A Better Peace

If we want the more beautiful world, then we have to live it now. In the midst of uncertainty and division. In the midst of war.

The world has seen war, has lived war over and over throughout history. It has also seen ceasefire and periods of peace, however tenuous it was.

But if war is the unmaking of peace, then peace can be remade, too. Stronger and more dynamic. More inclusive and robust than before.

When we say we want to end war, we also mean we want to remake peace. A peace that includes all, that hears all voices, that lays aside power and privilege. Peace that relinquishes control. A peace founded in neighbors and community, in shared tables. A peace where no one is marginalized or excluded or given less of a voice or a choice.

A new peace, not just a ceasefire or a signed contract between nations.

A peace that permeates borders. That permeates hearts. A peace that links us together.

Peace that isn’t the mere absence of bombs and bullets. But peace built on relationships and perspective, on individual narratives and collective opportunity.

It’s not a quiet peace. Not complacent or easy or tidy. This peace is sometimes loud and messy, and certainly complicated. It’s a peace of tension. A peace that doesn’t shy away from conflict or search out the easy or quick solution.

It’s a peace that stays in it, that fights through it. A peace that can hold opposing viewpoints and still find a common humanity. A peace that speaks out and grabs on and gathers it all. A peace that holds.

A peace where we seek to create good for the others around us. Because we know that true peace, peace that lasts, is when we all rise, together.

That is the peace we pursue. But to get to that more beautiful world, to that sustained peace, we have to start living it now. In our living rooms and in our communities. In our online discussions and our face-to-face interactions.

A peace that starts while war still rages.

A peace unfurling, remaking the more beautiful world.