To be at peace

What does it mean to be at peace? It means nothing, zero, which is perfect balance. However we live in a reality comprised of everything. Our only vehicle to achieve peace is through our minds.

Each one of us has a dream. No matter what you do to earn a living, you are supporting each others dream. You can counter that understanding because that is your own choice. However, if you believe in that, you will see the vast potential of a support network. Life takes on a new vibrancy when you feel the reality that everyone is there to help.

If you do not believe that reality, every moment is a struggle. You have to fight every one because you believe you must. The only reason to fight rests in the fact that you believe you must. 

Many people view peace as being obtained through sacrifice and difficult work. Such a mentality can have negative impacts. Negative ideology in the mind has come to be understood as bad. However when peace is truly in the mind good, bad, right, wrong are indicators of your own personal directions.

The knowledge of right, wrong, good or bad are there to inform you of patterns/methods of understanding. Being at peace does not mean you will no longer feel anger, frustration or confusion. However it does mean that you will be more at ease with those emotions. You will develop different patterns of venting such thoughts and emotions in a more balanced manner.

One of the toughest parts I have found is that there is a constant need to be mindful of others emotions more than your own. There are times when others actions are so selfish that an entire relationship or society is harmed. Even though the person may not have the intention of causing great harm, the selfishness in itself is an indication that peace is far away in that persons’ world.

Serious about peace

At the moment I am preparing to go back to East Africa. As I prepare I have to project the path for peace. Often there is so much noise from those that think they know what is going on that I must turn off the world just to see reality. One of the largest distractions I have witnessed is the behaviour from those that arrive in fragile countries and do next to nothing. For the most part such behaviour is unintended but the lack of seriousness has compounded the degree of difficulty for those that can do the job and do their work.

In some countries where chaos has reigned for decades there is a culture of chaos, corruption and violence. The Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC) is the flag bearer of such a situation. Pakistan, Afghanistan, Columbia also have a similar situation.  Newly added to the list of chaos culture is Iraq. There are many others which can be put on this list.

The work to rebuild a society is hard work, in reality it is more frustrating than difficult. The bottom point is that to rebuild you have to change each time to some degree. As much as the work is to assist in rebuilding a society it is also about building yourself. Each situation is different and there is no set playbook. There is no set plan for peace because peace is human ideology and everyone sees the world through their unique point of view. In any given society there are thousands of people and each one has to evolve from a violent/corrupt reality to a peaceful reality in some degree.

Even though I just wrote that there is no one way, all we have is education. From there comes the trust and desire to be peaceful. As the work to rebuild moves along there are times when trust is killed, I have had the horrible experience more than I care to remember. Such an experience really does put a hole in the heart. Each time hurts just as much, the only difference is you know how to get through it. Then you sit back and rework the path to peace. For example, what is taking place in DRC right now is horrible.

The United Nations is taking a huge hit because it is seen as failing. In fact it is not the United Nations but the people within these countries and the power holders that ensure chaos remains. The average people in these countries are dying because of a lack of seriousness in peace efforts.

It is not just the large organizations that hinder peace operations, sometimes it is the individuals that hinder progress. These people come into the area and basically act like semi tourists. They spend more time on busses and traveling than actually doing their job, although it is easy to blame the harsh conditions along with the enormity of the task.

As I prepare to leave I go through all the past points of where it seemed a lost cause. I think of those that helped and those that hindered and you never know how it will go until it is over. At this point all I am hoping for is a situation where people are really going to work.

Defending culture

Culture is a wonderful part of life. Unfortunately it is also one of the main sources of violent conflict. Even from one generation to the next, culture will evolve, which will cause societal friction. Yet there are a few grounding elements to every culture that permeate throughout all facets of life. I recall the sadness I felt when I could not smile for my passport photo. Although I have known others that got away with a slight smirk. It is very interesting how culture impacts every part of life, even in the world of economics.

Money has no culture yet how we obtain money does. Being Canadian I have come up against many people telling me that Canadians should change how we do business. We are not aggressive enough or we do not sing our praises loudly or often enough. The culture we have developed is one that exalts the humble person. I do not know why we have developed this way but it is an identity/culture that is trusted, revered and yet constantly pushed to change.

These past few weeks, as I have been working with others in emerging markets, the Canadian culture is always a factor. The comparisons I have heard in relation to other cultures often highlight differences in a better/worse frame of understanding. These comparisons had started to really bother me because the ideology behind them were rooted in making Canadians more like someone else. The whole reason Canada exists is because there was no other country that we thought was worth joining so, we forged our own path.

Ever since I started to travel, the image people have of Canadians has not changed much. We are the polite ones, honest brokers, humble, quite, easy going people and the best part is, when there is serious work we are there to help. Here we are, unique in a world that has few trusting governments or businesses. However, this culture is bombarded with aggressive chatter seeking to change it.

We are being told to wear the flag, speak out, demand recognition and push for more on the basis of our good image. How long do you think that good image will last if we bow to such pressures? Our character of being humble has the solid reputation of honesty, integrity and a caring society. Sadly I am noticing the death of that culture as we project our image through symbols and imagery. More and more I hear people asking with a questionable tone if this or that person is Canadian. A few short years ago the same inquiry was heard with more certainty. Canadians were noticed because of our actions not through some shallow, boisterous propaganda.

Canada has a deep, rich, trusted culture. Canada has a culture that can endure if the people today have the courage, character and wisdom to embrace it and stave off the perils of overt patriotism. Wearing a flag and telling everyone you are Canadian is a cultural oxymoron for a Canadian. Let others know you are Canadian through your actions of being polite, courteous, intelligent, welcoming, understanding, caring, tolerant and hard workers. Lastly there is one more component to our culture and that rests with our ability to defend. If need be, Canadians have a reputation for being the most unwanted opponent.

Cultural diversity is a wonderful part of life. They are social groupings for the entire world to grasp a knowledge of eachother. Just like we have a wide variety of friends. Some of those friends just piss you off more often yet underneath is a trusting bond that you defend. I really enjoy all the different cultures of the world. More so, I feel a great sense of appreciation when I am confronted with the realxed joy of someone saying, You must be the Canadian.