Peace in our Time

Can there be peace in our time?

Let’s define “our time?”

Add the word “life” to time and the question becomes “Can we have peace in our lifetime?”

Lifetime I’m not sure about. Our lives can be incredibly long. In fact living is the longest thing you will ever do.

From the time you pop into this reality to the time you withdraw your focus from your physical body, you are by most definitions alive and nothing else you do while you are alive do you do longer than just simply be alive.

From your first breath to your last, we think and we breathe until the end. Point is, life is long! Can we have peace during this incredible journey? Read on!

In the wake of any tragedy, be it a terrorist act, school shooting, or any other heinous act that fill our news feeds on an all too regular basis many ask,

“Why does this happen?”

“What can we do?”

“What can I do?”

What can I do?

This is the most important question I think, because we ultimately have no control over the actions of other people. Like I said before, life is really freaking long and if we spend that whole time running around trying to get everyone to behave a certain way, to fit our definition of how-it-should-be, to behave in a way so that we can feel good, we will not only alienate and disempower others, but we will never know peace.

We cannot be so focused and concerned about the actions of others and truly know our own peace, which is ultimately knowing who we really are.

So let’s go back to the original question.

Can there be peace in our time?

Take everyone else out of the equation for a minute. Everyone. Your boss. Your mom. Your partner. Your leaders. Your teachers. Your dog. Bad people. Peacekeepers. Every. One.

Stop thinking about everyone else for a minute.

Now, here you are. You are here reading this. Just you.

Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Follow the breath in, feel it fill your lungs. Slowly let it out and just observe the breath as it flows out through you. Open your eyes and keep reading. You still need them to read, for now.

Now ask the question again, this time just a little differently.

Can there be peace in MY time?

Well when is my time?

Now.

My time is in the here and now.

My time is right now. Right now. Right now. Right now.

My time is not yesterday and I am not who I was yesterday.

I am now.

Maybe you’ve heard this before but now is all there is. You’ve got this one moment and that’s it.

The power of now? It’s a real thing.

All your power, all that is, is happening right now in this sweet, delicious, transitory moment.

So, can I have peace now?

Yes.

Wait, all those other people, all those things I need to do…..no.

Just you. Right now.

Can you have peace now? Right now.

In this moment?

But I have the thing later and I’ve got to pick up such and such. No.

You do. And you will. And you will be doing it now, when then becomes now.

But for right now, here you are. You are here and here is now.

Nothing else exists. Past/future just exists in your mind. It’s not “reality.” Not yet so don’t think about it. Think about now and think about breathing and just read.

Take another deep breath and close your eyes, and notice that sweet delicious breath come in, fill your lungs and flow back out. Open your eyes.

You may have felt a little movement in your personal in-this-moment peace. Maybe just a little. Maybe a lot. Maybe nothing.

Whatever you felt, or didn’t feel, make peace with it. Ha!

You see, peace begins with us.

Peace begins in our own hearts.

Can you be so selfish for a minute that you can stop thinking about ALL THE THINGS for a second during your day, and just focus on you and your breath?

You are your breath.

Your breath is your anchor in this world.

Without it, the you you think you are is no more.

So your breath is kinda important right?

Peace is possible in your time because your time is now, and if you just bring your awareness to your breath, to your lifeline, with time and practice your world melts away, you bring your focus into this very moment, now, where the fullness of who-you-are exists, and you catch a glimpse of what peace really means.

There can be peace in your time, but it’s your time. Yours alone.

Peace begins with you.

Peace is just one breath away.

The peace you seek is already inside you.

Take a breath and let some out.

“If there is to be peace in the world,

There must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations,

there must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities,

there must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors,

there must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home,

there must be peace in the heart.”

- Lao Tzu, 6th Century BC