When I wrote this piece back in 2011, I held on to a simple prayer: “Let there be peace on Earth, and let it begin with me.” More than a decade has passed since then, and the world has only grown more complex. Conflicts continue to erupt in different corners of the globe, divisions run deep within societies, wars still rage, and even in our daily lives, anger and division find their way into conversations, families, and communities.
At times, I wonder if total peace is even possible. Maybe peace and unrest are like the two sides of a coin. The ancient wisdom of yin and yang tells us that light cannot exist without darkness, and perhaps peace cannot exist without a measure of unrest. One reminds us of the value of the other.
So, instead of dreaming of a world where conflict disappears, maybe our role is to nurture peace wherever we can. Even a small act, a kind word, a forgiving heart, a calm response, becomes a ripple. And though the larger world may never be free of unrest, those ripples can still spread far.
Peace, then, is not a destination. It is a choice we keep making, again and again, even when the world tells us otherwise.
So, I return to my simple prayer, now with a little more understanding:
Let there be peace on Earth…
Not a perfect peace, perhaps, but a peace that flickers, that struggles, that survives amidst unrest.
Let it begin in me...
In the calm words I speak, the small kindnesses I offer, the quiet patience I practice.
Let it reach my home, my neighborhood, my city, my loved ones…
Let it ripple, imperfect and persistent, through a world that may never be fully at rest.
If we hold our small flame of peace steadily, even a fractured world can shine in fragments.
May each of us choose peace, again and again, and may that choice be enough.
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