed and then notice what happens to your thoughts as you do this. Notice how you seem to automatically return to your previous speed. Catch yourself speeding!
You will need some structures to support you in remembering this practice. I recommend you wear a rubber band on your wrist to snap when you find yourself back at your normal speed. Enroll others in reminding you to go 1/2 speed. Pay them a nickel if they catch you speeding! Or put post it notes around to remind you to "Go 1/2 speed". Or put money in your Peace Pot, money you can donate to an organization promoting Peace!
For me the benefits of slowing down are that I am more in touch with my body, my emotions and my thoughts. And I am more in touch with other people, noticing their facial expressions, their speed, their language, tone, etc. I am simply more present, awake and aware.
"But I won't get stuff done," you cry! Well, give it a go and see. I can tell you that I am more productive now that I was when I took on this practice. I stop myself from doing things quickly and then having to redo them. I get more pleasure from the doing of them also and that's a lovely bonus. And really, that's the point. If we speed through life trying to do as much as possible, we miss the experience of what we do. We miss opportunities to connect with ourselves and with others and to experience events deeply.
So, practice slowing down, noticing if the gradient is too steep and lowering it. Oh, and if you notice that you keep forgetting to do it, that's perfect. It's part of the process of beginning something right? You start by forgetting, then you learn to remember, then you experience the benefits of this new thing and then the behavior begins to reinforce itself. It feels good to slow down. It is Peaceful. And it affects those around you, just as seeing everyone else speeding on the freeway invites you to match their speed. You don't want to be left behind, do you?
Well, slowing down, going half speed (or, if you're really adventurous, try going NO speed!), invites others to notice what you are doing, see that you are peaceful doing this, and want to join you in that lovely space.
Thank you to all of you who have left comments on the blog. I am inspired by the feedback I am getting and welcome more of it. I also welcome contributions and love giving credit to new thoughts and ideas. And for those of you who don't want to receive my blog mailing, please let me know. I will love you and remove you from my list.
Love,
Darlene
I have two things for you this Peace Tuesday. The first is a brief look at systemic Peace in the world or peace trends. The second looks at a simple way to bring Peace into your life!
I found an informative website created by the Center for Systemic Peace. They gather information on war, the nature and location of conflict, and look at trends over time. I'm not going to spend a lot of time on that in this blog because the graphs on this site are worth thousands of my words. And you will get the point quickly from looking at the pictures these graphs create.
So, go to http://members.aol.com/cspmgm/conflict.htm and you will see a broader picture of what's been happening in the world since 1950/1960, one that may balance the picture you get from your local newspaper or the evening news (yes, even The News Hour).
And this brings me to the second topic of this weeks blog. And that is how to bring Peace into your life. I am going to give you two practices to take on, practices I give my clients. Consider, as you take them on, that you just saved yourself some bucks by not hiring a coach!
The first practice is to avoid media, newspapers, tv or online news, all of Peace Tuesday! If you're feeling really bodacious you can extend that to days, weeks or months. "What, not read the paper? Are you nuts?" Yes, many people think I've completely lost my mind. And they are right. I've walked away from that portion of my mind that wasn't serving me and made a bee line for my heart, where I now spend as much time as possible! My mind was a jumble of shoulds, and don'ts, and what ifs and the source of great unrest until I stumbled into the Peace that comes from spending time in my heart.
Media is grist for the mill in your mind. You can still stay informed. I dare you to find out how! And I double dare you to take on this practice for as long as you can manage it. Notice what happens in your life when you stay away from media. You might think of yourself as a media-aholic, someone who can't go a day without knowing the details of every last thing President Bush did or Angelina Jolie did! What would your life be like without that?
The second practice is Buddhist based. And it's purpose is to have you let go of your attachment to doing, so that you can begin to experience your being, or who you are separate from what you do!
Sound like fun? The practice is: Go 1/2 speed for an hour, two hours, 1/2 day or all day. You can start with a day off if that seems less confronting. Or you can throw caution to the wind (I highly recommend that) and do it today on Peace Tuesday, or tomorrow, since this blog is going out a bit late (I apologize)! Go 1/2 speed and then notice what happens to your thoughts as you do this. Notice how you seem to automatically return to your previous speed. Catch yourself speeding!
You will need some structures to support you in remembering this practice. I recommend you wear a rubber band on your wrist to snap when you find yourself back at your normal speed. Enroll others in reminding you to go 1/2 speed. Pay them a nickel if they catch you speeding! Or put post it notes around to remind you to "Go 1/2 speed". Or put money in your Peace Pot, money you can donate to an organization promoting Peace!
For me the benefits of slowing down are that I am more in touch with my body, my emotions and my thoughts. And I am more in touch with other people, noticing their facial expressions, their speed, their language, tone, etc. I am simply more present, awake and aware.
"But I won't get stuff done," you cry! Well, give it a go and see. I can tell you that I am more productive now that I was when I took on this practice. I stop myself from doing things quickly and then having to redo them. I get more pleasure from the doing of them also and that's a lovely bonus. And really, that's the point. If we speed through life trying to do as much as possible, we miss the experience of what we do. We miss opportunities to connect with ourselves and with others and to experience events deeply.
