Share

In this moment I find myself longing for a peaceful world not only for myself but for all mankind. I’m not talking about living like a hermit or being a recluse on some far off island. What I want is more peace in my life.
Recently, I had this overwhelming feeling of being bombarded by negativity; it comes at you from every direction. The news in general is negative. In fact everything I read has a damaging effect on my peace of mind. I hate turning on the news, because I know I’m going to fall into this pessimistic trap. It is emotionally exhausting!
For the most part, I am usually a pretty positive person. However, in reflecting on our world situation, I now realize that I am being sabotaged by the media. Why does this bother me so much, because I realized a great deal of childhood was filled with feelings of negativity? Memories of my parents screaming, yelling, and placing blame made me feel angry, upset. In fact it caused me to be scared of my world. These emotional tirades were demeaning. This experience however did not lead me to a path of no return, on the contrary, this leads me to face my demons and choose a higher level of thought.
In my quest for peace of mind, I discovered the discipline of yoga and the practice of meditation. It created feelings of happiness, joy, and a feeling of being in tune with my world. Am I always cheerful, no, not by any means? I have my good days and my bad days. Some days I react to situations and other days, I’m in tune with a peaceful world. But by and large I’m a centered individual with good values.
Because I want to be focused and centered, I realize that I do not want to subject myself to a dialogue of negative commentary about people, organizations or politics, because it is a no win situation. It’s so important to live in the present cherishing our friends, family, and those near and dear to us. To illustrate the importance of living in the now, I felt impelled to cancel an activity to help a friend who was despondent. Now I’m consciously making decisions that are purposeful and meaningful for my growth.
I have learned I have choices to make if I want peace in my world; first I must limit my time watching television along with reading commentaries that are harmful, because this is one of the major contributors to the imbalance of obtaining a peaceful existence. Second, it was suggested to me that I surround myself with positive role models who are presently living peaceful and balanced lives. And my final consideration for creating peaceful surroundings is to lead by example, with the showing of integrity and having an optimistic attitude. In the meantime, I will continue to put my best foot forward and hope others will to....Imagine all the people living life in peace...John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

John Lennon