A Culture of Peace Will Bring the Pressure Down

Another fantastic song of John Farnham, I am on a roll here.  He inspires me endlessly and gorgeous too.

To take the pressure down we have to take the politics our of decision making and make wise decisions for a future that survives.  The pressure cookers of this world include actions which suppress, control, disregard, care less, imprison, hate, dictate, win over, extract, rape, jealousy, abuse, maime, destroy, offer no choice, stonewalling, discrimination, class, war, violence, demonise and the list goes on.  This is essentially to do with choices based on negativity and division.

What takes the pressure off is listening, respect, love, patience, peace, goodwill, inclusivity, openness, cooperation, transparency, human rights, true democracy, response, integrity, courage, fearlessness, conflict resolution, assistance, empathy, solutions, problem solving, sharing, revealing, healing, one world, a better world and the list goes on.  This is essentially based on choices that are positive and unifying.

De-escalation chooses to meet in the middle, understands the power of compromise without weakness, seeks to understand before being understood, reaches out rather than turns away, sees the pain rather than the bravado, seeks to lead others towards a better situation, works for the good of all. 

In the case of all the conflicts we see around the World there are powerful narratives that demonise others ‘terrorism’ is a classic labelling of the other.  In truth any actions that cause terror in my view could be labelled in that way.  However, I prefer to see that behind the aggression is pain and powerlessness.  We have to learn to see behind the ‘them and us’ that they are human beings struggling to get what they perceive they want.  Often people turn to violence as there is no pathway to be heard.  Males are not good communicators and tend to use power and control through fear as a means of establishing order.  Women, on the other hand, immediately turn to feelings and emotions this is where the real conflicts exist. That is why you often find women as peacemakers, as they can see the emotional landscape, the invisible terrain that drives all conflicts.    Of course there are men and women who are in the other camp.  When you approach a conflict with peace in mind, you will never demonise the other you will work hard to stand in their shoes to develop an understanding about what is driving the conflict.    Byron Katie, for me, comes to mind (www.thework.com) describes all conflict/war as coming from within a person and is based on unquestioned beliefs.  When beliefs are questioned and people are able to to self reflect without blaming others, they will find a clarity to see themselves an their motivations.  If they truly seek peace they will find humour and peace replacing anxiety, anger and deep pain.    The problem these days that we all face is the past training in conflict and the acceptance of violence as a pathway, conflict resolution is not as a basic skill at school and there is great ignorance around ways to bring the pressure down through understanding and sharing power.   When we find a place of understanding that is where we join as humans.  When we stubbornly hold onto beliefs in the illusion that we are being strong and any compromise is a sign of weakness we lose the opportunity of growing through awareness of shared understanding and respect.  To bring the pressure down we have to redefine what is true strength.  To find peace is the ultimate peace and it is my wish for humanity. 

So next time you are in a tense or conflicted situation, bring the pressure down, meet in the middle and share power and share space with the other and find creative solutions.  This is how we heal situations and show respect.  Always there are options, no one is a victim.  We are heroes in waiting in my view. Let’s create a Culture of Peace where everyone is respected and diversity brings perspectives which help us all to grow. I honour you.

 John Farnham – Pressure Down