So, practice slowing down, noticing if the gradient is too steep and lowering it. Oh, and if you notice that you keep forgetting to do it, that's perfect. It's part of the process of beginning something right? You start by forgetting, then you learn to remember, then you experience the benefits of this new thing and then the behavior begins to reinforce itself. It feels good to slow down. It is Peaceful. And it affects those around you, just as seeing everyone else speeding on the freeway invites you to match their speed. You don't want to be left behind, do you?
Well, slowing down, going half speed (or, if you're really adventurous, try going NO speed!), invites others to notice what you are doing, see that you are peaceful doing this, and want to join you in that lovely space.
Thank you to all of you who have left comments on the blog. I am inspired by the feedback I am getting and welcome more of it. I also welcome contributions and love giving credit to new thoughts and ideas. And for those of you who don't want to receive my blog mailing, please let me know. I will love you and remove you from my list.
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Blessings to you on Peace Tuesday!
Take a moment right now, as you are reading this, to imagine Peace in your life, in your community and on the planet. Can you see what has shifted? Can you hear it, feel it and even smell it? There! You focused on Peace and your work is complete for now!
I have a gift to share with you this Peace Tuesday. It is a list, from Sarah Susanka's book the not so big life, titled :
The Symptoms of Inner Peace.
*You tend to think and act spontaneously (respond from love and trust), rather than react from fear from the past.
*You have the unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
*You have lost interest in judging others.
*You have lost interest in judging YOU!
*You have lost interest in interpreting the actions of others, and simply allow them.
*You have lost interest in conflict.
*You have lost the ability to worry.
*You experience frequent, compelling episodes of appreciation.
*You feel contended and connected to others and to nature.
*You experience frequent attacks of smiling
*You are willing to allow your life, let things happen, rather than control and make things happen.
*You are increasingly susceptible to the love extended by others as well as the compelling urge to extend love to everyone.
*I would add - You love your life. Really love it -regardless of the circumstances! And you are convinced that anything is possible - expecially Peace.
Lastly, on this loveliest of lovely days I invite you to visit the PRI website and checkout the story about the Sparrow Quartet from the U.S. and their recent visit to Tibet. They play bluegrass, jazz and other types of music with banjo's etc. And wherever they played the Tibetans broke out in song and music of their own. They all sang and jammed together as a spontaneous expression of life's joy. They talked and sang and even though they did not understand each other's language, they all understood each other through the singular music of the soul, of the heart. It's a moving account of what's possible.
This story reminded me of the period of Glasnost just before the Soviet Union fell. We had massive cultural exchanges with the Soviets, exchanging music and dance troupes and finding our common language. What if our armies consisted of artists, musicians, play-writes, performers? What if they traveled to the countries we feared were working against us? What if we welcomed there artists, hosted them in our homes and learned about their lives, challenges and fears?
I wonder if this isn't the way to tear down barriers and build trust without destroying the innocent. I wonder if this isn't a powerful and non violent way to empower sane and thoughtful people to take charge of their lives and their countries. We sent many artists to Bosnia to help their people heal from a horrendous war. And when the Taliban fell in Afghanistan the first thing reported was the sound of previously banned music in the streets! Art, music are powerful tools in service of Peace, personal Peace and societal Peace. Can anyone share about artistic exchanges in other parts of the world where war is ongoing? I am inspired by the though of it.
Love,
Darlene
P.S. If you do not want to receive this blog on Tuesdays, simply write me a note in the comments section below. I will remove you from the mailing list and I will love you anyway!
I have a gift to share with you this Peace Tuesday. It is a list, from Sarah Susanka's book the not so big life, titled :
The Symptoms of Inner Peace.
*You tend to think and act spontaneously (respond from love and trust), rather than react from fear from the past.
*You have the unmistakable ability to enjoy each moment.
*You have lost interest in judging others.
*You have lost interest in judging YOU!
*You have lost interest in interpreting the actions of others, and simply allow them.
*You have lost interest in conflict.
*You have lost the ability to worry.
*You experience frequent, compelling episodes of appreciation.
*You feel contended and connected to others and to nature.
*You experience frequent attacks of smiling
*You are willing to allow your life, let things happen, rather than control and make things happen.
*You are increasingly susceptible to the love extended by others as well as the compelling urge to extend love to everyone.
*I would add - You love your life. Really love it -regardless of the circumstances! And you are convinced that anything is possible - expecially Peace.
Lastly, on this loveliest of lovely days I invite you to visit the PRI website and checkout the story about the Sparrow Quartet from the U.S. and their recent visit to Tibet. They play bluegrass, jazz and other types of music with banjo's etc. And wherever they played the Tibetans broke out in song and music of their own. They all sang and jammed together as a spontaneous expression of life's joy. They talked and sang and even though they did not understand each other's language, they all understood each other through the singular music of the soul, of the heart. It's a moving account of what's possible.
