“The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that its center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.”
― Nicholas Black Elk
Meditation has brought me peace over the years. Creating a practice that works for me has been a tumultuous undertaking. Vacations are sometimes a good time to delve into practice or to let go of practices that no longer serve us.
On my recent trip to Southeast Asia, I was able to double my meditation time bringing me much needed clarity and peace. I noted some amazing differences between my country of origin, the US, and Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. You might say that it’s because the US is more industrialized, there are a variety of people, among other differences, yet, I’m not sure.
Although people make much less money than those in the US, they seemed to be happier. Even on the crazy, rural roads, with scooters, bicycles, busses, and fast moving cars, there seemed to be fewer accidents and no sign of road rage.
I was off the grid and didn’t know of the strife in the US while I was away. I have struggled most of my life trying to understand prejudice and why peoples are treated differently. WHY?
I’ve experienced the luxury of white privilege as well as being on the fringe through poverty, addiction, and living and teaching in places where I was not part of the popular majority.
Spending time at the Vietnam War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City was a pivotal moment where I faced atrocities that occur in times of war. My emotions were overwhelming and confusion set in. WHY?
Can we have happiness and peace and live together on our planet? I sure hope so.
I support people in developing rituals, routines and practices to create the life of their dreams. These can be about health, business, and how we are in the world.
Some questions you may have asked yourself: What do I want to do with my life? Is it a yes or no? Which choice supports me? What’s my next step?
Join me for a free call, How to Embody Decisions, Monday, July 25th at 6 pm MST. Click here to register.
My conclusion: I will do my part to be the peace I want to see in the world and I encourage you to do the same.
Santi santi sanih. Peace peace peace.
I’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can support a peaceful planet.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Jacqueline. I have observed the same thing about people in third world and impoverished countries: despite poor living conditions and struggles to earn a living,they appear to be happier, more welcoming and tolerant, in general, than people I see every day in the U.S. Maybe that’s a limited view because I haven’t had the opportunity to spend a lot of time in those places or witness the impact of day-to-day struggles on their emotional well being and attitudes. On the other hand, the smiles and willingness to connect with an honest look into my eyes make me suspect that there’s something more to it.
This is probably nothing new, but I’ve long thought that in our pursuit for accumulation of wealth and material possessions, we Americans also acquire a degree of fear, one that increases proportionately with the amount of wealth and the monetary value of possessions that are acquired. So the wealthy, who have acquired so much, fear that they have so much to lose. This fear is also present among the rest of us who have bought into the American economic lifestyle. Collectively, we create a field of fear that radiates beyond our borders and impacts others, but not everyone.
Maybe those “poor” people living outside of the western world’s influences have no aspirations to participate in our views of wealth and economic growth because from their perspective, these things are unattainable. Maybe there is comfort in not having to stress over protecting one’s wealth and possessions. Maybe there’s wisdom in the knowledge that happiness is something separate from material wealth.
Wow-Rolf thank you for articulating what I felt and observed. I full-heartedly agree with your last line minus the “Maybe.”