Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

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It's an early fall morning, the sun is out, there is a brisk feel to the morning air and life as you know it is pretty darn fantastic.  Is this how you began your morning today?  Is this the way you would like to begin each day? Well maybe not the brisk part, but you get my drift. Peace on earth does begin with you, for without peace in your own life there can never be peace over the rest of this planet.

I have learned over the last few years that peace is really a frame of mind.  This ability to focus on the good, feel the release of anxiety and stress, and walk in a manner worthy of the title Peacemaker.  This is a realm that few get to, but it is there for everyone to walk in.

In what moments do you feel peace?  Is it when family and loved ones surround you and the hassles of the day seem to disappear?  It is skiing down a slope covered in fresh powder, experiencing the wonders of the outdoors?  Is it sitting comfortably in your favorite chair with a book and hot tea, loosing yourself in time and not thinking about anything else but rest and relaxation?  You can have any number of these events take place, and while each can bring peace, it is entirely up to you whether you will experience them or not.

Let me ask you this: when was the last time you felt real peace?  I mean that type of peace where nothing seemed to bother you?  If you have to think for more than a few seconds, then that tells me that you have some changes to make.  Without these changes peace will continue to elude you, and then quite frankly, it will elude the rest of the planet.  Do you really think that with all the conflict going on around the planet that those involved have figured out how to live in peace?  Conflicts arise because peace is absent.

When I served in the United States Air Force many years ago, I was a member of the former Strategic Air Command.  One of the motto's we had was "Peace is our profession."  The other side of the coin was "War is just a hobby".  We never wanted to go to war, but push come to shove, we were ready and more than able to carry out our mission.  What I want to focus on is that peace as a profession, can do more than just detour war.  Peace can and will change the face of society, but only if others buy into peace, and desire to spread the rewards of a peaceful existence.

If one gets up each morning and is faced with uncertainty, fear, anxiety, there is almost zero percent chance that they will experience peace in any shape, fashion, or form.  That to me is an awful way to live, and if that is the reality you are facing, then my guess is that peace has alluded you thus far.  I feel as though there are moments in each life when we live in peace, but if you look at people, see the stress in their faces, the sternness of their posture, then you can only conclude that peace is not something they are experiencing in any given moment.  So here comes another question: what would you give to live in absolute peace?  Is this something you can believe in, or has the turmoil of life so dampened your spirit that peace is an impossibility for you?  This is the question only you can answer, but there is hope for everyone to live in such peace.

We have been conditioned to believe that there will never be a time when we will live in complete peace.  We have been conditioned to believe that we will always have wars, conflicts, and death and destruction.  This is what man has promoted and far too many people have bought into this premise.  There can be peace, but it must begin with each individual.  If you are without peace then it only stands to reason that the world will be without peace.  If you desire to bring peace to the world then you will have to begin somewhere and that somewhere is in your own backyard.  Peace must come to you if it is to come to the rest of the world.

Peace is very real and it is something that everyone can experience each and every day.  You will have to work at it, but if you never attempt it, you will never have to worry about discovering a life of peace.  There is a quote that I learned many years ago, "I would rather attempt something great and fail, then attempt nothing at all and succeed."  Peace may seem to be something that is impossible to bring to the world at large, but if we never attempt to bring it, then we will never have to worry about it showing up.  I believe we can bring peace if we first find it for ourselves and then share that peace with others.  Yes I am an idealist, but rather to believe for something that can change the world, then simply live the way we have been conditioned to live, never able to see past the conflict, hate, hurt, or fear.

Yes we can live in peace, but first you must choose it for yourself.  I hope you are with me on this.  Together we can change the face of this planet, and generations to come will look upon your actions with fondness and appreciation.  Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.