This story reminded me of the period of Glasnost just before the Soviet Union fell. We had massive cultural exchanges with the Soviets, exchanging music and dance troupes and finding our common language. What if our armies consisted of artists, musicians, play-writes, performers? What if they traveled to the countries we feared were working against us? What if we welcomed there artists, hosted them in our homes and learned about their lives, challenges and fears?
I wonder if this isn't the way to tear down barriers and build trust without destroying the innocent. I wonder if this isn't a powerful and non violent way to empower sane and thoughtful people to take charge of their lives and their countries. We sent many artists to Bosnia to help their people heal from a horrendous war. And when the Taliban fell in Afghanistan the first thing reported was the sound of previously banned music in the streets! Art, music are powerful tools in service of Peace, personal Peace and societal Peace. Can anyone share about artistic exchanges in other parts of the world where war is ongoing? I am inspired by the though of it.
Love,
Darlene
P.S. If you do not want to receive this blog on Tuesdays, simply write me a note in the comments section below. I will remove you from the mailing list and I will love you anyway!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
It's Peace Tuesday!
This day is your opportunity to celebrate Peace, to be Peace, to offer Peace and bring Peace to your life, to the lives of others and to the world. You can bring little piece of Peace or a big, whopping chunk of it, whatever. You get to choose!
I have a Peace offering for you today. I had the privilege of hosting a guest from Africa this weekend who has dedicated her life to working for Peace in her country and on the planet. I hosted Awa Ndiaye from Senegal and was honored to attend a dinner at which women from around the world met, all of them dedicated to bringing Peace and prosperity to their countries.
They were all participants in the Global Women's Leadership Network at the University of Santa Clara. School of Business. Check them out at www.scu.edu/business/gwln/ I heard stories from all over the third world about women creating their own project or working for NGOs (non governmental organizations) to transform the lives of poor women through education, environmental protection and microfinance.
So, please know that there are dedicated women, intelligent, well educated and trained, working with intention and purpose, to transform their countries and transform the economic status of the poorest women so there can be Peace and prosperity for all in the world. I encourage you to check out the website and see a few of the beautiful faces I saw this weekend. I was completely inspired by the possibility that these women represent for our planet. They are up to nothing less than transformation - transforming individuals, environments and governments, joyfully, patiently and lovingly. I am still walking on air having heard their inspiring personal stories and what they have accomplished. As one of the women blessed our dinner she asked that "we all love each other and know Peace". That said it all.
And if that's not enough inspiration for this Peace Tuesday, I invite you all to visit the website for the American Friend's Service Committee. They have been around as an organization working for peace for eons. Originally established by the Quakers, but now with many members of various faiths and philosophies, they publish an electronic newsletter covering their many projects for Peace around the world. I don't know about you, but it supports me to remain committed to Peace if I know that others are also committed to it! So, check them out at www.afsc.org. While you are there you can sign up for updates or the newsletter. AND you can make a contribution if you are so inspired!
Which brings me to a new way to make a difference and support Peace today. And it's something I did. this morning. It was absolutely painless! You can go to any nonprofit website and make a donation in someone's name, as a birthday gift, a wedding gift, an anniversary gift. Everyone I know has so much stuff they hold garage sales and then give stuff away. They do this annually! We are blessed with more material riches than we really need to be happy and satisfied. What is missing for many of my friends and family, is deep satisfaction and connection that comes from giving and being of service. So, from now on I am giving them the deeply satisfying gift of a donation in their name to an organization working toward Peace in the world! And that's what they are getting for Christmas as well. No more stuff to throw out, try to sell or give away in 5 years. Instead they get the gift of making a difference in one of the many places where $25.00 will make an enormous difference.
So, consider taking on my new practice! Give gifts of donations to worthy causes, at least to those folks who would appreciate you doing so, and who already live in abundance. You can even give the gift of a pledge to match other donations, if you want to play a really big game. I knew someone who did that for a friend's wedding. Instead of giving them a $300.00 kitchen appliance, they donated money to an environmental organization to match gifts given by other invitees!
Lastly, I always leave you with a book or video recommendation. The book I recommend this week is the not so big life by Sarah Susanka (the small type in the title is on purpose). She is a coach and an architect and writes about designing your life as you would a house, with sufficient or abundant room for what you need to be satisfied and inspired, but not so much that your house and your life is overwhelmed and unworkable. AND I recommend you go to TED.com for inspiring videos. Check out Ben Zander talking about what it takes to be inspired OR view the video of Jill Bolte Taylor talk about the stroke she had and now it confirmed her sense that our physical separation is an illusion, a function of how our brains function.
If you are receiving this blog it is because I love you and intend to contribute to Peace in your life and mine. If you do not want to receive this blog (I promise I will love you anyway) please reply to me at darbat@earthlink.net or leave a comment in the section titled "comments" at the end of the blog.
Love,
Darlene
This day is your opportunity to celebrate Peace, to be Peace, to offer Peace and bring Peace to your life, to the lives of others and to the world. You can bring little piece of Peace or a big, whopping chunk of it, whatever. You get to choose!
