Peace
I have been contemplating peace recently. I'm not talking about the flower-power-variety of peace, though I do like to get cheap vintage clothing of that time period! ;-) I'm thinking more along the lines of peace and its contemporary interpretation in our society.
Please do share your thoughts on the role of peace in our world. I have included a few questions for thought provocation and reflection. I'd love to hear what others have to say on this topic!
1. How do you define peace?
2. What is the difference between a peace keeper and a peace maker, or are they the same thing?
3. Can war be a mechanism to bring about peace, or are they diametrically opposed?
4. Why is peace important?
5. What is the price/cost of peace?
6. How do you contribute to peace in your world/community?
7. What are the biggest factors that remove or challenge peace?
Please answer whatever strikes your fancy, or share other thoughts you have on the topic.
posted by em at 2/15/2006 05:39:00 AM
14 Comments:
Every time I think of the world and peace, I always think of U2. Remember the song they have?
"Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
Tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
No whos or whys
No one cries like a mother cries
For peace on Earth
She never got to say goodbye
To see the color in his eyes
Now he's in the dirt
Peace on Earth
They're reading names out over the radio
All the folks the rest of us won't get to know
Sean and Julia, Gareth and Ann and Breda
Their lives are bigger than any big idea
Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
Jesus sing a song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won't rhyme
So what's it worth
This peace on Earth"
I'm not always sure of what I think they're trying to say with this song, but I've the feeling that he's asking God to change things now. In my perspective, Jesus came to bring peace between us and God, not peace between all people. That follows if we all have peace with God. But who knows, maybe he's asking God to finish the process of fully bringing peace to the earth and ending this age of disobedience. That's what Jason mentioned once anyway...
Hey, where's my blog?
Did you ever tell me why you got out of youth ministry????
pam
I would agree with the above poster that Jesus came to bring us to peace with God. Ultimately, achieving peace with God would bring peace to the individual and it would spread to relationships and communities. I heard once, "How can you expect to have peace on earth if we cannot even have peace in our homes?"
For most people peace is simply "not war." Are we at peace with Canada, then?
Good questions, Emory!
Emery,
Ahh, the enormity of what could be said on this topic!!!!Were it not midnight and my eyelids dropping mercilessly, I would attempt to share some thoughts...
Might I just simply post a question for my comment? Are these your interlocking fingers, or did you hire a hand model?
Hey Ash - Hmm... good song to post. It is interesting to ponder a bit. One thing I often wonder when I hear about "peace" is, "Well, what do they define as peace?" We have this utopian view that we believe comes through people just starting to "be nice" to one another and "love one another". From a Christian perspective, we can rarely find times in scripture or revelation of future events that peace is MADE by bad things just stopping. Peace is made by violent ends to bad things. Thoughts???
Pam - I'm not sure how youth ministry relates... but I left youth ministry right after I finished my masters degree.
Sarah - I've heard "shalom"-peace described as "things being in their proper order", as opposed to just the removal of violence. As for peace with Canada... I'd propose that we are in contempt with Canada (and most of the rest of the world), just not fighting.
Sarah V - More thoughts soon? ;-) That is my hand, though I will admit to a little bit of adobe-photoshop-ing! I burned myself the other evening, so I have a nasty gash on my ring finger... which I promptly removed. hehe!
I define peace as a sense of well-being with/towards whatever it is-- God, your life choices, fellow humans. Everyone claims to want peace (it would be uncool to admit you don't-- right?). But looking at my own personality, at my observations of the world, and at my study of history, I think humanity thrives on conflict. We love drama-- admit it. The most boring history class I ever took was on the 1920s America where everyone seemed to be prospering, it was a period following WWI where we thought it had been the war to end all wars, and everyone seemed to "be at peace"`.
Even the Olympics aren't as exciting as they were during the Cold War when we had a strong rival. And in my personal life, even though I see that I am entirely blessed, and could easily be "at peace" with my existence, I feel the need to create drama for myself because I don't want to "settle" into complacency.
I'm taking Beth Moore's "The Patriarchs" Bible study right now. There is a lot of human conflict in Genesis, much of which comes from Man's lack of trust in God to take care of things and fulfill His own promises. Perhaps trust and faith are the keys to peace, regardless of whether everyone else in the world believes as you do or not.
