Peace Is a Muscle That Has To Be Strengthened
At a time when there has never been more violence on this planet, the question in the forefront of my mind is this: Are we doing enough as parents to support our children in becoming peacemakers? Why isn’t peace a class, in every school, at every grade level, in every classroom all over the world? We say we want a more peaceful world yet we place no real value on it. I recently had the privilege of teaching peace to over 200 young people in our Los Angeles public and charter schools. They had read advanced copies of my book, Where Peace Lives, and had a lot they wanted to share.
Whether they were 8 or 18, their challenges were shockingly the same; gang violence, racial slurs/bullying and sexual discrimination. Our children are hungry to make a difference, desperate to affect their reality in a positive way, but they are unsure of how to do it. They have no formal class that teaches them how to resolve their differences, lead more courageously with their heart, or practice the sacred peace key -- forgiveness. Since peace is a muscle that has to be strengthened or else it grows weak, I believe it is our obligation to get peace into our classrooms so our children can study, learn and practice peace. Then, and only then, can we rest assured they will fulfill their divine destinies as peacemakers. If not now, when?
Whether they were 8 or 18, their challenges were shockingly the same; gang violence, racial slurs/bullying and sexual discrimination. Our children are hungry to make a difference, desperate to affect their reality in a positive way, but they are unsure of how to do it. They have no formal class that teaches them how to resolve their differences, lead more courageously with their heart, or practice the sacred peace key -- forgiveness. Since peace is a muscle that has to be strengthened or else it grows weak, I believe it is our obligation to get peace into our classrooms so our children can study, learn and practice peace. Then, and only then, can we rest assured they will fulfill their divine destinies as peacemakers. If not now, when?
1 Comments:
I agree that as a whole humanity is in need of seeking into and being open to accept peace as a viable and real possibility for all of us. When I have worked with children in schools around this issue of conflict, mediation, peace...the feedback is always the same, we want more of this. Peace is not something for us to shy away from, hold as impossible, pretend is only a dream. It has to become part of the mainstream thought process and where that starts is by giving children the opportunity and CHOICE to create a peaceful world by affording them the tools to do so where they need it most, in their school environments.
By Where Peace Lives, At May 7, 2007 12:45 PM
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