Give peace a chance

Everywhere we look today it seems there’s another natural or unnatural disaster. And most of us feel powerless to do anything about it. As an empath, I sometimes shut my eyes at night, breathe, and repeat positive affirmations just to calm the inner storm in my mind. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s much more powerful than we may know. As Albert Einstein said, “Everything is energy…match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality.” Every thought we think influences that energy field and vibrates out to the world. That means, whether we acknowledge it or not, we must take responsibility for a powerful choice we make with every thought we think: More violence? Or give peace a chance?

Give peace a chance

In the early sixties, The Beatles sparked worldwide joy, and a little mania, with musical hits like I Want to Hold Your Hand and She Loves You. Yeah, yeah, yeah. They could have stopped right there and still given us an incredible legacy.

Yet in 1968, at the height of their fame, they decided to pursue a more meaningful path, traveling to India to study transcendental meditation. With the Vietnam War still waging, civil unrest exploding in the U.S. and around the world, and being threatened by the government, maybe they were fed up. Or, maybe they wanted to be like Ghandi and find a way to ‘be the change.’

Studying Eastern wisdom traditions deepened their understanding of consciousness and their commitment to cultivating peace. Not long after their return came some of the most meaningful and inspiring lyrics of all time. Like John’s Give Peace a Chance and Imagine and George’s Give Me Love and My Sweet Lord. They also organized events like ‘Bed-ins’ for peace and The Concert for Bangladesh, raising awareness for the need to unite with our fellow humans around the world.

While most of us will never reach the extraordinary level of skill, fame, or success of the Fab Four, that doesn’t matter. What does matter is opening our minds to a broader perspective and creating our own path to making a difference.

Return to the East

I believe most of us wish for peace in the world. We vote, we attend rallies, we pray, we volunteer. But despite all this, we feel powerless to effect real change. We wonder why people grow apathetic, but when problems feel so big, we feel too small to solve them.

As we witness the same old challenges (and more) in 2021, I can’t help but feel like screaming. By the looks of social media, we all seem to feel that way. Have we not learned anything through centuries upon centuries of fighting?

Instead, I decided to follow George’s lead and reach for some Eastern wisdom. Specifically, a book on my shelf called The Yamas & Niyamas by Deborah Adele. I turned immediately to the chapter devoted to nonviolence.

A few years ago, I attended a weekend workshop led by Deborah that focused on this beautiful book. It’s essentially a primer of spiritual guidelines or as she calls them, “rare gems of wisdom that give direction to a well-lived and joyful life.” For a true yogi like Deborah, the Downward Dogs and Tree poses are not just about creating awareness and discipline within the body, but within the mind as well.

There are ten of these gems of wisdom, but the first and most foundational Yama is nonviolence. It’s the basis of all the other gems and it’s where we begin to give peace a chance.

The mirror never lies

When we think of violence, we usually think of causing physical harm to others. But what about the war we wage within ourselves? Critical thoughts, worries, regrets, perfectionism, denying ourselves love, comfort, and respect. In other words, treating ourselves like our worst enemy.

These may seem like personal issues that only cause ourselves harm. (To me, that’s enough reason to rein in these behaviors.) But as Deborah writes, “our ability to be nonviolent to others is directly related to our ability to be nonviolent within ourselves.”

In essence, what we choose to think and where we choose to place our attention are like pebbles dropped into a puddle, causing ripple effects. Those ripples vibrate through the energy field that Einstein talks about. They impact the people around us and throughout the world in ways we may never realize.

Although there IS a way to assess the impact: What’s happening around us is the mirror.

The good news is that, while violence begins in the mind, that’s also where we have the power to effect change.

Negotiating a peace treaty

Creating peace between nations is not easy. If it were, the world would be in a much better place.

So, how do we begin to negotiate peace within ourselves? The first step is to become aware of the violent energy behind some of our common thought and behavior patterns. Compared to peace talks, these are a cake walk. But they still require awareness, intention, and attention.

Below is a sort of ‘Cliff’s Notes’ of Deborah’s chapter on nonviolence. I hope it inspires us all to put down our personal weapons and use our ‘arms’ to deliver hugs not hate.

1. Finding our courage: When we’re afraid of others and their beliefs or of not having enough or being enough, we often act in ways to protect ourselves. Lashing out, even if only in our thoughts, is an act of violence. Choosing to refocus our thoughts on love and acceptance, of others and of ourselves, is a way to cultivate a peaceful inner state that can extend out to the world.
2. Creating balance: This one reminds me of ‘hangry.’ Those commercials with Danny DeVito captured perfectly what happens when we push ourselves too far. We get cranky, bitchy, and downright mean. Those are all small acts of violence that we can prevent simply by taking better care of ourselves—eating well, getting more rest, and taking time to connect with our hearts and calm our minds every day.
3. Dealing with powerlessness: When we feel overwhelmed and powerless to change things, we get anxious and often lash out at ourselves and others—more acts of violence. These feelings are often rooted in childhood when we felt powerless over what happened to us. But as adults, we can question these beliefs and make choices that empower us—like asking for help, setting boundaries, or saying no  to honor our needs.
4. Self-love: How many times have you denied yourself a simple pleasure or called yourself stupid, ugly, or worthless? Writes Deborah, “Our inability to love and accept all the pieces of ourselves creates ripples—tiny acts of violence—that have huge and lasting impacts on others.” I think that sums it all up. Being good to ourselves is a pledge for peace!
5. Violence to others: This may seem obvious, but we may not recognize how we violate others in subtle ways. For example, ‘helping’ others when they don’t want or ask for our help or thinking we know what’s best for them. (A hallmark of codependence.) Or worrying — showing a lack of faith in Spirit’s plan. This doesn’t mean we turn a cold shoulder to the suffering of others. Compassion, as shared below, means listening, comforting, and sharing while maintaining clear boundaries.
6. Developing compassion: As Deborah writes, “Every human being walking this earth has painful stories tucked in the corner of their hearts. If we could remember this truth, perhaps we could see with the eyes of compassion rather than the eyes of our own judgments and preferences.” ‘nuff said.

This super brief synopsis just scratches the surface. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Deborah’s book.

Maybe I’m a dreamer

We’re all flawed humans with brains wired for survival — which means we get triggered, defensive, and behave badly sometimes. We’ve also been conditioned to believe we are powerless little people.

But imagine if we all tried practicing just this one Yama of nonviolence. Imagine praising ourselves rather than criticizing. Imagine listening rather than forcing our views on others. Imagine relaxing into life rather than racing through our days. Imagine using our time and talents to share these ideas with others in our little circle of influence. Imagine finding the power to cultivate non-violence within our hearts and minds.

Imagine practicing nonviolence and giving peace a chance by vibrating love and acceptance throughout the world.

You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.

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I’m a holistic life coach who specializes in expressive writing to nurture healing, insight, and creativity. Check out more inspirational articles at my blog, Good Vibrations. For more information about life coaching, visit my website at www.manifestwithmargrita.com.  Have a question or topic you’d like me to write about here? Email me at [email protected]. I invite you to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, too!