I See Peace

I see Peace in our future. You may be asking how, in the aftermath of recent bombings, continued wars and atrocities how this can be accomplished. WE will accomplish it. I believe it. John Lennon and Yoko Ono wrote lyrics and sung their songs to several generations of people who listened with open ears. Yoko and John are not alone in their desire.

WE will accomplish Peace. It starts with us–with you–with me. Make peace with yourself. Everywhere I look across the web the last few days people are lamenting the suicide death of Robin Williams. Maybe Robin couldn’t make peace with himself. He was living with manic and addictive behaviors. One would think that with the lifestyle and resources he had, help might have been available. I heard several years ago on the radio an interview with a physician that specialized in depression that there is a surgery available but our insurance will not pay for it. Unless one has the resources to pay out of pocket they cannot get the surgery. I don’t know if that would have helped Williams. We are only beginning to understand the brain and neurological science. Would a brain scan have helped him and others?

Find peace within yourself. The inner you, that is seeking reconciliation, let your natural creative spirit come to life. There is tremendous peace in being creative–not just making art. Create a positive business, dinner for friends, gifts for loved ones, a garden, a park in your town, plant trees, allow insects and animals to live, or something that drives you to want to make the world a better place. How many times are we living in dread of others words or actions, certain we are to blame when in reality its not about us, but it is about them. If we have amity in our hearts, souls and life then we might take the time to let the situation come to rest before taking action in anger.

I had an experience with friends that had a large vegetable garden. They had a few rabbits in their gardens. They worked so hard to rid the garden of rabbits and yet it drew more rabbits than ever. Their every waking moment was focused on these rabbits, the babies, the mother rabbits, where the nests were and how to eradicate them was all they focused on. Then their bean crop got severely damaged by disease. Next the tomatoes started to rot. I advised them to stop focusing on the rabbits and let them feed–instead focus on adding another bed or new crops. Fix the soil and work for good in their beautiful patch. As they changed the garden space by the next season the rabbits had moved on somewhat. There were still a few but less and the season after yet less. Nature abhors a vacuum said Spinosa. Perhaps by trying to kill off all the rabbits the system of nature brought more. I cannot prove it but intuitively I think its part of the explanation. If you garden, don’t shut out the animals that need to eat. Make peace in the garden. Give away food. Let them prosper. Nature will balance itself eventually. We often impede nature. I kept bees as a girl and as an adult. Africanized (so called killer) bees are rampant and moving into the southern United States. When it first happened, in a hyper-reactive state of mind, people called for all beekeeping to be abolished in southern states. Laws were passed and honeybee keepers had bees removed. The result? More africanized bees moved up and into territories not being used by honeybees. Another example of nature filling in the vacuum.

Peace grows, like everything we do. Focus on being at peace with yourself, your family, your neighbors and let the ripple create an effect that rocks the world. I am trying to do it and its not a perfect walk. I’m still angry. I still want to shout about injustice of all types. I still yearn for earthly goods. Not to be preachy, but its past the time we have to change. I am searching for tranquility. Still I say this. Create peace. Live peacefully. Focus on unanimity for humankind and our planet. I’m planning a series of paintings that will be about finding serenity and projecting world peace. In the meantime I borrowed a graphic that projects the flags of many nations united in the clearly recognizable sign for peace.