There is a popular phrase through which people express their personal longing for peace. It is when we wish the Dead – “Rest in peace”. I think it would be very appropriate to direct these compliments to the Living as well and on a daily basis wish ourselves and other people – “Live in peace”.
In his book “Peace begins in the soul”, Bert Hellinger shares his ideas about living in peace:
“Peace begins in your own soul. All that we have previously judged, regretted, and repressed in ourselves, can now take its rightful place next to all that we have approved of. It can be recognized, even loved, for its significance, its consequences, and its contributions to our growth. This demands of us that we leave the ideal of innocence behind us. Innocence neither challenges, nor supports, and prefers suffering to acting; it prefers to remain a child rather than grow up.”
In order to live in peace I need to first of all find the peace in my own soul. The way described above is very demanding and requires a lot of courage.
However, if I’m successful in this regard, I will stop demanding of others that they provide a peaceful environment for my own comfort, for this kind of desire is appropriate for a child, but not necessary for an adult. Rather, I can share my own peaceful soul with others.
Peaceful society and environment is not to be granted. It is to be built from the scratch, by adding peaceful souls one to another. The more individuals are peaceful in their souls, the more peaceful society will be. And it is not responsibility of any government to bring this about. It is not that ‘somebody should do something about it’. It is the responsibility of everyone of us to find the way to heal our own souls and then help others in doing so.
