A Passion for Peace

Up to this point, I have focused on various aspects of conflict management. In this post, I would like to talk a little bit about what is my real desire to see happen. Namely, I would like to see people have a real peace.

What is real peace? Many think of peace as a state where you don't see any confrontations taking place. Others consider real peace to mean that there are no disagreements, arguments, or fighting. The problem is that those all talk about peace in terms of removing things from you, and your view of the world. If real peace is something that you can have then it must be something that you can gain. So, how can we define real peace in terms of something that we can gain?

Real peace is something that you gain when you...

• Can sit in a room full of people, without feeling like you have to say something or feeling the need to distract yourself with technology
• Realize that you aren't the fulcrum upon which the world balances
• Are able to absorb an individual's statements completely, before responding appropriately
• Can admit to and understand your weaknesses
• Can humbly acknowledge your strengths
• Know who you are

When you have real peace, a natural consequence is that you are better equipped to handle the disagreements, and confrontations. Real peace allows you to see points of conflict as opportunities to learn. When the confrontations are over, and the conflict is resolved, hopefully you will have gained more peace, learned more about yourself; and best of all, perhaps you will have discovered something new regarding the individuals in conflict?