“As we are confronted by chaos,
May we have the wisdom to believe in peace.
Surrounded by voices of disagreement,
May we have the audacity to speak for peace.
Lured by the seduction of despair,
May we have the courage to maintain a vision of possibility and peace.”
-Maureen Killoran
How do you maintain the possibility of peace in your mind and heart?
Peace so often seems like something relegated to the category of “our thoughts and prayers,” lovely but entirely insufficient. Neither is enough to make peace happen. Actions must follow thoughts and connections must follow prayers.
How do we make our thoughts and prayers into concrete actions?
In the 1970s, I was surrounded by images of doves. George McGovern was running for president, and the Vietnam War was raging. Peace felt like an action — concrete and obtainable. -Beth Murray (CLF)
What images do you see that motivate you to work for global love, peace and harmony?
I’m remembering my dad singing “all we are saying is give peace a chance” He didn’t like the Beatles, their music or their hair, and I’m sure he didn’t know the rest of the lyrics–but he sang that one line. -Judy DiCristofaro (CLF)
What does it mean to give peace a chance? Why might that line be so resonant to so many?
Wendell Berry’s famous poem “The Peace of Wild Things” is not a complete view of peace, but it’s an important one — one that centers presence, relationship with other beings, and the possibility of internal peace in any moment. I love the frame that peace is resting in the grace of the world, and that wildness is a necessary component or access point to that peace. -Rose Gallogly (CLF)
How have you found peace amidst wildness?