I have a Peace offering for you today. I had the privilege of hosting a guest from Africa this weekend who has dedicated her life to working for Peace in her country and on the planet. I hosted Awa Ndiaye from Senegal and was honored to attend a dinner at which women from around the world met, all of them dedicated to bringing Peace and prosperity to their countries.
They were all participants in the Global Women's Leadership Network at the University of Santa Clara. School of Business. Check them out at www.scu.edu/business/gwln/ I heard stories from all over the third world about women creating their own project or working for NGOs (non governmental organizations) to transform the lives of poor women through education, environmental protection and microfinance.
So, please know that there are dedicated women, intelligent, well educated and trained, working with intention and purpose, to transform their countries and transform the economic status of the poorest women so there can be Peace and prosperity for all in the world. I encourage you to check out the website and see a few of the beautiful faces I saw this weekend. I was completely inspired by the possibility that these women represent for our planet. They are up to nothing less than transformation - transforming individuals, environments and governments, joyfully, patiently and lovingly. I am still walking on air having heard their inspiring personal stories and what they have accomplished. As one of the women blessed our dinner she asked that "we all love each other and know Peace". That said it all.
And if that's not enough inspiration for this Peace Tuesday, I invite you all to visit the website for the American Friend's Service Committee. They have been around as an organization working for peace for eons. Originally established by the Quakers, but now with many members of various faiths and philosophies, they publish an electronic newsletter covering their many projects for Peace around the world. I don't know about you, but it supports me to remain committed to Peace if I know that others are also committed to it! So, check them out at www.afsc.org. While you are there you can sign up for updates or the newsletter. AND you can make a contribution if you are so inspired!
Which brings me to a new way to make a difference and support Peace today. And it's something I did. this morning. It was absolutely painless! You can go to any nonprofit website and make a donation in someone's name, as a birthday gift, a wedding gift, an anniversary gift. Everyone I know has so much stuff they hold garage sales and then give stuff away. They do this annually! We are blessed with more material riches than we really need to be happy and satisfied. What is missing for many of my friends and family, is deep satisfaction and connection that comes from giving and being of service. So, from now on I am giving them the deeply satisfying gift of a donation in their name to an organization working toward Peace in the world! And that's what they are getting for Christmas as well. No more stuff to throw out, try to sell or give away in 5 years. Instead they get the gift of making a difference in one of the many places where $25.00 will make an enormous difference.
So, consider taking on my new practice! Give gifts of donations to worthy causes, at least to those folks who would appreciate you doing so, and who already live in abundance. You can even give the gift of a pledge to match other donations, if you want to play a really big game. I knew someone who did that for a friend's wedding. Instead of giving them a $300.00 kitchen appliance, they donated money to an environmental organization to match gifts given by other invitees!
Lastly, I always leave you with a book or video recommendation. The book I recommend this week is the not so big life by Sarah Susanka (the small type in the title is on purpose). She is a coach and an architect and writes about designing your life as you would a house, with sufficient or abundant room for what you need to be satisfied and inspired, but not so much that your house and your life is overwhelmed and unworkable. AND I recommend you go to TED.com for inspiring videos. Check out Ben Zander talking about what it takes to be inspired OR view the video of Jill Bolte Taylor talk about the stroke she had and now it confirmed her sense that our physical separation is an illusion, a function of how our brains function.
If you are receiving this blog it is because I love you and intend to contribute to Peace in your life and mine. If you do not want to receive this blog (I promise I will love you anyway) please reply to me at darbat@earthlink.net or leave a comment in the section titled "comments" at the end of the blog.
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
It's Peace Tuesday!
The purpose of this blog is to have people focus on Peace each Tuesday! They can focus for a moment, several moments or all day. They can meditate on it or take a small, medium or large action for Peace. They can look to see how they could bring more Peace into their lives, and by doing so, bring more Peace into the world! This last sentence is really the point. I believe that world Peace begins with each human being making a commitment to Peace in their own lives FIRST. You can look at my first blog for a full explanation of what I'm up to with this blog.
Did you know that the U.S. government funds something called the United States Institute for Peace (USIP)? Well it does, or we do! It works internationally bringing people in conflict together to talk in order to avoid war or physical conflict. It's philosophy is that international peace is possible and that conflicts can be managed, examined, reduced and eventually eliminated. And it just broke ground on a new headquarters in D.C. on the mall near several war memorials and it will house a public education center, on the national mall near several of our war memorials. How fitting that we will have a Peace Center in the midst of war memorials!
There is also an amazing organization called The National Peace Foundation, founded by Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers 26 years ago, working to get our government to have a focus for world Peace. The Peace Foundation's mission is to rid the world of nuclear weapons and educate children as a way to expand Peace in the world. And there are several U.S. universities, UC Irvine, UC San Diego who work with grants t0 study and further the cause of Peace. I'm thrilled and moved that we have even a small part of our government bueuracracy focused on Peace.
