Building peace, and starting with love
A view from Fletcher Hill Road in Woodstock, Vermont. (Gareth Henderson Photo)
As springtime flourishes around us, we witness natural peace and harmonious progress all around us, the former season a distant memory. Familiar images come to mind, like that beautiful, slow-motion video of the flower blooming, and turning toward the sunlight, finding its natural place closest to the sun’s nurturing rays. A moment of seeking light, and finding it.
These days, that moment can seem a distant thing. Pictures of peace, like the above, seem fleeting at best. The world longs for peace, one that lasts, one that goes beyond a feeling. Though it may be difficult to see at times, people have a natural leaning toward peace, just like the flower that seeks the sun. It’s not about what we feel from moment to moment; this peace is part of our being, joined to our innate ability to love one another.
Knowing this, we have to seek peace where it all begins: within us. If we build peace within ourselves, the harmony that seems impossible to attain can shine through us, even if just a little bit at first. It starts with an individual’s chosen lens through which to view the world. Will it be through the love which comes to us so naturally? To build peace through loving others as ourselves, is really our most natural desire as people. Where rightly motivated desire lives, there is opportunity, and a possibility to join together for the greater good. In that space, we make a difference.
Amid the struggles of the past two years, we’ve seen this happen. Neighbors have helped one another and created unforgettable, inspiring moments leading to progress, and leading others to help their communities. It’s clear that this pattern of unselfishness awoke in us a collective propensity to lift each other up. There’s a history of this in the world, even in the darkest times, because that connection of compassion is natural and familiar to everyone.
However, this existence never allows us to sit still; it demands greater proof of what we can accomplish. Now, we, as a global community, are being asked to meet such a challenge. From the recent shootings in the U.S., to the war in Ukraine, the demand of the times is to muster compassion, love and grace to make a difference. That work will look different for each individual, but everyone has a way to contribute to the healing, the peace, that is so needed today. Every person can express peace and provide that gift to everyone they see, every day. By doing so, that natural, peaceful expression is established, takes root and grows in the world. It’s a meaningful part of the solution at this important time. And it shows us that the answer the world needs begins in our very hearts. Right where hopelessness tries to creep in, there is love, and the ability to build lasting peace. Each person can play a role in cultivating that framework, starting now.
— Gareth Henderson
