Seeking Peace

Peace?

“…a peaceful person…is one who is untroubled and quietly behaved, which explains how peace and passivity have become synonymous in our time.  To hold one’s peace means to keep quiet, to keep the peace means to obey, to make peace means to surrender, and to rest in peace means, after all, to die.  Given these choices, is it any wonder that we feel some ambivalence about whether we want this kind of peace in our lives?”

                                  Barbara Brown Taylor

         There is probably no term we bandy about more than peace.  We pray for it, we yearn for it, we do yoga, meditate, jog, go to therapy, get massages, all in search of it and yet peace is illusive.  We may feel peaceful for a while after all these pursuits, but not for the long term.  Given our understanding of what constitutes peace—keeping quiet, obeying, surrendering, etc—it’s no wonder that peace is a hollow word for us.  Maybe we need a new definition.

         Peace does not mean the absence of conflict.  After all, Jesus himself said he did not come to bring peace, but a sword.  Jesus was nothing if not a realist.  He knew that human beings were not ready for surrender, and that peace-making would involve violence.  His ideas about peace had more to do with justice, and inclusiveness.  After all, his ministry was one of offering forgiveness, an open table and healing for free.  Peace had more to do with harmony among those who were united in a cause, and solidarity with those who were oppressed.

         The Hebrew word Shalom somewhat embodies the meaning of peace.  On a personal level, it means “wholeness, integrity, and self-possession as evidenced by bodily health, longevity, and prosperity.”  In its collective sense, it refers to “free, uninhibited growth of the soul in community with others and in right relationship with God.”  (Barbara Brown Taylor)  No mention of the absence of conflict, nor eternal serenity, though shalom would seemingly lend itself to that sort of peace.

         It is well for us, in any case, to yearn for peace.  Yearning may someday bring about action.  Who will be the first to lay down arms and take up plowshares?  I think making peace within may be the first step.  If each of us held an awareness of peacefulness in our daily lives, we might be less likely to create chaos in our relationships.  If we were to strive for understanding and not condemnation, we might even foster peace in our communities.  Peaceful people make for peaceful societies. 

                                           Shalom,

                                           Jane