I also want to clue you into a local teacher, Nesreen Khashan who teaches an on line global studies course in Peace at Mission College in San Jose! She was one of 17 community college teacher who went to Washington to a USIP conference recently to learn creative ways to teach peace.
So, our federal government has a Peace focus in the form of the USIP. And above that the United Nations was formed to mediate and prevent conflict, and so it also has a Peace focus. Yahoo! What's missing though, is a local focus, at the state, county, city, individual level. I say that if Peace isn't showing up in the world, it is because everyone isn't taking it on, isn't focused on it or willing to be responsible for it, even in small ways.
That's the purpose of this blog. To have you and me and your Aunt Tilly and Uncle Phillip focus on Peace and see how we can further Peace in our lives, our community, our country and our planet.
Here are some suggestions for this week.
1. If you haven't already done this, I recommend you go to www.tut.com/about_nftu.htm and check out this site. It's Thoughts From the Universe and when you sign up you get daily messages that inspire you.
2.Another site is www.zaadz.com where people interested in personal and community transformation can hook up.
3. I'm reading a great book called Wisdom for a Liveable Planet by Carl McDaniel, which gathers stories of inspiring people across this country who work to create a sustainable, and Peaceful, environment for us to live in.
Lastly, I leave you with a Buddhist definition of compassion. Compassion involves the willingness to feel all pain, universal pain so as to let fear SOFTEN US, rather than harden us into resistance. It is the recognition that anyone's darkness is ours. It seems to me that this is the place to start personally being more peaceful. If we can recognize and stay or sit with our fear and the fear we see in the world, we are less likely to react by running away or getting angry. When I meet people who are angry, particularly people who are angry with me, what there is for me to do is be with their anger (making sure that I am physically safe) and allow it. When I resist it, insist that they are wrong or stupid, I kill Peace for both of us. I can allow people's anger without agreeing that they are right and without changing course.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "It isn't enough to talk about Peace". It may not be enough, however I would add that thinking about it, focusing on it and talking about it ALOT is a great place to begin. Then comes passion, commitment and action. What's one thing you will do for Peace today?
Love,
Darlene
It's Peace Tuesday!
The purpose of this blog is to have people focus on Peace each Tuesday! They can focus for a moment, several moments or all day. They can meditate on it or take a small, medium or large action for Peace. They can look to see how they could bring more Peace into their lives, and by doing so, bring more Peace into the world! This last sentence is really the point. I believe that world Peace begins with each human being making a commitment to Peace in their own lives FIRST. You can look at my first blog for a full explanation of what I'm up to with this blog.
Did you know that the U.S. government funds something called the United States Institute for Peace (USIP)? Well it does, or we do! It works internationally bringing people in conflict together to talk in order to avoid war or physical conflict. It's philosophy is that international peace is possible and that conflicts can be managed, examined, reduced and eventually eliminated. And it just broke ground on a new headquarters in D.C. on the mall near several war memorials and it will house a public education center, on the national mall near several of our war memorials. How fitting that we will have a Peace Center in the midst of war memorials!
There is also an amazing organization called The National Peace Foundation, founded by Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers 26 years ago, working to get our government to have a focus for world Peace. The Peace Foundation's mission is to rid the world of nuclear weapons and educate children as a way to expand Peace in the world. And there are several U.S. universities, UC Irvine, UC San Diego who work with grants t0 study and further the cause of Peace. I'm thrilled and moved that we have even a small part of our government bueuracracy focused on Peace.
I also want to clue you into a local teacher, Nesreen Khashan who teaches an on line global studies course in Peace at Mission College in San Jose! She was one of 17 community college teacher who went to Washington to a USIP conference recently to learn creative ways to teach peace.
So, our federal government has a Peace focus in the form of the USIP. And above that the United Nations was formed to mediate and prevent conflict, and so it also has a Peace focus. Yahoo! What's missing though, is a local focus, at the state, county, city, individual level. I say that if Peace isn't showing up in the world, it is because everyone isn't taking it on, isn't focused on it or willing to be responsible for it, even in small ways.
That's the purpose of this blog. To have you and me and your Aunt Tilly and Uncle Phillip focus on Peace and see how we can further Peace in our lives, our community, our country and our planet.
Here are some suggestions for this week.
1. If you haven't already done this, I recommend you go to www.tut.com/about_nftu.htm and check out this site. It's Thoughts From the Universe and when you sign up you get daily messages that inspire you.
2.Another site is www.zaadz.com where people interested in personal and community transformation can hook up.
3. I'm reading a great book called Wisdom for a Liveable Planet by Carl McDaniel, which gathers stories of inspiring people across this country who work to create a sustainable, and Peaceful, environment for us to live in.
