A New Year for Peace?

This time of year the question always comes up "What can I do to create peace in the new year?" I pledged 100 hours to the 1000 Years of Peace project. This is a good start for my participation on a global scale.

What can I do to create peace for those I love, I asked myself? I can try my best to make my interaction with everyone I love and those I will meet over the next year as full of compassion, caring, and understanding as possible. Passing judgement and in the harsher form hatred from person to person, sympathetically or in conflict does not lead to peace. I can practice freedom from hate and judgement. While my own biases are bound to creep in somewhere over the year, I can still strive to be as aware of my judgement as possible, if not in my thoughts, at least before I act. If I act out my judgements against others, I can make amends as soon as I realize I have done so.


I do not have to give up myself to accomplish these things. I can be aware of my needs and to the degree the do not require me to create conflict with others to get my needs met, peace will reign. When my needs conflict with others, I can choose to create the conflict or give up my need. Where the need involves basic security, shelter or nourishment, I will have a dilemma to overcome. My needs and conflict or not. I might be able to skip a meal or even allow my possessions to be taken. Can I allow my person to be injured to avoid my contribution to conflict? What of conflict involving the safety or well being of my family or loved ones?

Ultimately this is where the decision to create conflict for the protection of self, at an individual, family, group, or community basis kicks in. Fear will lead us to think we must act in cases we may not really have to. Freedom from fear will allow me to keep a clear mind and avoid unecessary conflict. Could the civilization of the human race involve overcoming fear and thus reducing conflict within the world?