“When you find peace
within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with
others.” Peace Pilgrim
Can you imagine dedicating your
entire life to bringing peace to people across North America? From 1953-1981, a
woman from Connecticut did just that. She called herself the Peace Pilgrim and
made it her personal mission to walk until “mankind has learned the way of
peace, walking until given shelter and fasting until given food”. During her
25,000 mile lifelong journey, she touched the hearts, minds and lives of
thousands of people in her path, speaking the word of peace all along the way.
She truly found peace within herself and others.
Peace is a word we hear a lot
but do we really understand that peace is possible? A more peaceful world would
be the ideal situation but how do we get there? Just like the Peace Pilgrim,
one person, one step at a time. Peace in our world can only be achieved if each
one of us strives for personal peace. When enough of us feel at peace, the
energy of peace will flow, like a series of connected light bulbs turning on
one by one to illuminate the way for the next.
The idea that peace could create
such path of light is not only metaphorically but spiritually inspiring. Once
you find peace within yourself, your light and energy inspires another to do
the same. Whether it comes from mimicking your actions or listening to your
words, the idea of achieving a similar level of inner peace becomes paramount
and contagious. One person, one step, one state, one country, one continent at
a time, peace will grow. With the progression of each one of us in this long
chain of self discovery, we will begin to appreciate and empathize with those
that struggled for their own inner peace before and, in that light of
realization, know that we are all connected. The lighted path to peace begins
with you and ends in the hearts of each one of us.
