When we embody peace, our world reflects it. —unify.org
Hurricanes Harvey in Houston; Irma, Jose and Maria in the Caribbean and in Florida, massive earthquakes in Mexico, civil wars, refugee crises, political and economic uncertainty, man-made conflicts in dozens of areas all over the world… this is the world we are living in.
Watching the news on TV is deeply disturbing. There’s so much violence, anger and fear in the world today. The more I watch, the worse I feel. I often want to shut it all out and curl up into my own little space.
I’ve learned that by giving my time and attention to the alarming images I see, and listening to the same news being repeated on all the major news channels, I’m actually feeding into the violence, anger and fear that’s out there.
So now, instead of allowing the flow of my emotions to be directed by what I’m watching, I walk away from the TV, sit down quietly and send peaceful thoughts and prayers to the people and situations I just viewed.
There’s no way to prove that my little bit of peace and prayer actually has a positive impact on those situations, but what I do know for sure is that it makes me feel calmer and more centered. And when I’m calmer and centered, the peace I feel spreads to the people around me.
Meditate then act
I came across a great website where I viewed two powerfully moving videos on how to create more peace in the world.
The video below from unify.org entitled, “World peace is in every moment” provides a solution for world peace—we must first create peace within ourselves. It advocates doing this through meditation.
When the mind is made peaceful through meditation, the joy that emerges naturally wants to express itself through acts of compassion towards other beings. As we all do this individually, we will be creating a ripple effect that will spread far and beyond where it started.
And, if many people come together in a synchronized meditation, the impact is substantial. Quoted from the video: Group meditations on crime and war are no longer “pseudo-science”. They result in statistically significant reductions in crime, terrorism and war.
Compassionate acts create a chain reaction of kindness
Also from unify.org is another video that depicts the powerful results that emerge from conscious compassionate actions.
There is a story of a high security women’s prison that went from daily violence to peace and acts of kindness overnight. The warden decided that for 11 days, the women would play compassion games where they would perform simple acts of kindness for their fellow inmates. The resulting transformation of the inmates was astonishing.
Watch it below:
Universal peace prayer
Here is a universal peace prayer that reflects the peace that we all want at the core of our being. It is in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language. When chanted, the words themselves give rise to a beautiful feeling of peace.
You can listen to me chant it and follow along
Sarveshaam svastir bhavatu
Sarveshaam shantir bhavatu
Sarveshaam poornam bhavatu
Sarveshaam mangalam bhavatu
May all be blessed
May all attain peace
May all achieve contentment
May all attain prosperity
Sarve bhavantu sukhinah
Sarve santu niramayah
Sarve bhadrani pashyantu
Ma kaschit dukhabhag bhavet
May all be happy
May all be healthy
May all see good in everyone
May all be free from suffering
If you would like to hear a longer and modern version of this prayer by the iconic Tina Turner, click here.
Cultivate a peaceful mind
To create a world that is peaceful, loving and kind, you and I can begin by being peaceful, loving and kind.
We must put aside some time daily to cultivate a peaceful mind through meditation and prayer, and then act with that mindset in our own lives.
Each one of us, doing our part to create peace, and expressing it through simple acts of compassion will transform all our lives.
Creating a peaceful world is indeed in our hands.
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