Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Guest Blogger: The Road to Peace

We have a guest blogger this week at Ovations. I'd love to introduce you to this wonderful lady, but she prefers to remain anonymous. Our guest is a dear friend of mine who I met through our work in the travel industry. She is a seasoned traveler, with an ear for the heartbeat of the culture in which she's working or visiting. She is not a professional writer, and yet her words flow as gracefully as any prose I've read by my favorite authors. Please read on and join the conversation by leaving a comment at the end.

The Road to Peace
By Anonymous

The other night when I was falling asleep, I was thinking, “How do we get from where we are in this distressed world to peace?” The end of a war brings a cessation of the strife and that is a relief for many, but it is not peace.

“So how do we get to peace?” And the answer that came. "Peace comes when all is forgiven, when compassion sees our shared pain, our shared fears and our shared hopes and possibilities.”

“Well that's great,” I thought, “but how do government and races and cultures forgive?” Governments, races and cultures do not forgive. People forgive, people generate and allow compassion. I am one person. How can I make a difference in the healing of our world? And the answer that came was, "I can begin, by looking at what I need to forgive in my life. I can begin by having compassion on others and myself.”

The world’s healing starts one person at a time.

I invite you to help heal the world by choosing to forgive people or situations in your life. Not just in broad terms, but specific people and situations. Today now begin to forgive and don’t forget to forgive yourself. All that is needed is the willingness to forgive even when we find it seems impossible. It can be instantaneous or take time. It only matters that you are willing to forgive and choose to see with compassion...

Peace and blessings to you.


Discussion: Are there people in your life who you can forgive? What can you do to help the citizens of our world find peace? Do you believe the world will ever know a true and enduring peace?

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've given me food for thought as I start my day. Thank you :)

Deleted Blog said...

I like this blog and the thought that went into it.

I can so often run through my days believeing that I have forgiven everyone for all the wrongs; real or imagined. However, I read something once that made me stop and think:

"Those who say they will forgive, but can't forget an injury, simply bury the hatchet, while they leave the handle out... ready for immediate use."

I believe the greatest problem we have with the human condition is our inability to forget.

I have come to believe that if I look within at my own fallibilities that it will be easier to let go of the anger that I might have towards others. It is a process and sometimes it takes time.

The road to peace is often riddled with memories that still produce pain. I hope it is possible to have peace; I really do.

Thank you for allowing me to read your beautiful blog.

Carolyn Burns Bass said...

Thanks for dropping by, Susan.

Cat, I hope your day went peacefully after reading my friend's lovely message.

Swanny, I loved this, "The road to peace is often riddled with memories that still produce pain."

Burying the hatchet with the handle sticking up not only makes it readily available, but it causes a huge trip hazard for everyone around. Have you not found yourself forming a judgment about someone because of how they've treated or been treated by someone who buried the hatchet with the handle sticking up? We can easily trip over someone else's unforgiveness.

So, how can we truly forgive if we can't forget?

It may be impossible to forget. Our minds do not easily dis-remember memories. It can however, learn to view them differently. It might take a trip down the aisle of redemption, or it might take years of therapy, but it's possible to reframe our thinking into healing. This is how forgiveness happens in the heart and the mind.

~Carolyn

Anonymous said...

Lovely? Yes.

Perspective!! That is what our world is to each of us. If that perspective is askew, all else is too. What we focus on expands. I think it was Stephen Covey, author and motivational speaker, that said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” That is powerful. Having unrealistic expectations of others and ourselves adds to the chaos of our lives as well. I do believe we can help to create our own peace and "freedom" by offering forgiveness earnestly. And, like a stick of Big Red gum, it may or may not be accepted. Yet it is the "act of offering" that is freeing and peace providing.

Freedom, "our peace," does come at a price. The price of scratching-off scabs from the old wounds that are still trying to heal. Forgiveness is the ointment required to heal those wounds and it also aids in removing their scars. The tougher the scab is to come off, the deeper the exposure is to a necessary evil that must be dealt with.

Dig deep!
Attitude is contagious.
Forgiveness is an attitude.
Catch it!

Anonymous said...

It was an interesting day! I spent the afternoon with my baby, my grandbaby and my grandson... in a childs eyes there is a calm acceptance of who we each are. They hold no grudges, and forgive immediately. Maybe, we, as adults need to watch how children cope with life. We could all learn a little something!

Carolyn Burns Bass said...

Robin, your post could not be more true, wrapping back to our guest blogger's original insight that peace comes from forgiveness and we must forgive ourselves first. I loved this line: Forgiveness is the ointment required to heal those wounds and it also aids in removing their scars.

Cat, what an amazing joy in your life--a baby and grandbabies. There is much we could learn from children.

~Carolyn

Idhrendur said...

What? Are you suggesting the death penalty for copyright violations? Or was that a comment on the poor phrasing (and possible ambiguity) of my final sentence?