REFLECTION: WHAT IS PEACE? Charles Nazarian, GUUC Service on 05-15-22
In our Call to Worship you and Lucille recited the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. They are among the most profound messages to humanity from the great Teacher. Each one expresses in a different way the importance of humility, charity and love for other people. They also imply the transformation of our inner selves, away from our instinctive selfish impulses and sense of entitlement. They are positive statements about virtues in life that ultimately become their own reward.
We are blessed, not necessarily by a deity, but by our own actions that promote comfort in times of trouble, sharing when there is scarcity, seeking truth when there is confusion and falsehood, practicing forgiveness when it may be hard to forgive, and making peace when the territorial and acquisitive impulses that we are born with threaten the lives or whole peoples in war. Blessed, indeed, are the peacemakers…
In this time our culture has been forced to recognize once again that the murder, destruction and cruelty of senseless war has not gone away despite all of our technology, scientific knowledge and prosperity. Since the story of Cain and Able in Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible, the roots of our cultural story demonstrate that because of jealousy, feelings of inferiority, lust for land, power or money we humans are capable of killing not only one another but even our own brothers and sisters. Such is the tragic reality of the war between Russia and Ukraine. When we lit the peace candle, we wonder for how long will it take to end this utter madness? When will peace come?
Sometimes it seems like these things should be of the long past and not of our time. They seem entirely unreal and unimaginable. Haven’t we evolved into better people over time on this planet? But we just remembered the Holocaust last week in our program with Temple Achavat Achim, and we know all too well that the worst magnitude of human murder, of genocide, occurred only 75 years ago…a tiny speck in time compared to human history. How can we, or the Jewish people, ever forgive or even find peace?
American politics of the past several years has also been a mess, with polarization, politicians who practice lying as a social media skill, sometimes we wonder how did such selfishness, egotism, and twisting of values come about? Words are often twisted to have exactly the opposite meaning that we used to recognize. When did life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness become keep out the refugee, freedom for everyone to carry a gun and an attitude of my country was made only for people who look like me and believe what I believe? Where do we look to find peace in such an environment?
Speaking of human nature, can you remember all the way back to early childhood when you, or perhaps your children, nieces or nephews were taught to share your toys? Child psychologists explain how toddlers eventually come to recognize what is part of their body and what is not; then gradually that extends to learning what things belong to them like a favorite blanket or toy. Just around the time they learn to talk, possession becomes very important and we can all probably recall that sense of something being “my doll or my truck.” Then the adults start telling us we have to share them, to be nice, to let a sibling or a playmate enjoy something that we felt entitled to as ours alone.
In watching that human development process we also observe that even as adults, highly socialized and educated as we may be, that those instincts never actually go away. In the Beatitudes, Jesus exhorts us to think of others, not just ourselves or our possessions, to have empathy. In the current global context, we see Vladimir Putin claiming that Ukraine was always part of Russia and therefore in his view as close to an absolute monarch, it belongs by extension to him. It does not matter how much suffering it causes. It is not so different from a child who bullies another child in order to keep hold of something that is viewed as a possession. There isn’t going to be peace in that house hold for a while!
So what does it mean to be blessed, if it is so often counter to our instincts? The word Beatitude is not in familiar usage but let’s go back to the way St. Gregory of Nyssa described it. He was known for teaching the principle that the spiritual life is not one of static perfection but of constant progress – view that is remarkably similar to the Unitarian Universalist principle of seeking truth and meaning.
“Beatitude is a possession of all things held to be good,
from which nothing is absent that a good desire may want.
Perhaps the meaning of beatitude may become clearer to us
if it is compared with its opposite.
Now the opposite of beatitude is misery.
Misery means being afflicted unwillingly with painful sufferings.”
So in one example, “blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” what he is saying that if we do the opposite and do not have mercy, compassion and practice forgiveness we ourselves will be miserable. That misery comes from a kind of blindness, of “being afflicted unwillingly” perhaps because we expect no kindness from others and go about our lives defending what we possess or think we should have. That certainly does not sound peaceful!
In another, “blessed are they who mourn” implies that we have deep feelings about loss, perhaps about a loved one, or a tragedy, or perhaps in recognizing our own failings. But by mourning and being vulnerable we are also open to our emotions and gradually that leads to a place of comfort, perhaps a kind of acceptance about our shared human condition with others who also mourn…and through that we may be comforted.
Then there is the remarkable one about peace; “blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” What does that mean to us today? Perhaps we are reminded of the phrase “we are all God’s children?” I think it is very close to the Unitarian Universalist teaching about the interconnected web of existence. As we contemplate this world, our cultures, our fragile planet’s environment, we recognize that we are all in this together! Our actions have consequences, and if we are able to bring about peace between people even in a small way, it resonates like ripples in a pond. In many ways, large and small, we can be diplomats making peace among the people around us. We may fail at times, that’s for sure, but being a peacemaker doesn’t guarantee success…it means trying to create peace.
It all sounds good in the abstract, but I am reminded all the time that it is very hard to put into practice. I have a neighbor…(stop)…Oops, I can’t tell that story!
How many of you have a neighbor with whom you have had trouble, raise your hands? What is it about proximity that always seems to lead to the endless replay of the Hatfields and the McCoys? Or maybe you remember Tevya in Fiddler on the roof describing an argument in his Jewish community, “it was horse…it was a mule!”
