By Natalie Amsden
“The Earth is at peace. There are no wars. There is no hunger. Honesty, courtesy and kindness are practiced by all. The world has never been more perfect.”
Does this sound like the quintessential “peace on earth” that you pray for? The quote above is not an inspirational call by a peaceful leader, it is the opening line to the movie “The Host”. The line that follows is “It is no longer your world.” Next, they unveil that the “all” who are practicing courtesy and kindness are not humans, but an alien species referred to as “Souls” who have taken over the human population. Is that what it would take for us to live in peace?
Definitely not. Although the movie focuses on the ultimate abduction, it also has a deeper theme – the enemy within. After watching this movie and experiencing a myriad of non-peaceful circumstances in my own life, I came to a sobering conclusion:
“Peace on Earth” is not about waiting for a state of peace that pervades the entire planet, it is about finding your own place of peace on this Earth, regardless of what individuals or societies are doing.
From deep within my soul I genuinely ache to see the hungry be fed, the sick be cared for, the lost be found, the suppressed to be free—to see a world at peace, in each resident’s individual lives as well as with each other as a cooperative, multi-faceted, interdependent organism of One. I know that those of you reading this, as well as millions of kind-hearted people around the world, have desires and intentions for our planet and global community that mirror my own. There are even a small percentage of us that dedicate our lives to creating change that will bring more peace to our world, whether government officials seeking diplomatic resolutions, environmental activists spreading knowledge and practical solutions, scientists inventing paradigm-shifting technologies, or individuals spreading love to others through what they do.
Unfortunately, so many of us with open hearts allow the famine, suffering, injustice, and conflict of the world to weigh us down.
The notion of “peace on earth” becomes discouraging when we watch the evening news (which is why I don’t). Our attempts at improving the lives of others—to bring them more peace—can often become draining and frustrating when we face institutions that won’t easily change, layers of red tape, or individuals who are unwilling to make changes for their highest good. Lightworkers of all kinds, from social workers to activists and from missionaries to energy healers, do their best to contribute so that the world population thrives and finds peace.
Lightworkers embody the epitome of what Gandhi meant when he inspired us to “be the change we wish to see in the world.”
Yet, no matter how dedicated we are to our causes, to remain focused on the goal of “peace on Earth” is pointing our energy of transformation in the wrong direction. As the movie I mentioned reflects, our goal is not to force the world into peace—to occupy their minds and control their lives—our mission is to inspire the lives of individuals around the world to fine their OWN peace – from within. We wish to see the hungry be fed because it causes US pain when we look at them starving. Yet, if we’re honest with ourselves, our truest desire is to see them at peace—regardless of how much food fills their bellies. We may ache when we see an abused child, and it is honorable for us to take action to protect him or her, yet, if we put our own feelings aside we will see that what is best for any child, or any adult, is to find the strength within themselves to find inner peace regardless of the severity of their circumstances.
Of course, it would certainly be ideal to see a world without war, famine, oppression, or suffering. But notice I said “to see” a world without war. It’s not the world or other people who need to have the absence of war in order to be at peace, it’s you. It makes you feel better “to see” that world, does it not? Now, what if you knew that those individuals experiencing war were, in fact, experiencing peace within their own being? How would you feel about it?
What I’m trying to say here is not something most people want to hear. Heck, it’s not something I even want to hear. I’ve fought myself over this for years. I’ve tried to create an environment in my life that is free from suffering—an environment that when I look at it, the circumstances of it and the people in it, I feel at peace. But you see, waiting for the world, or your own personal environment, to bring you peace means you will live a peace-less life for eternity.
Peace does not come from outside of yourself. Nor does it for anybody else.
No matter how “bad” we judge circumstances as, each and every one of us has the same ability to experience peace in ANY situation. Any. It is the true nature of our being to be at peace. The only thing that stands in our way is our insistence that the world we “see” around us should be pleasing to the eye. Peace on Earth will come when each individual makes the decision in each moment to take responsibility for their OWN lives and find the peace that always exists within. Being in a state of peace is the only state in which we can accurately make decisions for how to BE THE CHANGE we wish to see. In fact, when you’re at peace, you already are.
Natalie Amsden is the Publisher of Transformation Magazine. She is a transformation life coach, specializing in conscious personal evolution and discovering your purpose. Natalie is also a Motivational Speaker, presenting on topics such as Enlightened Relationships, Personal Transformation, and Entrepreneurship. Connect with Natalie at www.transformationservices.org.