Iniciativa: Un Llamado a la Paz | De la Semilla Interior a la Transformación Global 🏳️ [SPA-ENG]

Living in such a complicated world, full of terrible news, wars, and constant rushing around, has led us to believe that peace is reserved for a lucky few, when in reality it is a seed that we all carry within us. The problem is that the noise of a turbulent world has distracted us from what is truly important and essential, distorting our perception because it keeps us immersed in the external.

Peace is a personal practice with the great power to bring about collective transformation. Every good deed helps to build the foundations for the healing of our environment, radiating the light of stillness, good coexistence, tolerance, respect, and cooperation. Together, we will always be stronger!

The integral well-being that peace produces should be the compass of the world, but we know that this is not currently the case. It is a task that few have taken on, but since life has proven to be cyclical (every so often things repeat themselves), I trust that soon the “scales of justice” will tip back toward the right side.

What is the most important thing you can do today to get closer to your inner peace?

The most important thing is to stop that cycle of internal struggle and acknowledge our current state, even if it is not the best at the moment. (As an overly anxious person, doing this has helped me internally to reduce those episodes, because the war is not only outside, it can also be with ourselves, having a nuclear conflict that prevents us from moving forward). Our own thoughts can be a prison that, far from giving us peace, leads us to the darkest depths of the underworld.

Not judging ourselves is essential... to solve our problems, we must be in a place of calm without fighting the emotions that arise in that moment. By letting go of that struggle, we release an enormous amount of mental energy that was encapsulated in that hurricane of fatalism in which we tend to envelop ourselves. The anchor is the “now” (I know it sounds cliché and like toxic positivity), being in the present moment connects us to the real world.

What practices or habits help me stay calm in the midst of chaos?

Meditation as mental training is great for helping us deal with chaos. (I'm not the best example right now because I stopped doing it several months ago, but I can attest that it works. Give it a try!) You don't have to sit for a whole hour; five minutes of breathing is enough to start the day, which will help us observe our thoughts without getting obsessively caught up in them. That pause is what gives us the power to choose our “response” instead of reacting impulsively.

Although I have maintained this through mandalas (as I have mentioned in other posts), in this case I am referring to conscious breathing without performing any activity.

Setting clear boundaries is another essential tool. Saying “no” to commitments that overwhelm us or to interacting with people who drain us is an act of self-compassion that protects our energy.

Finally, another habit I can mention is movement. Every day, the emotional and mental tension we experience is stored in our bodies, so practicing a sport, discipline, dance, or walking releases that energy, allowing calmness to flow through us. I prefer exercise and going for walks to soak up the sun's rays.

How does my inner peace relate to the way I interact with my environment? Can any transformation occur in my immediate circle (family, neighborhood, community, country)?

A person who is not at peace with themselves tends to criticize, gossip, and react with anger. The idea that “our inner world is projected onto our relationships” is very true, which is why it is good to encourage communication in order to understand and not to respond.

Patience and our ability to maintain composure in an argument can definitely change the dynamic, whether in the family, workplace, or community, because we promote respect and empathy. (Even if there are people willing to bring out the worst in us, despite our attempts to maintain that peace).

An example from my daily life that I can mention is the decision we made at home to no longer open the door to members of the building's condominium board. As you well know, in buildings, 90% of the time there are unnecessary conflicts and absurd fights over nonsense.

There are resentful people with no skills and a lot of bad intentions who like to create intrigue and invent gossip. So, in the group that was formed during the pandemic, I had already identified the woman who used to light the fuse for the other gossips. After they came as a group and rang our doorbell several times to shout, intimidate, and threaten us, I went up to her apartment with the police. The drama was over, and with it came peace of mind.

It was very difficult for us to take that step because we wanted to avoid further problems, but trying to avoid and put up with rudeness was much worse because the conflict was growing and we were living with it on a daily basis. On certain occasions, it is necessary not to be so peaceful and to seek a more drastic solution (without harming anyone) for people who do not understand the nice way. And these “measures” help us maintain our inner peace.

What actions can I take to promote a peaceful world?

Tolerance and a willingness to engage in dialogue are essential for promoting peace. We all have different points of view, and understanding should be encouraged without the need to convince others, because in everyday life and on social media, endless arguments arise because people want to be right at all costs: “If you don't think like me, I'll cancel you.” Extremes are not good, and they should not be promoted.

That is why we must develop the ability to critically analyze information so that we do not continue to spread misinformation and generate hate speech, practicing more empathy towards others and their circumstances. This is crucial to avoid the polarization that fuels conflicts such as that between Palestine and Israel, where deeply rooted and biased historical narratives continue to perpetuate violence.

We definitely need to educate society more about peace and human rights. Ideally, we should promote teaching nonviolent conflict resolution methods from childhood, which would lay the foundations for a culture of peace where aggression becomes unacceptable and ineffective.

This was my contribution to the initiative launched by @miriannalis about Peace 🏳️. I cordially invite @cajiro and @enraizar to participate. See you in the comments. Best regards to the whole community 🤗.