Inner Peace?

 

I saw a television show once, filmed in what most would call a third-world country, and one of the women of the village, when asked about food shortages, said, “We would not be able to sleep at night if we knew a neighbor had not eaten, we share what little we have.”

Translated – they would not know ‘peace’ while others were suffering. 

I see a lot of posts daily from many people about *inner peace*. For myself, I am somewhat opposed to the idea of expressions of *inner peace* while living in such a society. I am deeply ashamed for humans and our actions, and while just about every person claims to care, claims to value education, claims to be enlightened, claims to be compassionate, I find these are often empty declarations that are not carried through by their actions.

Perhaps my definition of inner peace is not the same as some others. I am most at peace when I am saving a life, when I am eating a meal that avoided as much suffering and destruction as possible, when I am reading a letter from someone whose life I affected in some way, when I see animals freed to sanctuary, when I see the hungry being fed and the homeless being sheltered, when a (veggie) farmer wins a small victory against Big Ag, when someone changes their diet and goes off medicines and/or manages or cures their disease, when a rainforest tree is protected for another day, when someone plants a native berry-bearer for my beloved wildlife friends, when someone stops using Round-up/other pesticides and stops polluting our world, when someone goes vegan and then realizes how brainwashed they were the whole time, etc, etc, etc!

I will not find true peace until all I love have peace. I will never be silent while others suffer. I will not feel content while we torture, kill, and destroy. For me it is impossible to truly be at peace while almost everyone and everything I love is suffering and dying. I find my peace only within the fight – at least, until this fight is won! Expressions of *inner peace* strike me expression of privilege, of ignorance to the suffering...of being one of the *lucky ones*.

I am happy, actually quite joyous most of the time…but no, I am not at peace…not until we all know peace will any of us truly understand what it is to be peaceful people.