War...and the Search for Peace.

Many of us, myself included, struggle and wrestle with what is going on in the world, particularly in Gaza. Daily, my thoughts turn to this conflict: to trying to understand it, to asking myself what action I can take, to questioning whether or not to take sides, and to feeling helpless in the face of this humanitarian crisis.

My child, an advocate for those who struggle, has taken the side of the Palestinians and is participating in weekly marches for a ceasefire and for an end to war. They have loaded their Instagram feed with eyewitness accounts and propaganda posts for the plight of the Palestinians.

And while I applaud their conviction and doing their part to raise their voice in protest, I don't believe this is the way.

I started reading a book by Thich Nat Hanh called Peace Begins Here: Palestinians and Israelis Listening to Each Other, an ebook available for free on Parallax Press. The opening of this book, by Sister Thai Nghiem, entitled The Way Out Is the Way In, talks about how in 2001 and every year since then, thirty Palestinians and Israelis were invited to a two-week retreat at Plum Village in France. They were invited to come together, to listen to each other, and to begin a process of coming to internal peace. 

For this young nun who was invited to be one of the first participants,  it was an inspiring experience. In her own words, "my real freedom is in my own hands because I have a choice....If Want war to end, if I want non-violence to be realized in my life, I am the one who has to stop fighting and put an end to the battle inside of me."

As Thich Nat Hanh says in the introduction, "when we see that another person also cries and is in a state of despair, we see (them) as a human being, and suddenly the level of hate, fear, and suspicion in us decreases."

I think many of us look upon this war as a humanitarian crisis, as suffering and horror on both sides, and as an unacceptable solution to resolving this conflict. But what is the way forward?

According to Thich Nat Hanh, the way forward is "looking deeply" inside. "To meditate does not mean that you run away from reality, but that you have a chance to sit down, to look deeply at the situation, and to see things more clearly and find a better way to end the conflict and the suffering."

I don't profess to have any answers but I don't believe that conflict within ourselves, will help us to bring light and peace to others. And so I am going to persist in prayer and meditation for Peace. And I am going to challenge you to do so as well. Many lights make more light and potentially, a big enough light to overcome the darkness!