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
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
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
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
