“Peace does not mean an absence of conflicts; differences will always be there.
Peace means solving these differences through peaceful means;
through dialogue, education, knowledge; and through humane ways.”
Dalai Lama XIV
Peace is not the absence of war.
We can never ignore or wish away any of our conflicts. They will always be there. There will always be a handful more tomorrow. We will always face people who don’t like us, don’t understand us, misunderstand our intentions, loathe us, and sometimes even wish us harm, metaphorically or literally.
Knowing we will face adversity tomorrow doesn’t make it easier, it just changes our all-out sprint into a long-distance marathon.
We cannot solve conflict with more conflict. Fight gossip with more gossip. Maintain the same loser friends, yet expect to be changed and inspired. We cannot allow our husband or wife to put us down and abuse us, and expect them to change.
We have to use dialogue, education, and all knowledge, to pursue peace through humane ways, but we must also know when enough is enough.
We need to know when to quit. When to walk away. And when to stay and fight.
Some things are worth fighting for. Others are like cancer and must be cut out and destroyed.
Take heart that you will always be in battle.
It doesn’t dull the pain, it changes your strategy.
Work for peace.
Tirelessly.
And don’t let the bastards grind you down.
