The Price of Peace
“A peacemaker does not mean a peaceful person.”
Peace as defined is a freedom from disturbance and a feeling of tranquility. Truth be told, when it comes to “peace”, a false sense of security is all there really is. We pursue peace thinking this is where we can be the most effective in our relationships and be the optimum to become our best self as a man.
There is a hidden danger when peace resides undisturbed in your life. It is said the faster men sleep through life and the more secure they are, the greater the risk. Principalities of evil ruins men by rocking them asleep during time of serenity, flattering them into a good opinion of their own safety and so bringing them to drop their guard and fear nothing. This is when the evil of this world robs men of our strength, honor and dignity.
When we understand that peace is not so much an absence of misfortune, but the result of how we respond consciously and rationally to any crisis, then we can weather any and all types of downpour safely within the security of our own intellectual and emotional storm shelter. There, in spite of the turmoil that may surround us, we can be insulated enough to reflect on the wisdom that reminds us there are times when fear or absence of peace is actually a good thing for us men, because its during this time when a defensive posture acts as a Watchman at the heart’s controls to monitor our level of stress and emotional stamina.
Maintaining peace doesn’t always mean being silent or staying “under the radar”. It requires courage to engage in a level of disagreement necessary to stand your ground for integrity and stability for more than just yourself in order to minimize the damages the actions of others can bring to you and your household. The prerequisite of peace is bravery to confront that which threatens harmony within your sphere of influence. One drawn sword keeps another’s sheathed.
If we fall for deceptive thinking that material or relational possessions is what will lead us towards a life of peace and tranquillity, we will soon find out the more we value things outside of our control, the less control we actually have. If we choose to do nothing to contribute towards peace in our lives and just stand by to let providence and hope take its course, then we will also find out when its much too late that wishful thinking can be the worst of all evils, because it can also prolong the torments we experience.
I realize there is so much that is out of our control when it comes to finding and managing peace in our lives, so then what can we do as men to find more of it? How can we develop into being not only peacemakers, but also peace keepers? It starts with realizing that the independence of our actions are also what necessitates laws to safeguard us from ourselves. We need to understand the gravity of our choices as we pursue true peace in our life. There are two freedoms - the false where a man can do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do as he ought.
When you rush into situations to create a false sense of peace and security, there will be little wonder why you become vulnerable to more unrest. Peace cannot be achieved by chance or force, only by understanding and moral truths. Next is knowing that you cannot experience peace without providing it because there is no pathway to peace, it is what you’ll need to start with to achieve it. Peace is not an absence of conflict but the ability to cope with it. There is no inner peace without outer peace and the concept of “trying” will create trials and tribulations, whereas the act of “doing” will provide growth and opportunity.
My fellow man, you have two basic options; deny the unpredictability of life and create your own false sense of security, or accept the vagaries of life and learn to live with them. It’s not about finding yourself, but more about creating yourself. What you leave behind is not what is engraved in a headstone, but what is planted into the lives of others.