No one who knows me could think I support the war in Iraq. That would make me a peacemaker, right? Hardly.
They say charity begins at home.
So does peace.
When the bible talks about beating swords into plowshares, it's talking about something far more difficult than advanced black-smithing. It takes a lot of courage (fear that has said its prayers) to give a defense up. If I'm using my sword to work the earth, it's not worth much in terms of self-protection. So either I am willing to be without protection, or I believe that I have protection, whether I see it or not.
It isn't easy to bring that reality into my life. Defending myself is ingrained. If my husband mentions a dust bunny, I have to give reasons why it isn't my fault, as if I could be responsible for the existence of anything, even somethng so unimportant. I react out of fear. It's my modality. And it is counterproductive to peacemaking.
My ego, my false self, assumes that I must be perfect to deserve love. Since perfection is beyond me, so is love. But the very fact that I draw breath ought to be proof enough that the Creator loves me, since I believe that the Creator's love alone sustains my existence. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, my ego is busy trying to create some kind of façade to trick us all into believeing that I've made it to perfection, so it can get the love it knows it must have to continue to exist.
This is exhausting in every possible way, and it never brings peace, within or without.
Starting today, even if I only do it one time each day, I will resist the urge to defend myself. When someone mentions that supper is burnt, I will answer "Yes it is," because a statement of fact is not necessarily an attack. If I am truly attacked, I will turn away from my attacker as best I can and not engage. In this way, perhaps, I can begin to become the peacemaker I want to be.
Pax vobiscum.
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Comments: 14
Blessings
Another time, instead of focusing on the attack, my response was, for some reason, to ask inside myself, "Why is this happening?" As I was receiving my answer and therefore my understanding, the attacker simply lost energy and stopped.
So the LOVE deal ("The only protection is Love [receiving Love, sending Love, remembering Love, spelling out L-O-V-E, etc]) is really about focusing on the God within/the God without.
NOW: how to master the art of doing this in highly dangerous/instantaneous reaction situations like war zones? WELL, each person who does what you're doing, Ann, takes us one person closer to being able to do that.
Self-mastery is the key. Thank heavens for YOU.
I don't know about this 'love' thing. I treat people with the proper respect and cordiality...in times of need I will help if I can. Yet, I love those near and dear to me that's all and friends...but, I am no flower child.
I think you have the right approach and I wish you continued spiritual growth. God bless.
When dealing with an attacker, I'm still learning how to personally add to the love that wishes to connect - from God/Creator/Source to the heart of the attacker. I'm not an expert at personally loving attackers. But I HAVE learned how to unblock the flow of love, and to focus on Love itself, loving Love and watching it do its work.
In my experience Love is a substance, like a river or the wind - it's a flow of substance which has no judgementalism - it simply IS.
As far as I'm able to discern, Love is the only power, and the only thing that ever truly changes anything for the better.
To avoid blocking the Love flow, some people simply spell out "L-O-V-E" over and over again, staying in their "witness" or "healthy detatchment" state of consciousness, and watching the changes moment by moment.
This works inside as well as outside. It's worth a try.
In order to master this, it helps to go into one's memory banks - go back in time and re-live an attack, only this time practice opening the heart so the Love flow, which is always moving through us, does not get blocked. In this meditation you can also call on help from angels, power animals, saints, avatars, buddhas, whoever - so that you can keep allowing - ALLOWING - the Love-That-Always-Is, to do its works of change.
As this spiritual warrior skill (taught by Jesus and others) becomes stronger during meditation, the practice of it in present time - in the Moment, in the Now - will become second-nature. In terms of Peace On Earth, this is the sort of tiny practice that makes an incredible difference, one person at a time.
I wish you luck.
Good article, Ann. Go easy on yourself - no one is perfect and sometimes people's comments are totally innocent and have nothing to do with us personally.