Motivations for peace

The connections of actions and reasons are the motivations for our behaviours. Of all the books, teachings, speeches and quotes about peace, there is no replacing actions. From actions we can begin to understand the reasons why we do things. Life involves every possibility in existence. That means there will be harms done on purpose and some that are unintended. In simple terms, at some point we all get a rock in our shoe if you walk long enough. The rock had no intentions of being in your shoe but still it ended up in there. Then there are time when the rock just will not stay out of your shoes. Everyone knows a person that enjoys being a pest. You know a person that will poke you just to see you get agitated. These people are part of life, as are the people that constantly complain and argue. How we deal with these people is the art of peace. For the most part we are able to be a peaceful society in the grand vision of the world. Then there are the moments when peace is completely thrown out of the way, which Daesh is all about. This is where peace is most tested. We can not ignore them, nor can we rid ourselves of them quickly. We must act to protect ourselves from such acts of terrorism. This puts us in a situation where peace is in a dangerous position. We must face reality that protection can mean killing another. This puts us in a direct contradiction of what peace seeks to be. This is the reason for what is deemed a last resort and also we must acknowledge that violence is often a first resort for some. Long term solutions using a peaceful approach is one of education. We need to understand the motivations of those that work to disturb peace. This needs to take place at an individual level first and foremost. At the individual level, people will seek out like minded people. Then the inner circle begins, thought becomes insulated, supported and grows. Peace is a flexible environment, hate and violence is very rigid. Oddly enough there is an element of hate that is quite interesting. Often the things we hate are more about changes we want to make in our own personal lives more than who or what we are directing hate and anger towards. Let that element take root in your thoughts when you seek to understand your motivations to act.