World Peace Day – September 21st

World Peace.  The concept is a cliche used by beauty queen contestants and politicians.  It’s hard to even define the what the word peace means, let alone get the whole world in on the act.  For some peace is simply the absence of war or physical violence.  For others it is a state of mind within an individual, a lack of inner discord.  Safety, justice, and equity are terms that crop up when talking about peace.

I’m a person who believes neither peace nor hostility are the natural resting places of our society or our hearts.  Instead we swing back and forth between them and the difference between a pacifistic and sadistic war criminal is measured in the arc of our swing.  The Gods I worship dwell along this same arc.  Aphrodite is fierce in battle and the embodiment of tender beauty.  Ares ushers in fear and blood lust, yet He also brings equity to the courtroom.  The Gods force us to face complexity.  To give up immature notions of this or that, black or white, yes or no, good or bad.  To dwell in their presence is to experience and.  This and that, black and white, yes and no, to radically change our notions of what is good and bad.  To understand there is a place for harmony and discord.

We can only hope that our yearning for peace and our drive for conflict are tempered by prudence, a virtue overlooked and scoffed at.  Knowing when to act and how to act may be boring, but it is also one of the best definitions of wisdom I’ve ever come across.
Today is World Peace Day.  So perhaps it may be wise, it may be prudent, if you will, to lean a bit further towards.  Peace in our actions.  Peace in words.  Peace in our hearts.  The organizers of this day ask us to “Create your own personal commitment for Peace Day, whether it’s bringing your family together, saying sorry or holding an event. Be as creative as you can.” Sound like something you can do? Want to check out this World Peace Day a bit more? I say go for it.  We may not ever get world peace, but we could have a smidgen more peace in our lives, just for today.

Bonus – watch the video.  Worth it.  It’s short.  Then watch the film.  Worth it.  it’s long.

Double bonus – play soccer. I’m not sure why.  If you understand that part of the World Peace Day, let me know.