Inner Peace, Justice and Peace on Earth

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         Hi, I'm Sarah Raplee, author of surprising and uplifting stories.

         Whenever I listen to the song that begins, “Let there be Peace on Earth, and let it begin with me,” I wonder, How? How do we as individuals incorporate peace in our lives? How do we work toward peace in the world?

          For this post, I collected quotes from around the world that helped me to understand what I can do to find peace, to spread peace in my daily life and to support world peace.

Finding Peace

• “Peace begins with a smile.” ~ Mother Theresa
  
• “When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world.” ~ Maha Ghosananda
• “Do not let the behavior of others destroy your inner peace.” ~ Dalai Lama
• “In everything, do unto others what you would have them do unto you. For this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” ~ Christianity, Matthew 3:12
• “Do not offend others as you would not want to be offended.” Buddhism, Udunavarga 5:18
• “None of you are true believers until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.” ~ Prophet Mohammed
• “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” ~ Desmond Tutu

Understanding, Justice and Love

• “Not one of us can rest, be happy, be at home, be at peace with ourselves, until we end hatred and division.” ~ John Lewis
• “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
• “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” ~ Albert Einstein
• “Cleanse ye your eyes, so that ye behold no man as different from yourselves. See ye no strangers; rather see all men as friends. For love and unity come hard when ye fix your gaze on otherness…we must be at one with every people…for each of the creatures is a sign from God, and it was by the grace of the Lord and His power that each did step into the world; therefore, they are not strangers but in the family; not aliens, but friends, and to be treated as such.” ~ Abdu’l-Baha’
• “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will have peace.” ~ Jimi Hendrix

One World, One Human Race

• Peace is not the absence of conflict. It is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means. ~ Ronald Reagan
• “Peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of justice, of law, of order—in short, of government.” ~ Albert Einstein
• “It is incumbent upon the sovereigns of the world…to convene an all-inclusive assembly, which either they themselves or their ministers will attend, and to enforce whatever measures are required to establish unity and concord amongst men. They must put away the weapons of war, and turn to the instruments of universal reconstruction. Should one king rise up against another, all the other kings must arise to deter him. Arms and armaments will then be no more needed, beyond that which is necessary to ensure the internal security of their respective countries.” ~ Baha’u’llah

 I will end by sharing with you a poem and a prayer that help me to find inner peace.

From a Sanskrit Poem:

Look to this day!
For it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the verities and realities of your existence:
The bliss of growth,
The glory of action,
The splendor of beauty.
For yesterday is but a dream
and tomorrow only a vision.
But today, well lived, makes
Every yesterday a dream of happiness,
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.
Such is the salutation of the dawn.

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept
the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Happy Peacemaking!!! ~Sarah