My neighbor’s trees partly block the view the view I cherish of sunsets over Ipswich Bay…this absolutely not make for peaceful relations, although I have one neighbor who keeps trying to smooth things over as the “peacemaker.” But his idea of making peace feels more like appeasement…I want to get down to brass tacks with the neighbor and have it out! However I try to see it his way, I still get angry, defensive, and I end up creating my own misery. How many of you can identify with this?
So when Rev. Janet repeated that wonderful mantra a few weeks ago that peace on earth eventually boils down to peace in the home and in our hearts…I’m sorry to report that sometimes it’s just not happening. Of course, compared to the horrors of war and genocide this is a tempest in a teapot…but the principle is the same. What do I do when it irks me towards anger? I try to take some time out, a time of quiet, and practice gratitude. And honestly, I try to see it sometimes from his perspective…here are these three neighbors above me, lusting after something that is not really legally theirs and they don’t appreciate how I could have built three large houses and blocked the view… Sorry folks, still not working!
So what is peace anyway? Webster’s dictionary may help:
Peace: a state of tranquility or quiet: such as
a : freedom from civil disturbance. Example- Peace and order were finally restored in the town.
b : a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom example – a breach of the peace
2 : freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions example – I have been in perfect peace and contentment— J. H. Newman
3 : harmony in personal relations Example -The sisters are at peace with each other.
4a : a state or period of mutual concord between governments Example – There was a peace of 50 years before war broke out again.
b : a pact or agreement to end hostilities between those who have been at war or in a state of enmity offered the possibility of a negotiated peace — New York Times
5 —used interjectionally to ask for silence or calm or as a greeting or farewell
I have to tell you a story here: a few years ago I was having my roof re-done and the chimney re-stuccoed. The Hispanic stucco artisan, a very mellow and happy man in his work, greeted some workers from the chimney. From the ground level they asked in Spanish how he was and to my surprise he responded “tranquillo”… Here was a very busy guy, with wet plaster, on a scaffolding 45’ above the ground and was at peace. This relates to something Rev. Janet shared with us a few weeks ago when we sang “I’ve got peace like a river…”: being at peace does not imply stillness. The surface of the river may appear to be smooth but there is a lot of activity going on underneath. I think that may be one of the secrets about peace: it is more like harmony in music, even if the composition we are playing or the life we are living out is complex, difficult or has many moving parts.
That kind of peace, which one can at least hope is able to transcend our selfish and proprietary tendencies, comes from doing some kind of constructive good. But where do we get the strength in rough times, when we feel threatened or anxious, to in effect practice peace? For me, and perhaps for you, it can come from consciously setting aside a little time for prayer or meditation, even if it just before bedtime. There is power in that time of letting go of the self and being open to hearing what many call the “still, small voice within” or perhaps of simply being aware in the moment of our breathing, of being present, of letting go of all of our clanging daily worries in our heads…of allowing tranquility to fill us. Like drinking cool water from a spring, it can refresh our inner selves and help to broaden our perspective from “me” to “everyone” from “what’s mine” to “what we all may share.”
When life seemed to be wearing me down in recent years and especially during the darkest days when anxiety seemed everywhere early in the Covid epidemic I had discovered an App through a friend called “10 percent happiness” that features amazingly personal, prerecorded guided meditations. There were singles on things like concentration, deep relaxation, gratitude and self-compassion and whole courses if you wanted to dive in deep. What I especially appreciated about the site were singles like “meditation for people who don’t want to meditate” that showed that they had a sense of humor and humility about the human condition. One of the leaders, with the melodic name Sebene Selassie really spoke to me. She had been through some tough things in life but just listening to her voice and her easy to understand messages opened tranquil paths for my mind and let me body relax as it needed.
In some Christian traditions there is a phrase, “the peace that passeth all understanding,” which to me is very close to the pastoral prayer I shared with you invoking the Great Spirit, too infinite and vast for human comprehension, Source of all of power, light and love in the universe…and yet so close…the spark of life in every living thing that binds us together. If we engage with that mystery, even if our scientific and empirical minds cannot, or will not, embrace the traditional concept of God, my experience is that we can come closer to living out the Beatitudes and while maybe not changing the world it can change something inside that leads to inner peace. I believe:
We can be more humble: less focused on control and more on seeing our small place in the scheme of things.
We can be more merciful: looking out for the needs of others, especially those labeled by segments of our society as unworthy by virtue of ethnicity, race, lack of education or wealth, drug addiction, homelessness, or appearance.
We can mourn: recognizing our own sorrows as part of a larger connection to others who are mourning and appreciate, despite the hurt and loss, with gratitude the many good things we have received or enjoyed.
And we can be peacemakers: perhaps by providing a perspective for the greater good when people, organizations or even countries have come to that place where no one feels they can, or should, back down. It does not mean that we must appease truly people with truly evil and destructive power but it may mean finding ways to save people under terrible circumstances, like those who hid Jews or arranged for their escape during WWII. Few of us are in a position to affect the actions of world powers. But we do have the power to seek out solutions that lead to peace in our homes and communities. Those good acts ripple out and can lead to a greater peace.
St. Gregory of Nyssa was pointing out our path in the fourth century…we so often make ourselves miserable by being self-focused and blind to the people all around us. He shares the magic that in helping others, commiserating with their sorrows, understanding their failures as very like our own, and always striving to see our lives as part of that interconnected web of existence…through that path we can overcome instinct and, indeed be blessed. A life full of meaning gives us tranquility despite all kinds of upheavals that inevitably come our way. It is the best definition of peace I know.