Lastly, I leave you with a Buddhist definition of compassion. Compassion involves the willingness to feel all pain, universal pain so as to let fear SOFTEN US, rather than harden us into resistance. It is the recognition that anyone's darkness is ours. It seems to me that this is the place to start personally being more peaceful. If we can recognize and stay or sit with our fear and the fear we see in the world, we are less likely to react by running away or getting angry. When I meet people who are angry, particularly people who are angry with me, what there is for me to do is be with their anger (making sure that I am physically safe) and allow it. When I resist it, insist that they are wrong or stupid, I kill Peace for both of us. I can allow people's anger without agreeing that they are right and without changing course.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, "It isn't enough to talk about Peace". It may not be enough, however I would add that thinking about it, focusing on it and talking about it ALOT is a great place to begin. Then comes passion, commitment and action. What's one thing you will do for Peace today?
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
There are lots of different ways to be in relationship to Peace. We can be impatient for it, we can be hopeless about it, we can be angry that isn't present in our lives and in the world. I have been all of those things at some point in my life. Perhaps because I turn 60 this year, or perhaps as a result of years of meditating, I see now that how we relate to Peace is crucial, maybe the most crucial thing. Another way to say this is, our context or who we be in relationship to Peace is decisive.
When I am impatient for peace I resist all the places in my life and in the world where Peace is absent. I'm totally absorbed in and focused on "what shouldn't be". When I am angry about war, my anger sucks Peace from my life and the lives of everyone I touch. I get my anger, my angst all over everyone else. When I am hopeless about Peace ever being possible, I become a victim of my own thoughts and I spend my time looking for proof that Peace can't happen. And I can find a ton of that!
My practice this week, and I offer it to anyone reading, is to find a powerful way to relate to Peace. The metaphor I have chosen to represent my relationship with it this week is "dancing with Peace". I imagine Peace is a dance partner I have chosen (if this sounds a bit wacky hang in there with me please!).
And what I know about dance, about me and about partnering, is that love and patience is required. I need to learn new steps, learn how to execute them with someone else who may be learning too, or, horror, more proficient than I. I need to give up feeling foolish about my lack of skill in order to keep dancing. I need to have a bigger commitment to dancing than I do to focusing on my missteps. I have to love and appreciate my partner and TRUST that the dance can be amazing, given time and practice. And a graceful dance, skillfully done is worth this investment, this commitment. I know I appreciate it when I see others who have done so. O.K. I'm a secret fan of those ballroom dance competitions on PBS! And I don't see many skillful angry, impatient or hopeless dancers.
So, I am committed this week to relating to Peace as a dance, to dancing with Peace metaphorically, to being committed to producing Peace in my life through patience, love and trust, and like all skills, to improve with practice. I invite you to join me in this dance. Please look in your life and see who you can love into Peace (without compromising your best self), what choices you can make from Peace today, where you can trust a bit more than you have. Then notice what shifts. And keep the gradient low please. Begin where you are. And a recommendation for this might be to list all of the ways you already demonstrate your commitment to Peace; what are you already doing (recycling, driving an fuel efficient car, eating organic food, contributing to Oxfam or similar organizations, meditating, slowing down, caring for a friend or relative). Start by appreciating the Peace that is already present in your life and expand from there.
Lastly, I have a book recommendation. It's The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka. She's an architect who employs coaching principals to get her clients to discern clearly how their physical space works best for them, to see how they can design a space and a life they love.
It's Peace Tuesday! Who will you be to create Peace in your life and in the world today? Who are you already being?
Love,
Darlene
There are lots of different ways to be in relationship to Peace. We can be impatient for it, we can be hopeless about it, we can be angry that isn't present in our lives and in the world. I have been all of those things at some point in my life. Perhaps because I turn 60 this year, or perhaps as a result of years of meditating, I see now that how we relate to Peace is crucial, maybe the most crucial thing. Another way to say this is, our context or who we be in relationship to Peace is decisive.
When I am impatient for peace I resist all the places in my life and in the world where Peace is absent. I'm totally absorbed in and focused on "what shouldn't be". When I am angry about war, my anger sucks Peace from my life and the lives of everyone I touch. I get my anger, my angst all over everyone else. When I am hopeless about Peace ever being possible, I become a victim of my own thoughts and I spend my time looking for proof that Peace can't happen. And I can find a ton of that!
My practice this week, and I offer it to anyone reading, is to find a powerful way to relate to Peace. The metaphor I have chosen to represent my relationship with it this week is "dancing with Peace". I imagine Peace is a dance partner I have chosen (if this sounds a bit wacky hang in there with me please!).
And what I know about dance, about me and about partnering, is that love and patience is required. I need to learn new steps, learn how to execute them with someone else who may be learning too, or, horror, more proficient than I. I need to give up feeling foolish about my lack of skill in order to keep dancing. I need to have a bigger commitment to dancing than I do to focusing on my missteps. I have to love and appreciate my partner and TRUST that the dance can be amazing, given time and practice. And a graceful dance, skillfully done is worth this investment, this commitment. I know I appreciate it when I see others who have done so. O.K. I'm a secret fan of those ballroom dance competitions on PBS! And I don't see many skillful angry, impatient or hopeless dancers.
