Peace

Little did the Woods family know that Joshua’s young life would be snuffed out merely by sitting in a car that happened to be parked on the other side of a perimeter wall at Midway Airport? We never know what the ‘morrow will bring.

As long as we don’t know, why not start this day and create peace with each breath? What a difference it would make in our families as well as our global family. Peace Pilgrim was a woman who started a journey January 1, 1953. She walked more than 25,000 miles across America talking about peace between nations, peace among groups and people and the most important Inner Peace. The message she disseminated was, “This is the way of peace: overcome evil with good, falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.” What an inspiring role model she was for the thousands of lives she touched in her twenty-eight year pilgrimage. Even today, her strength, determination and attitude continue to uplift and motivate many more lives.

One in particular is Brandon Wilson, who has walked many of the traditional pilgrimage routes in Europe as well as from Lhasa, Tibet to Kathmandu, Nepal, a journey of 1000 kilometers. He is the author of Yak Butter Blues: A Tibetan Trek of Faith. (www.yakbutterblues.com) Brandon gave me permission to share with you his “Lessons on the Path to Peace,” which I read about in the Peace Pilgrim Newsletter.(www.friends@peacepilgrim.org) They are as follows:

Be trusting: Have faith that the path knows where it’s going-even if you don’t.

Be generous: Travel lightly. All of life is a gift. What you don’t need, give away.

Be kind: On the path, even the smallest word of encouragement makes a difference.

Be humble: Walking on dirt is easier on the feet than walking on pavement.

Be human: There is no harm in getting lost--only in staying lost.

Be a friend: Folks along the way impact your life, if just for a moment. All too soon they leave to follow their own path. Don’t resent this. Bid them good journey. Thank them for their gift.

Be content: Savor the small victories along the way.

Be grateful: Even the smallest things on the path are either a gift or a lesson.

Be flexible: Sometimes trails just vanish. That doesn’t mean you’ve lost our way or were on the wrong path--only that there’s a different one now.

Be hopeful: Tomorrow is another day waiting with the possibility of success.

Be happy: Laughter and song are nature’s tonic for adversity.

Be aware: It’s the journey that ultimately matters, not the destination.

“Above all else,” Brandon suggests, “love all living things on the path. Love God, your fellow travelers and yourself.”

From what I’ve learned through client histories, personal experience and life in general, one of the biggest obstacles to peace is fear. Worry and fear take a humungous toll on all aspects of your life. Trials come as red flags to wake up and make necessary changes, not to chisel away at your happiness. Not only does fear affect your heart, it paralyzes your dreams and aspirations and causes you great mental, emotional and spiritual stress. The greatest way to overcome fear is to realize your true nature. Get a handle on that and each moment will be saturated with joy, harmony, unconditional love and yes, peace of mind. After all you never know what the ‘morrow will bring.

Summary:
1. Life is fragile – be grateful for each minute of it.
2. The Path is what you believe and value.
3. Know who you are and become the master of fear.

Quote:
“True spirituality is to be aware that if we are interdependent with everything and everyone else, even our smallest, least significant thought, word, and action have real consequences throughout the universe.”
Sogyal Rinpoche