disabling people, was not actually being peaceful himself. He said that he had to break
the peace in order to keep the peace. His definition of peace was one of organizations,
religions, or groups of people that did not physically fight or hurt each other. My mother
and father share a definition of peace. They believe that peace means the absence of
conflict. My mother, however, went on to say that peace is not the unattainable goal I
thought it was, but a rallying point, a place of agreement, something that unites rather
than divides. The use of “peace” as a goal can bring together people from all walks of
life in support of peace. Peace, then, leads to peace.
To me, peace is much more personal than anything I have yet described. Peace is
the simple things in life. Peace is eating supper with my family, watching television with
a cat on my lap, and lying in bed at night without the fear that seems to seep into one's
conscience with the darkening sky. There has only been one time in my life where I have
felt more at peace than the basic, simple forms of peace that I just described and everyone
can easily experience. This peace is a kind of peace that may only be felt once in life, or
several times to a lucky few. For me, this sublime experience occurred when I was
thirteen. I was on a trip I had taken three times before with my small school, a trip to
Earthshine Mountain Lodge in the mountains of North Carolina. The only reason this
year's trip was any different was because I knew in the back of my mind that I would
probably never travel there again. It is still the only time in my life that I have tried to
enjoy something that I knew I would probably enjoy anyway. The defining moment of
that trip came on the last night I would spend there. All fifty of us scaled the large grassy
hillside outside the lodge, where a fire was waiting. It was freezing cold that night, but as
I climbed the hill, I felt the glow of warmth and happiness coming from inside myself.
After stories, marshmallows, and songs, I lay back as we sat in silence to look at the stars.
It was as clear a night as I have ever seen, and since we were in the mountains, there were
no city lights to obstruct the sky. Just lying there on the cool ground, staring up at the
vast emptiness of space with the warmth from the fire wafting over me, I was more at
peace with myself and the rest of the world than I had ever been before.
As a Quaker, peace is the crux of my religious community. Quakers worship in
silence, believing that provides an opening for God to speak directly to them. Quakers
follow a unique principle called the Quaker Peace Testimony.
“We are called to live 'in the virtue of that life and power that takes away the
occasion of all wars'. Do you faithfully maintain our testimony that war and the
preparation for war are inconsistent with the spirit of Christ? Search out whatever in your
own way of life may contain the spirit of war. Stand firm in our testimony, even when
others commit or prepare to commit acts of violence, yet always remember that they too
are children of God.”
As a Quaker, I believe in non-violence as a principle, and believe that there is a
peaceful way to resolve every conflict. In this case, peace is the ability and power to
resolve conflicts without actually resorting to physical fighting and killing. The Quaker
Peace Testimony, while outlining the ways we can live a peaceful life, never really
defines what peace is. When the I asked elders of my Quaker Meeting what peace is, I
received many examples. “Living in harmony with nature,” “Respecting your fellow
man,” and obviously, “Not fighting” were common responses. Again, a complete
definition was not offered. One interesting response I got was “I don't know, but that's
what I think about in silence at meeting.”
The state of peace and its definition may exist as unattainable goals. Peace can be
an ironic term, something used by governments to cover up what is actually happening.
The simple utterance of “peace” can be a uniter of worlds. Peace can be personal, a
feeling that one can only really know once he has experienced it. Lastly, peace may just
be an idea, without a true definition. The word “peace” is used at some time or another to
describe all of these feelings, ideas, and thoughts. Peace appeals to me most when it is
used personally. Maybe other ideas of peace stem from the personal feeling of peace. If
people are at peace with themselves, it is easier to be at peace with the rest of the world.
After that, the other parts of peace just fall into place.