So, I am committed this week to relating to Peace as a dance, to dancing with Peace metaphorically, to being committed to producing Peace in my life through patience, love and trust, and like all skills, to improve with practice. I invite you to join me in this dance. Please look in your life and see who you can love into Peace (without compromising your best self), what choices you can make from Peace today, where you can trust a bit more than you have. Then notice what shifts. And keep the gradient low please. Begin where you are. And a recommendation for this might be to list all of the ways you already demonstrate your commitment to Peace; what are you already doing (recycling, driving an fuel efficient car, eating organic food, contributing to Oxfam or similar organizations, meditating, slowing down, caring for a friend or relative). Start by appreciating the Peace that is already present in your life and expand from there.
Lastly, I have a book recommendation. It's The Not So Big Life by Sarah Susanka. She's an architect who employs coaching principals to get her clients to discern clearly how their physical space works best for them, to see how they can design a space and a life they love.
It's Peace Tuesday! Who will you be to create Peace in your life and in the world today? Who are you already being?
Love,
Darlene
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." This is a Persian proverb that begins the first chapter of the book Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortinson and Oliver Relin, a book about a young mountain climber fulfilling a promise to build a school in rural norther Pakistan, as a way of honoring his sister. I'm reading this book to remind myself that it's possible to be ridiculously committed to a cause and achieve the impossible. I've read several such books and recommend also Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder and Banker to the Poor by Muhammed Younis, about the beginning of micro-finance in Pakistan.
What does doing the impossible have to do with Peace? Well, it strikes me that one source of restlessness and disatisfaction in our culture and in our world is the inability to trust in possibility, to trust that life will be o.k., that we can be satisfied and fulfilled, the inability to trust that Peace is possible. And I see that he world is full of evidence that people can make a difference, can be joyful and satisfied and fulfilled without, dare I say it, all the material trappings that our culture insists are required for the task. So, reading about people like Greg Mortinson, reminds me that anything is possible. It reminds me that Peace is possible. All that is required is our commitment, some action, and our trust that it is possible.
What if personal peace, peaceful relationships and peace among nations were that simple? How might it look? Can you imagine that? So, that's the first invitation I have for you, the first practice for you to take on: to imagine what it would be like if you felt peaceful about your own life, if your relationships were peaceful, and what it would look like for the world to be at peace?
Imagine what would be possible for you and for the planet. How would it be different? What would you be doing differently? How would what you say change? What would you be hearing in your daily life? How might the news be different? Imagine this as vividly as possible and write down what you imagine if you like. Or create a visual that reminds you of what you've imagined! Or find a piece of music that reminds you of what you created.
The next step might be to focus on your vision of Peace (yours, others and the world's) regularly, daily OR ON PEACE TUESDAY if you can. Just for a minute if that's all you can give it, or longer if you can. If you have a meditative, contemplative or prayer practice, your could focus on this vision in your practice.
If that does not appeal to you, consider sending a contribution to the Central Asia Institute at www.ikat.org so Greg Mortinson can continue to transform Pakistan in a peaceful way building schools. If you have children and you'd like to get them involved contact penniesforpeace.org and find out how they can.
Right now it appears quite dark for the cause of Peace on our planet. But looks can be deceptive, right? In coaching we say that "the gold is in the dark", indicating that we must often look in the uncomfortable places in our lives, in our feelings, in our minds, in order to discern our truth. It may also be that the current darkness in the world today is an opportunity for us to notice just how far we've gone astray - astray from our commitment to love and care for ourselves, each other and our home, planet earth. It's an opportunity to turn on the light of Peace. Begin with you/me. Please begin by doing one thing each Tuesday.
Love,
Darlene
P.S. I signed my first posting Lowejo. It's a pseudonym that represents the essence of who I am. I'll explain this to anyone who is interested.
What does doing the impossible have to do with Peace? Well, it strikes me that one source of restlessness and disatisfaction in our culture and in our world is the inability to trust in possibility, to trust that life will be o.k., that we can be satisfied and fulfilled, the inability to trust that Peace is possible. And I see that he world is full of evidence that people can make a difference, can be joyful and satisfied and fulfilled without, dare I say it, all the material trappings that our culture insists are required for the task. So, reading about people like Greg Mortinson, reminds me that anything is possible. It reminds me that Peace is possible. All that is required is our commitment, some action, and our trust that it is possible.
What if personal peace, peaceful relationships and peace among nations were that simple? How might it look? Can you imagine that? So, that's the first invitation I have for you, the first practice for you to take on: to imagine what it would be like if you felt peaceful about your own life, if your relationships were peaceful, and what it would look like for the world to be at peace?
Imagine what would be possible for you and for the planet. How would it be different? What would you be doing differently? How would what you say change? What would you be hearing in your daily life? How might the news be different? Imagine this as vividly as possible and write down what you imagine if you like. Or create a visual that reminds you of what you've imagined! Or find a piece of music that reminds you of what you created.
The next step might be to focus on your vision of Peace (yours, others and the world's) regularly, daily OR ON PEACE TUESDAY if you can. Just for a minute if that's all you can give it, or longer if you can. If you have a meditative, contemplative or prayer practice, your could focus on this vision in your practice.
