Five Steps to Peace

1. Presence - We are so easily entangled in regret, resentment or guilt over the past. Five minutes ago is as finished as five thousand years ago. It's done. The future, which we become excited or anxious about hasn't happened and has no true relevance yet. Only the present is real. We can only control our thoughts and actions right now.

2. Forgiveness - Holding grievances is the single most destructive emotional act you can experience. Guilt and resentment aren't necessary to act appropriately in the present - only our better judgement - our higher selves need be consulted for guidance. There's a Chinese proverb that says if you are bent on revenge, you'd better dig two graves. If you're abusing yourself with guilt, stop the behavior you feel guilty about and forgive yourself for the time it took you to learn the lesson. Release the poison.

3. Gratitude - How, once you have let go of the past or the need to control the future (and everyone and everything connected to the future), can you feel anything but awareness and appreciation for the countless blessings that surround you. That's not self-delusion - it's clarity.

4. Love - What is this, really? Isn't it being true to yourself and accepting everyone for exactly who they are? Isn't is allowing everything to be exactly as it is, unless it's clear that you have some responsibility to act with courage and compassion (rather than anger and viciousness)? Isn't it being open to life's lessons about hope, beauty and growth?

5. Peace - I believe that peace is a deeply rooted and always accessible state, although sometimes circumstances and the way we are conditioned to react to those circumstances with fear or anger can erect temporary barriers to that sense of peace. But it's always there. And perhaps the level of peace we can achieve is directly related to the enormity and the difficulty of the trials we face. I'd like to believe that.

In any case - I wish for you today presence, forgiveness, gratitude, love, and mostly, peace.