Day 31 - Peace - Combat

 Peace            (Goal Number:         )                   Combat

serenity, calmness, nonviolence, nonaggression, tolerance                    offensive, attack, assault, quarrelsome, violent

AWAKE TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

The peace of yourself, extended to world peace, is of utmost importance to you. You realize you cannot ask others to be at peace if you are not. As the song says, “Let peace begin with me,..” In most moments, you are serene and exude calmness. Being peaceful at your core, there is no violence in you. You do not assault others in any way, neither with words nor actions. You find quarreling as unproductive and a waste of time. You have a high tolerance for a wide range of points of view. You speak peacefully, even in the midst of others’ upsets, striving to bring peace to them and the situation. You know in your heart that violence only begets more violence. You are an example of peace.

 PARTIALLY ASLEEP TO THE GENUINE VALUE: 

You try to be peaceful, but you give yourself excuses for times when you are not. You like the idea of world peace, but mostly think it is not possible. You don’t engage in violence yourself, but understand at least some of it in others. Sometimes you are calm about things, but not always. You occasionally enjoy a good quarrel, maybe over current events, politics, or religion. You are not opposed to peace, but you do not work to achieve it.

LIVING IN THE IMPOSTOR VALUE:

You think battling for your way of thinking and being is all right, no matter if it is hurtful to others. You find yourself on the offensive as your usual stance. You think it is better to attack, verbally or even physically, first and ask questions later. When you become violent, you have rationalizations ready to explain it away, at least to yourself. You laugh at peace seekers and think them weak and afraid to fight. You think being combative is the natural way to be, survival of the fittest and all that. You have a tumultuous life.

Look at your life. Which is the most true for you?   ____ 1   _____ 2  _____ 3

What to do:

DECISION

Choose. Which do you want for yourself and your world? Which way would you like life to be?

 

FOCUSING YOUR MIND

Going for the target you have chosen

To shift in the direction of peace select some or all of the following and copy them in order to have them with you. Live with them. Think about them. Absorb them.

·        Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

·        I feel a calm, serene center within me.

·        I am rooted in a larger peace, in a Divine Peace.

·        I see through the storms of life, and I know they are my teachers.

·        I am alert to peaceful solutions.

·        Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

REINFORCING BEHAVIORS

Action steps to take to get off the log

·     Whenever feeling distraught, out of sorts, stop and ask yourself some questions. What does this remind you of? What about this is upsetting you?  What could be the lesson in this situation? How can you bring peace to this moment?

·     Read about Gandhi and nonviolent ways to respond to situations. How can you resolve things nonviolently?

·     Read St. Francis’s full prayer.

·     Practice calmness with a loving heart.

·     Stop watching violent movies and television shows, and stop playing violent games. Feed your mind positive and nurturing ideas and images.

·     Think about spreading peace, peaceful solutions, and peaceful reactions. Remember, blessed are the peacemakers.  Be one.

Remember Peace