The Way of Peace

[Esoterica]

i was in an argument with someone the other day. we were discussing conspiracy theory and the person adamantly disagreed with me. he began to insult me and i felt anger rise up in my chest, my pride trying to rescue my ego. i had been in arguments like this before. i wanted to show him who was right, to prove who was right, and who could shout the loudest, or who was the strongest, or who could think of the wittiest insults. i had travelled that path before, been down that road. i knew that, with my sensitive nature, no matter how the argument went i would be hurt no matter how expertly i put my argument. so instead of defiantly standing my ground and stating my case, i paused for a moment and then said, "you're right." it took him a few seconds to realize what i'd said. "you're right," i went on, "there's no illuminati." he dropped the rest of his diatribe. the furrows in his brow relaxed. he finished another sentence but didn't continue. all the fight was gone from him. we enjoyed a nice conversation afterwards.

it doesn't matter if you're right. it is far more important to be kind, then to be right. where an individual is argumentative, where they are stubborn, be flexible. where they stand proudly, be humble. be wrong! where there is conflict bring peace.

from a lifetime of experience, born from conflict after conflict, argument after argument, no one wins a fight. or more correctly, the one who makes peace is the one who wins. this is not easy. most people's lives have trained them to do the opposite of this. to strive to be right no matter the cost. a person's pride and ego will demand that they be right.

i have spent much time around religious people, spiritual people, gurus, "enlightened" beings, of many religions and philosophies. yet they are often no different then anyone else. the behavior of the teacher is often little removed from the student. i remember reading about a riot that had broken out between the anti-defamation league and a group of neo-nazis at a public protest. it was told by a police officer who had been present to ensure security, and he had said it was impossible to tell the difference between the nazis and the jews. both groups had been violent, hateful, and insulting.

"you must be the change you want to see in the world," gandhi said. for one to make peace, one must be peace. it is often necessary for one to demonstrate humility in order to end conflict. be a person who does not argue. concede the matter before conflict can arise. nothing so greatly sows peace such as humility. nothing destroys peace such as pride. imagine a world where our leaders could admit they were wrong. the first shall be last and the last shall be first. this is the way of peace.

[Yusuf]

greetings
that was a very nice post. good of you to share it. it gave me a good feeling. i agree totally with you. thank you.

peace and love to you,

yusuf

[DGCrow]

hi everyone.

esoterica, thanks for the wonderful post.

having been a member of the military in a relatively "low rank", i sometimes found myself being chastised by "superior" officers. my so-called transgressions were sometimes real and sometimes imaginary. i learned quickly that trying to explain my position to someone who had already made up their mind usually resulted in more shouting and "red-faced philosophy" coming my way. thus, when i saw that talking on my part would lead nowhere, i would just tell the "superior" basically that yes, i am a fool, you are totally right, what was i thinking, etc. my favorite response was like this: "i obviously had my head up my *ss!" this statement quelled any further ranting and raving from the other person!

your post reminds me of something i read somewhere: "you can either be right, or you can be happy; but you cannot be both."

thanks again.

peace,
doug

[Rhonda]

esoterica, what a powerful story and lesson you received and gave to all of us. thank you for sharing. i have had this same thought at tense moments, i can make peace or i can make war

i choose peace

i paused for a moment and then said, "you're right." it took him a few seconds to realize what i'd said. "you're right," i went on, "there's no illuminati." he dropped the rest of his diatribe. the furrows in his brow relaxed. he finished another sentence but didn't continue. all the fight was gone from him. we enjoyed a nice conversation afterwards.

"you must be the change you want to see in the world," gandhi said. for one to make peace, one must be peace.

this is the way of peace.

you are the change you have become ! peace and good will