Over the weekend I kept having these sudden rushes of anxiety and thoughts while I was out shopping, driving, and trying to enjoy a cup of coffee. I wondered if people preparing to go into battle feel the same way as they wait to be deployed or dropped into a hot zone. I compare my anxiety over the weekend with a battle because that’s how I feel when dealing with the issues of violence in our society. It won’t take the same form as a military battle but it carry’s almost the same significance I imagine. I say that because the battle of reducing violence in our society is one that is being lost on a daily basis. Our wonderful Brothers and Sisters in the military take action every day for what they believe in and I am grateful for them as members of our Nation. As a society we kind of let things slide here and there allowing for someone around us to use hateful words to describe another person. We change the channel when the death of a youth is being reported as a possible gang violence incident on the news. We dismiss the person begging for food or some extra change on the street while we go out to a trendy overpriced restaurant. Those are battles being lost and we don’t even realize it.
So then what do we do about it? Do YOU want to take on this battle for a better society?
We all have roles to play in life and within those roles we have to find a way to incorporate our abilities to impact people’s lives in a peacefully way. Think about a time you went into a retail store and were treated with respect and diligence, how did it make you feel? Or think about a time that you were ignored and treated with complete dismissal, did that feel right? I use retail as an example because we have some of our most diverse interactions at a store. I was at a store and the cashier was asking me if it was cold outside and I said it wasn’t too bad since it wasn’t windy. She bagged my last bag handed me the receipt and without a look or verbal cue she let me know it was time to go. I didn’t feel disrespected in any way I actually expected to be treated like that because our society has reached that point of disconnect. The impact of that dismissal not only can potential harm me but her as well because it creates energy of negativity and carelessness. I knew not to become offended because I’ve worked in retail before and know that at the end of a night everyone just wants to go home. If I would have responded in a negative way to her dismissal what would I have sent her home with? Most likely in a different mood that in turn would affect someone else that had nothing to do with that 2 minute interaction.
As I walked through a store I felt like my anxiety was written all over my face and felt like I was going to pass out. A store employee looked at me and paused not sure whether to ask me if I needed help or not so they kept walking. This sudden rush of thoughts came to me wondering how am I going to travel across the country and dare ask people what Peace means to them and how can we all find it. How am I going to speak to people that may want nothing to do with me, Peace, or any other subject outside of their lives? Money, transportation, accommodations, food, etc…and I felt like screaming at the top of my lungs but instead I took a deep breath and noticed a toddler with her parents. The child looked so happy and entertained by an object they held in their hands. I wondered, what does Peace mean to that child? I can only imagine that at that very moment it was an object in their little hands and being with their parents is all that meant Peace to this child. I took another deep breath and promised that I would do all possible to make sure that child can keep a clear image of Peace in their lives as they get older.
There are many ways to create Peace and finding what part we will play in that process is something I hope to not only help you but hope you can help me discover.
Peace/AMOR
Gerardo
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