“War and peace begins in the hearts of individuals.” These are the opening words to Pema Chodron’s book Practicing Peace in Times of War. Wars involving nations and our own anger at another all begin in the individual. Violence begins when we harden our hearts and feel justified in an angry response.
The pith of the problem is we view the cause of anger as external to us, “They did this and now I feel angry.” We then escalate that feeling to inflict violence on them for their behavior. Yet the seed of anger and the fruit of violence are within each us. If we can catch ourselves between the stimulus (awareness) and response (anger) we have a chance to quiet the tumult. Stop. Take a breath. Practice peaceful alternatives to violence.
The anger is yours.
Acknowledge it and let go.
Peace is your own choice.
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