Let It Begin With
Me
by Marie T. Russell
 There is a song that has become a "mantra"
for me. One that I sing either out loud or
internally to myself when I feel stressed, or
angry, or upset in one way or another. It is the
"Peace Song"... You may be familiar with it. It
is a song that is sung in a lot of the "new
thought" churches such as Unity Church. The
first line is:
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
It serves as a good reminder when I find
myself in a situation where I would tend to
react with anger, or judgment, or criticism.
Rather than react with anger, I silently sing to
myself, "Let there be peace on earth, and let it
begin with me."
There are many occasions in life where our
"inner peace" is challenged. Whether it is
sitting in a traffic jam while late for work, or
having someone cut you off dangerously on the
highway, or having someone say something to you
that triggers your anger... All these situations
are occasions where we are presented with a
choice: peace or anger. Sometimes, we react so
quickly that the angry words are out of our
mouth before we have a chance to even think...
Yet, there is always the next moment. We have a
choice about whether to continue the anger, to
prolong an argument, or to choose peace.
Choosing peace is not always easy. It
involves swallowing our pride, putting our ego
down a notch or two, and possibly even letting
the other person feel like they "won". Yet who
truly wins? The person who is eaten up with
anger and hatred, or the person who remains at
peace internally? I know for myself, I enjoy
life much more when I am at peace internally.
Which is why I made a choice, and I remake it
often (especially when I've "stepped off the
peace wagon"). My choice? "Let there be peace on
earth and let it begin with me."
We learn in life, at some point, that we
can't change others. Lord knows we have all
tried to change our siblings, our parents, our
children, our mate, our friends, etc. What we
discover, at some point along the way, is that
we can't change anyone else. We can only change
ourselves, and then hopefully we become a "role
model". We teach by our example.
So if we want to have a more peaceful
existence with our family, our neighbors, our
world, then we must start with having peace
within ourselves. We are number 1. When we start
by making inner peace our priority, we find that
we are enmeshed in a lot less situations where
anger and resentment are the rule. We choose
peace over gossip, anger, frustration, getting
even, and holding a grudge. When we make inner harmony the priority in our life, many
things lose importance. We don't get upset about
things that are really of no consequence - like
the garbage not having been taken out. Or at
least if we get upset, we get over it more
quickly... as soon as we remember to choose
inner peace. It doesn't mean that we don't take
actions, or steps to attain our desired goal, it
simply means that we don't do it with hatred and
anger in our hearts.
There is no need to hang on to a grudge,
since the one that it really is hurting and
upsetting is the holder of the grudge energy --
me, myself & I. We realize that anger hurts us
more than the person it is directed to -- after
all, sometimes the person you're angry at has no
idea you're angry, and they've gone on and are
enjoying their life. Yet, you, the angry person, are the one who is miserable. The main thing to
realize is that we always have a choice. To be
angry or not to be angry, to be at peace or not
to be at peace. that is truly the question.
Life becomes so much more simple when we
realize that we are not a victim of our emotions
and our reactions. While we may get "carried
away" by them occasionally, once we "catch on"
we can change the direction in which we are
headed. We are not helpless victims. We are
powerful beings who can take charge of our lives
by paying attention to our thoughts, our words,
our actions. Whatever reality we want to create
in our lives, we must think it, say it, and then
take the appropriate action to make it come
true.
Thus if you set your goal to be inner peace
(or inner harmony, or love), then first you must
"think it" as often as you can. Repeat to
yourself a positive affirmation to reinforce
your decision. Just as we've been brainwashed
into negative thought patterns, we need to
brain-wash ourselves and do a good
housecleaning, and plant the seeds of the
reality we want. When we plant those seeds
(positive thoughts), we help them grow by
repeating them often, both silently and out
loud. The more we change our thinking, the more
the consequence of our thinking (our words and
our actions) change.
When I find myself feeling anger stirring
within, I remind myself (internally): "Let there
be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."
Just remembering that choice throws the damper
on any fire of anger that was starting to build
up.
What we need to accept is that it is a choice
-- ours. Which doesn't mean that we're "bad"
when we give in to the anger. No. It's not bad
-- it's simply a choice were making (perhaps
unconsciously) at that instant. Yet, eventually,
we will remember our commitment to inner peace,
and then we will "change our mind" about
choosing anger. At first it may take a few days
to change our mind, then we reach a point when
we'll choose peace a few minutes after choosing
anger, and eventually, we'll not choose anger at
all. It won't even be an option -- most of the
time. There may occasionally be times when your
choose anger... and then you'll remember that
your "real choice", your permanent choice is
inner peace and you'll change your behavior. It
is an ongoing process.
The main thing to remember is to not place
any guilt and blame on yourself for your anger.
We are human. We have learned many ways of
responding to situations from our parents,
siblings, peers, TV, movies, etc. Once these
responses become habits, they are harder to
abandon. So, it is a question of constantly
"remaking the choice". It's the old story of a
child learning to walk. Each time the child
falls, it has to decide it wants to keep trying,
even though it will fall again and again before
it attains its goal.
It's the same with us and any change we want
to make in our lives. Like anything new we
learn, bicycling, skiing, horseback riding,
speaking a new language, we don't get it "right"
at the beginning. We learn a technique, we
practice, we make mistakes, but eventually, if
we don't give up on ourselves, we do attain our
goal -- we've "mastered" a new skill. Which
doesn't mean we are then perfect at it... There
is always more to learn. The main thing is to
never give up on ourselves. We are "under
construction" and as such must give ourselves
some leeway for not "having it all together".
So, let there be peace on earth, and within
each one of us, and let it begin with me (and each one of us)... one
breath at a time.
Recommended
book:
It's Never Too Late to Have a Happy Childhood
by Claudia Black
Info/Order
book
 About The Author
Marie
T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also
produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from
1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and
well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own
inner source of joy and creativity.
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