I was listening to satellite radio one night on the way home, and they were talking with Peter Yarrow and Paul Stookey who are the remaining members of the folk group Peter, Paul, and Mary which was popular in the 60s and 70s. Remember "Puff The Magic Dragon" and "Leaving on a Jet Plane"? As the interview progressed (at least what little I heard of it), Peter talked about much of their music being related to the peace movement of the 60s and how they are involved today trying to spread peace. At one point, he made a very powerful observation... Peace starts within.
It is an old joke about beauty pageant contestants being asked what they wish for most, and the standby answer is always "World Peace". But we all want world peace. We all want changes. We all want the world to be a better place. We watch the TV news and see war, and violence, and all the things bad going on around our planet. It makes us upset. It makes us angry. It makes us depressed because we feel we can't do anything about it. But we can.
Now, we can't just snap our fingers, or read some magical incantation that will instantly make the world a peaceful and happy place. Making that change would take big things, because what needs to be changed is big. But even mountains can be wiped away, but it takes time, and it takes consistently working at it. The ocean can wash away the land, but it does it by constantly pushing at it. The key is to start small.
If you put a bucket out in the yard, eventually, it will fill with rain water. It will happen a drop at a time, but it will happen. We have to work the same way.
Within us is where we start to make global changes. We make peace with ourselves, with what and who we are. Then we fill ourselves with that peace. Once we are peaceful within our own being, that energy of peacefulness spreads out to others. As they become one with that energy, it moves out to others still. It's like that old commercial "She told two friends, and they told two friends...". Eventually, a lot of people are believing the same way. Eventually this energy spreads out and grows. Eventually, it inhabits the planet, and things do change. They don't change overnight. They don't change in a week, or a month, but they do change. The problem with making this change is that we have to stay with it.
The Law of Attraction says that we pull to us what we project. In fact, that is the key to "The Secret". You keep putting positive energy to what you want and eventually, it will happen. Why so many people have such trouble with this is they fall back onto old habits, and lose that positive energy. If you want a new car, and you keep putting positive energy to it, you will bring that to you. But every time you swear at the car you have removes all positive energy you sent to getting a new one.
When we watch the news on TV, we get angry or depressed at what we see. That wipes away any peacefulness we have. They key is to see these events, and think "I am peaceful, and I spread that peace to this region, or events, or people." Meditation can help. It will let you create the base for your building blocks. Also recognizing mood changes, specifically when you are not peaceful, will allow you to make instant changes so you are.
Yes, it takes effort. Yes, it takes time. But eventually, it will happen. And depending on what it is, it may not happen in our lifetimes. But once planted, the seed will grow. So, peace starts within. Once there, it can spread, grow, and eventually become something special. It takes time, patience, and commitment.
So, outer peace starts with inner peace. Start planting the seeds now (as I am with this entry).