If that does not appeal to you, consider sending a contribution to the Central Asia Institute at www.ikat.org so Greg Mortinson can continue to transform Pakistan in a peaceful way building schools. If you have children and you'd like to get them involved contact penniesforpeace.org and find out how they can.
Right now it appears quite dark for the cause of Peace on our planet. But looks can be deceptive, right? In coaching we say that "the gold is in the dark", indicating that we must often look in the uncomfortable places in our lives, in our feelings, in our minds, in order to discern our truth. It may also be that the current darkness in the world today is an opportunity for us to notice just how far we've gone astray - astray from our commitment to love and care for ourselves, each other and our home, planet earth. It's an opportunity to turn on the light of Peace. Begin with you/me. Please begin by doing one thing each Tuesday.
Love,
Darlene
P.S. I signed my first posting Lowejo. It's a pseudonym that represents the essence of who I am. I'll explain this to anyone who is interested.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Hello!
The name of this blog is for Peace on Tuesday and this is my first posting!
My purpose in creating this blog is to provide a focus for Peace, individually, in community, country and the planet. As a coach I work with people to create power and possibility in their lives and work. I notice that what's often in the way of the results people desire, in the way of joy and satisfaction, is FOCUS.
Peace is a result we have not achieved on this planet and I notice that there is no focus for Peace in our culture. So, I extend an invitation for everyone to create a focus in their lives for Peace. And specifically the invitation is to take some time every Tuesday to do one thing for Peace. It can be a simple meditation on ,or a prayer for, Peace. Or the action could be a challenging one, fasting or substituting healthy food for one meal that day, walking or biking to work, sharing something you wouldn't normally share. My intention is to have the country consider Tuesday a day to focus on Peace. I did not choose days traditionally reserved for religious observance on purpose because Peace is everyone's responsibility, everyone's opportunity. It is not simply the purview of the religious.
So, let me be clear. This is a blog to invite people to create a simple focus on Peace each Tuesday. This is not a blog that is against anything. Mother Theresa once said that she would come to a rally for Peace but would not attend an event that was against war. And for good reason. She knew that what we focus on expands. If we choose to focus on something we are against, something we can't be with, then we give it space in our lives - space to plague us, weight to add to our internal argument that life sucks!
I also declare that we need to shift our context regarding Peace and war. I see evidence of a pervasive context in the world and in our culture: Peace good, war bad. This context is not likely to create internal or planetary Peace. It certainly hasn't so far! We need a new context regarding Peace, one that allows or empowers us to take some personal action that moves us toward Peace in our lives and on this planet.
If you are willing to join me in creating this movement, please respond to this blog and let me know if you want to be included in a for Peace on Tuesday weekly message. I am committed to creating a blog posting every Monday to send to folks on Tuesday to remind us all that Peace is possible, that there are many ways to contribute to it, that it can be easy, that we can make a difference, that it's worth being unreasonable and ridiculous for.
Love,
Lowejo
The name of this blog is for Peace on Tuesday and this is my first posting!
My purpose in creating this blog is to provide a focus for Peace, individually, in community, country and the planet. As a coach I work with people to create power and possibility in their lives and work. I notice that what's often in the way of the results people desire, in the way of joy and satisfaction, is FOCUS.
Peace is a result we have not achieved on this planet and I notice that there is no focus for Peace in our culture. So, I extend an invitation for everyone to create a focus in their lives for Peace. And specifically the invitation is to take some time every Tuesday to do one thing for Peace. It can be a simple meditation on ,or a prayer for, Peace. Or the action could be a challenging one, fasting or substituting healthy food for one meal that day, walking or biking to work, sharing something you wouldn't normally share. My intention is to have the country consider Tuesday a day to focus on Peace. I did not choose days traditionally reserved for religious observance on purpose because Peace is everyone's responsibility, everyone's opportunity. It is not simply the purview of the religious.
So, let me be clear. This is a blog to invite people to create a simple focus on Peace each Tuesday. This is not a blog that is against anything. Mother Theresa once said that she would come to a rally for Peace but would not attend an event that was against war. And for good reason. She knew that what we focus on expands. If we choose to focus on something we are against, something we can't be with, then we give it space in our lives - space to plague us, weight to add to our internal argument that life sucks!
I also declare that we need to shift our context regarding Peace and war. I see evidence of a pervasive context in the world and in our culture: Peace good, war bad. This context is not likely to create internal or planetary Peace. It certainly hasn't so far! We need a new context regarding Peace, one that allows or empowers us to take some personal action that moves us toward Peace in our lives and on this planet.
If you are willing to join me in creating this movement, please respond to this blog and let me know if you want to be included in a for Peace on Tuesday weekly message. I am committed to creating a blog posting every Monday to send to folks on Tuesday to remind us all that Peace is possible, that there are many ways to contribute to it, that it can be easy, that we can make a difference, that it's worth being unreasonable and ridiculous for.
Love,
Lowejo
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