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Being Peace
by Robert Rabbin
"In the hearts of people today there is a deep
longing for peace. When the true spirit of peace is thoroughly dominant, it
becomes an inner experience with unlimited possibilities. Only when this
really happens, when the spirit of peace awakens and takes possession of
men's hearts, can humanity be saved from perishing."
--Albert Schweitzer
"Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is
a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely
the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only
to peaceful people."
--Jawaharlal Nehru
The
greatest weapon of mass destruction is the attitude of militarism within the
human mind. The missiles and bombs from this arsenal are more lethal than
anything we could find in trailers and bunkers and silos. However many weapons
might be found, however many might be destroyed, ten more will appear for every
one that disappears. We will not be safe until the attitude of militarism is
dismantled; we will not be safe until the attitude of true peace is created as
the rule of law for persons and nations alike.
The human race has come to this precise point in its brief history: change, or
perish. There is no middle ground. Weapons of mass destruction are proliferating
like toxic clouds within the minds of so many people whose power threatens
civilization throughout the world. Change, or perish. Let us change. We already
know about militarism; we already know about this barbarism. We do not yet know
about peace. So let us learn, and then change.
There is no more urgent question than this: How can I make peace real? How are
we to meet violence with nonviolence, to meet war with peace, to meet fear with
love, to meet hatred with compassion? How are we to dismantle the attitude of
militarism and install the attitude of peace, within our own minds and within
the very structure of society? It is, first and foremost, a choice, a decision,
a commitment, a stand. In this moment in which the world is trembling and
reeling with angry passions and violent convictions, we must call for peace,
stand for peace, and act for peace. We must accept only peace. But first, we
must become peace itself, not an idea or image of peace, not the rhetoric of
peace, but actual peace, the peace in which violence cannot arise, the peace in
which the attitude of militarism cannot survive.
We must seek that peace, know that peace, and become that peace. How do we do
this? We can do this through understanding, and through reflection, and through
empathy. We must understand that we already are peace. It is called the
soul, and it is given to all in equal measure as a flame of the Creator's fire,
full of love and joy -- this is the soul, and this is peace. Regardless of what
our mind may say, regardless of what today's headlines may say, regardless of
what society may say, peace is the essential nature of all human beings.
This is the savage irony of our times and of the human condition: within each of
us is the loving and peaceful flame of the Creator, and yet we continue to
accept violence and war as though they were as natural as sunlight. They are
not. They are an aberration, a disease; and the medicine is experiencing the
reality of the soul. We cannot kill our way to peace. We cannot bomb our way to
safety. We must understand that within the soul of all human beings is peace.
How do we find our way to the soul? How do we live from the soul? We have to
reflect deeply on the nature of the mind, we have to reflect deeply on the
nature of thoughts and beliefs. Even if this seems unrealistic, we must do this.
We must come to know that Silence which waits for us just beneath the ragged
surface of the mind. We must sit together in Silence. We must join with others
in Silence. We must let Silence illuminate and transform the hateful delusions
of demagoguery. This is how we enter the soul.
We must learn to be Silent, and from within this Silence we wash ourselves clean
of anger, fear, and hatred. And we must question our beliefs about self and
other, we must inquire into the origin and nature of anger and retribution, of
fear and hostility. We must, in a word, become wise, in the way towering trees
are wise, and glaciers, and tides. We must become wise, like deserts and
mountains: Silent, profound, majestic.
Entering this Silence is discovering our soul, and from within the infinite
beauty of our soul, we know peace, we become peace. We must do this now, today,
and tomorrow, and every day for the rest of our lives: for our own sake, and for
the sake of our families, our communities, our world.
But do not be fooled: Silence is not passive. Silence is not weak. Silence is
not mute. The Silence of which I speak is the mind and heart of the universal
soul: it is active, strong, and loud. And it is peaceful. And it is
unconquerable. When we become truly peaceful within, we will create peace
without.
This is the work that we must all take up, now and for the rest of our days.
There is no greater work than this. There is no greater wealth than this. There
is no greater philosophy than this. There is no greater security than this.
There is no greater justice than this. There is no greater contribution than
this. There is no greater truth than this.
You do not have to take my word for it. You know this for yourself. You know it
now, resting in your soul, resting in the depths of your being. Here, we find
each other. Here, we find our lost love and compassion. Here, in this depth, we
find that truth which is beyond differences, beyond dogmas, beyond
justifications. It is the universal soul, and its face shines with beauty, with
tenderness, with love, with compassion, with forgiveness. But most of all, it
shines the same in all, and we must learn to feel this as a living truth.
Our world risks losing this soul, if we do not find it within ourselves and if
we do not then stand and move and speak and act in the world with the full
weight and measure and power of this soul found again within our own depth of
being where the Creator placed it.
Do not be fooled by the shrill voices that call upon your fears and urge you to
war, to violence, to brutality. Do not do this. Turn away from this noise and
enter the Silence of your soul. Entering this place, then find new mouths and
new words, new hands and new actions, new hearts and new compassion. Let the
children waiting in celestial realms be suddenly happy at the prospect of coming
to Earth.
Let us now resolve to enter the depths of Silence every day, let us resolve to
purify our mind and heart in these still waters, let us resolve to wash away all
anger and hatred and fear in these still waters, that we may find the peace, the
love, the joy that is within us and that we share these soul-treasures freely
with one another in friendship and mutual respect.
Let us affirm that we are peace, and knowing that we are peace, let us also
affirm that we will stand for peace, speak for peace, and create peace in each
hour of each day.
Though there is a great army of those who prefer violence, we must create an
even greater army of people who choose peace. Once we find our way into the
spiritual heart, into the silence of the soul, into the very mind of God and
then into Oneness with all of life -- we have no choice but to live in peace.
But we can be strong and active in our love. We can be mighty in our peaceful
ways. We can work long and hard to eradicate the true cause of violence, which
is poverty of spirit. We must work to enrich our own understanding, to unfurl
the flag of peace within our own heart. We must find strength and solace in our
own inner light and peace, and then we must spread this light and peace
throughout the world in real and telling ways, even dramatic ways.
 This
article is written by the author of Igniting the Soul at Work: A Mandate for
Mystics, ?2002, by Robert Rabbin.
The business consultant who taught executives, managers, and employees to look
past the drone of daily business life to find their true vision and essence
takes the next step, showing how to utilize that inner vision in the workplace
for the good of individuals, corporations and organizations?
Info/Order this book.
More books by this author.
About the Author
Robert
Rabbin is a writer, speaker, and spiritual
activist. He is the author of numerous books and articles, and the creator of
TruthForPresident.org, an online spiritual activism resource. He is also the
author of
Echoes of Silence: Awakening the Meditative Spirit.
For more information, please visit
www.radicalsages.com or
www.robrabbin.com.
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