The Power of Choosing Peace
Like most of us, the recent events in Ukraine are just breaking my heart. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live through a war in my own country. While I try to stay abreast of the news, I have to take care to avoid too much “doomscrolling.” I pray for the people of Ukraine and admire their bravery so much. Sadly, there isn’t much more I can do, but think about creating peace through my own actions in my life.
There is so much darkness and strife in the world today, even outside of this conflict. Two years of the pandemic have isolated us and increased polarization. Friendships and family relationships have become strained. In addition, while social media has wonderful aspects to it, some of it seems to emphasize pettiness, jealousy, unfruitful competition, and unnecessary drama. In general, it seems like peace is the last thing prioritized.
My mind drifts to my own life and actions. I’m going to be real here – there have been times in my life when I chose unnecessary pettiness, strife, and drama. I regret it now. While I can’t change the past, I can try choose the path of peace as much as possible. Of course, sometimes, peace isn’t possible. For example, when your country is invaded, if someone attacks you, sues you, or commits a crime against you. As well as other things along those lines. We have to fight back sometimes. And we are imperfect human beings, not perfect little robots! But for the most part, unnecessary strife and drama is so pointless. It solves nothing, creates animosity, and also elevates stress, which is unhealthy for our bodies.
Choosing peace in a situation does not mean that one is weak or a doormat. Quite the contrary. It’s very easy to react emotionally to things that trigger us, online or off. Choosing peace means being in control of one’s emotions when it’s very difficult to do so. As for being weak or a doormat, it’s possible to choose peace over unnecessary drama when we have strong boundaries in place. These boundaries protect our peace, actually, and strengthen us immensely.