As for war. That's tricky. Many argue that if we had not gone to war to stop Hitler, there would not have been peace. Perhaps in relation to the western world, but for the middle east and central Europe, the result of WWII led to redrawn boundaries that created much of the conflict of the last several decades. OK-- I got interrupted with real work while I was writing this, so I hope it makes some kind of sense!
Peace is Shalom. Because real peace is more than what we know it to be. It is beyond the state of being without war. Shalom reflects and internal state that creates the external state of being--an expression of perfect relationship of man and god, man and god's creation.
A peace keeper is one that wants peace at any cost even the cost of truth--they smooth things over for the sake of harmony yet don't weigh the real cost. A peace maker is one who is willing to step in the middle of it and be unliked because they are trying to make things right and trying to expose the situation to the light of the truth. Unfortunately, I am usually just a peace keeper. because I value my relationships and being liked over the truth. I forget the gospel.
ashlegan you wolly. Of course Jesus came to bring peace to all people. The kingdom of God or heaven if you like is precisely that!!! Harmony, between God eople and creation in every direction. Just like in Gen 1 when God created the world... ie pre fall everytrhing worked in harmony... then Gen 3 and the fall, read (christians) to continue that work... therefore if yo are at war or bickering or pissed off with someone you betta mke peace with them because that is exactly what Christ came yo do... it is wat he expect of his followers... no more no less... make peace should not be a catchcry of the 60's or the hippies but of all Christians for all generatons.
Peace all!!!!
From Dave Wells
Nice aggro Dave!
I do agree with you on that. It may not be obvious as we look at the world today, or the church today... but isnt that the whole story in the Bible? The end is reconciliation/peace/harmony etc... for all things, not just individuals, not just humankind, but ALL of Gods creation.
Now emersons questions...
2. What is the difference between a peace keeper and a peace maker, or are they the same thing?
For me...a peace keeper controls (for want of a better word) a situation. A peace maker creates that situation.
3. Can war be a mechanism to bring about peace, or are they diametrically opposed?
Arghhh..me and the slugs will ponder that later.
5. What is the price/cost of peace?
Laying down our lives...(I will leave the ambiguity for those reading 2 sort through)
6. How do you contribute to peace in your world/community?
Baby steps. Real relationships (including the inevitable conflict). See whats going on, learn about it, ASK QUESTIONS (even when there seems to be no answers)
GOSH emery, you are making me think far too much for someone who still has a few days of holiday left!
"O Lord, make me an instrument of Thy Peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is discord, harmony.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sorrow, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life."
"If you want to make peace, you don't talk to your friends. You talk to your enemies."
Moshe Dayan
"They have not wanted Peace at all; they have wanted to be spared war -- as though the absence of war was the same as peace."
Dorothy Thompson
Dorothy Thompson:
Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict -- alternatives to passive or aggressive responses, alternatives to violence.
For everything there is a season,
And a time for every matter under heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate,
A time for war, and a time for peace.
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Martin Luther King, Jr.:
True peace is not merely the absence of tension: it is the presence of justice.
Martin Luther King, Jr.:
One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.
Jennifer! Thanks for sharing your perspective; that is some great feedback, as usual! :-) I think this thing of "trust" and "peace" going hand-in-hand has some major validity!
Kayb - You said something I think we all need to hear, "real peace is more than we know it to be". I think that is where we should start.
Dave - I love you, and you are a wolly as well!!! haha! Thanks for posting! Good points re: practical application of peace in day-to-day life! I'd disagree that everything worked in harmony pre-fall, though. How about the serpent?
Sez - Tell the slugs "hi" for me!!! How much do I miss pondering all of life's mysteries on the back deck with you and the slugs???? I like your answer to #6! Thanks!
Anonymous - who are you? Those are some wicked good quotes! I really like the one by Moshe Dayan.
Renee - Welcome! You've got a perspective on #2 that I've not thought of before. Thanks for stopping by and hope to see more of you soon!
This convo has really gotten me thinking. Thanks!
I say "Word to yo motha" instead of saying "peace" to people. Will's sarcastic comment of the day.. enjoy.
I work with a really cool african american guy who is teaching me to say "two fingers" instead of peace.
dunno. it's not as cool when the white guy (me) says it.
Will! Word to my mother would be word to YOUR mother... ponder that for a bit. haha!
Tdub... you are so not black. hahaha! That's hilarious, though! I'll be sure to not say, "Two fingers". I think I would sound equally not-so-cool.
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