“Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying.” These famous words by Ralph Waldo Emerson relay the idea that the Universe cannot be fooled by our words. January 30th, 2019 marked the 21st annual Season for Nonviolence (SNV.) This event was created through a partnership between the Arjun Gandhi Institute and the Association for Global New Thought to celebrate the life works of both Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. This grassroots educational and awareness initiative runs for 64 days between the anniversary dates of Gandhi’s death on January 30th and Martin Luther King’s on April 4th.
Both Gandhi and King stood for changing the world through non-violence. In other words, they were advocates for peace. For the past several years during SNV, I have advocated for the idea that Peace already exists and that the experience of a peaceful world begins within each one of us. And each year I ask myself the same question: “How can I access and reveal the idea that Peace exists right where I am?”
This brings me back to Emerson’s quote; how can we talk about wanting peace if we are not being peace? It is impossible to create peace by hating war. Peace is created by peace. Awesomely simple, yet amazingly powerful.
I’ve heard it said that you cannot simply “schmear” some positive thinking on top of a heap of negativity. Understanding this makes clear the wisdom of Gandhi: “Be the change you wish to see”. As creative entities, the key to our creative power is our most passionate thoughts. Direct those thoughts in powerful and positive ways and become a beneficial presence.
I always hold close the words of our founder, Dr. Ernest Holmes, spoken in his last lecture entitled, Sermon By The Sea: “Find one thousand people who know how important it is that each one of us in his simple way shall live from God, to God, with God, in God, and to each other, and the world will no longer be famished.”
I invite you, over the next 64 days, during the Season for Nonviolence, to focus on what you really want when you are feeling anger or fear. Practice being “for” something rather than “against” something. “I am for more peace in my life” rather than “I want less conflict”. The universal creative principle is our partner. It takes your ‘for’ peace, adds it to the ‘for peace’ of others – and says, “YES!”
And So It Is.
Rev. Nadene Rogers