In speechless moments like the one we are living, choose to be peace
This is going to be a very short post, with the aim of providing our community with a prompt for a reflection: how can we 'be peace'?
Peace is something we need to cultivate on a daily basis, it is the answer to war when it starts from the words we choose, our ability to regulate our emotions, our awareness of being interconnected, as individuals, as Countries, as cultures.
Peace grows in the ability to acknowledge conflict is part of everyday life, and it is different from violence. Violence arises where conflict is not wisely and intentionally managed. Peace starts when we teach our children to sort out a conflict through stopping, listening, expressing oneself with kindness and building common solutions. Bricks of peace.
Peace is nourished when we avoid asking children and teens 'Who started? Who's guilty?' and create a space for acknowledging differences, welcoming emotions and building steps towards compromise and respect.
Daniele Novara, an Italian pedagogist, invites us not to compare war to children's conflicts, when answering children's questions about war.
Instead, teach how to be peace, model yourself how to be peace through your words and actions: cultivate listening, gentle speech and values like friendship, respect, compassion, active help.
“If we want peace, we have to be peace. Peace is a practice, not a hope.”
- Thich Nhat Hanh
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