The 7 Steps of Peace
I read this poem I wrote on my other blog Clowning Around the World. I felt the importance of the poem, so I have re-posted in my current blog. When we feel happy we are feeling peace and in alignment with our truth, when we are conflicted, we have believed something that is out of alignment. Sometimes it can be very difficult to accept that when we see things we see as clearly wrong. I am for peace and harmony, I would never seek to harm another intentionally. My interest is for them to see their greatness. Yet in the world much is happening, the media does tend to promote the negative and we feel some despair about the world. We know not the purpose of events nor do we know the good that emerges, this is seldom discussed. So we become fearful of life. My understanding is to face life and understand we do not know it all, nor are we meant to. Yet we can find peace when we choose to face life and resolve problems within our own families and ourselves. This is usually the hardest challenge, but it is a work in progress as I usually say. We keep trying to look for the good and be the peace we want to see created. I’ve had lots of conflict in my family but I keep trying to help them see the beauty in themselves and for me to see myself. I speak my truth but I respect that they may see life differently and maybe this is the path they must take through life. I get angry as well, but I realise that I am out of alignment with truth. For example, I am giving my power to another or expecting them to respond in a way I think is right or agree. Yet freedom asserts that people are free to make their own choices. So I have to reflect on my choices and allow others theirs to find inner peace, I have to learn to accept what happens. Yes speak my truth, but gently and keeping in mind I may be wrong. I will never give up on harmony, one step at a time.
This poem is for the would be peace makers, who want to make a difference and create a world that is in harmony. My step father told me his way of harmony is to accept people as they are, this one is a bit cranky, the other knows it all, another is quiet, yet these are the different colours of life, and maybe it is our own projection, who is to say we are right in our judgement, only we can change ourselves, not others, they choose to change when we meet them in a space of unity. Don’t be hard on yourselves if you find it is not working, we are unlearning much conditioning and relearning love and non-judgement, it takes time hey. Peace and love to you and your family.
The 7 Steps of Peace
The dove has a broken heart,
For she is trying to fly,
He wishes to save humanity,
From itself.
Behind every smiling face,
Is a broken heart,
How do I know each heart is broken?
The eyes are the windows
Through which truth is shown,
Action is the vehicle through which
Truth is owned.
Some are crying at the shape of the world,
Some are despairing for they feel the end is near,
That is truth the end is approaching,
But life is circular,
Life is endless,
From the ending will come new beginnings,
For human awareness is a season,
One must go through winter to reach spring,
Summer is the equinox,
The pinnacle of real hope,
As irises flower,
Within the iris one can see the future,
Of an imagined community,
That sees itself in the other.
Nature is constant transformation,
Transformative power is not militaristic,
It resides within unity of common purpose,
Our common future becomes visible to those who recognise the power in conflict resolution,
For this is the art of win/win,
For art is constant creation,
Inspiring humanity to look outside the box,
For we can recreate our common future,
One step at a time with peace of mind.
The first step is Dialogue,
To express and allow a space to communicate
with others and for others.
The second step is Understanding,
Listening, empathising and suspending judgement.
The third step is Recognition,
That is to recognise myself in you.
The fourth step is Empathy,
For when I stand in your shoes,
I leave my world behind,
There are elements of truth in perspectives,
It is to focus on the truth not the failure.
The fifth step is Truth and Reconciliation,
For it is the truth that sets us free from revolving door conflicts,
The truth is a transforming power,
For the truth is true always just as rain falls from the sky not the soil,
It is not a half truth or negotiated settlement,
For the art of diplomacy is to persuade,
Not to resolve underlying needs with interest,
For a new world paradigm asks –
Is it better to be right or happy?
The sixth step is Harmonisation,
We seek to find common ground that we can share,
There is no loss only a changing mosaic,
For the philosophy of harmony is blending,
As differences expand into acceptance.
The seventh step or seal is Integration,
The sum of the parts encompasses the whole,
There is no separation in the world family,
Each gains more through the shared process,
For this is not a crumb or a carrot to reward or punish,
It is the smiling face of peace in contentment,
For peace is not a treaty document,
It is not the absence of wars of abuse,
It is recognising that world peace starts within every family,
In every relationship,
In every school,
For the school without walls is open to all.
The steps are a simple pathway,
It is a middle path that looks neither east nor west but starts in the middle,
It has no ideology to follow,
It has no religious mantra to repeat,
It shines brightest in the eyes of all children,
For they are the torch bearers,
That will hold a light to the future,
And together they will find their way home.
So be at peace,
Like a fool on the edge of a cliff,
Take a step and the others will appear,
For the fool continues to offer the olive branch no matter the perceived conditions,
The fool will be rejected,
The fool will be ostracised,
For always in great transitions there is fear,
Those who are peace makers will be feared,
Yet fear not those at the vanguard,
The truth will always set you free.