"Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."
What
is the Nature of a Peacemaker?
· Acts as a servant
leader· Adopts the discipline of the parent/leader
· Becomes a mediator between the physical and the spiritual realms
· Brings reconciliation among all religions
· Empathetic to others, and willing to help
· Encourages compassion/communication
· Exercises spiritual muscles
· Has the innocence of a child
· Lives in the present moment/the NOW
· Lives by the heavenly rules and values
· Opposes violence
· Practices obedience to God, the parent
· Resolves conflict among followers
· Speaks the truth
· Takes responsibility for mistakes
· Teaches atonement
· Understands human nature
Jesus
is a Peacemaker
The
words from the Beatitudes by Jesus show us the essence of the New
Testament. Jesus taught us that God is
our Heavenly Parent, who can unite all His children. Jesus was not only a great teacher but he was
the utmost example of a Son of God by demonstrating how to live and how to
love. With His compassion He took upon
himself the role of a peacemaker, calling all of us to follow his standard.
Throughout
the ages there were many who called upon the goodness in mankind and
demonstrated a better way of life. They
made an important contribution and brought us through the dark ages to a time
of greater tolerance and unity. Here are
some people who made a great impact for peace in their country and with that
for the larger good:
“Women are, in my view,
natural peacemakers. As givers and nurturers of life, through their focus on
human relationships and their engagement with the demanding work of raising
children and protecting family life, they develop a deep sense of empathy that
cuts through to underlying human realities.”
~ Daisaku Ikeda (1928), Japanese Author on
Buddhism and leader of Soka Gakkai.
“Peace will not come
out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in
the face of odds.”
“You
cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”
~
Indira Gandhi, prime minister of India (1917-1984) ~Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr (1928-1968), American Pastor and Civil Rights Leader
"When
you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at
peace with others."
“People respond in
accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of
violence, that's how they'll react. But if you say, 'We want peace, we want
stability,' we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the
progress of our society.”
~
Nelson Mandela (1918-2013), South African Apartheid Leader and President
of South Africa
“Forgiving is not
forgetting; it’s actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to
hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is
particularly important. Especially if you don’t want to repeat what happened.”
~
Desmond Tutu promoting Ubuntu. Ubuntu (philosophy) is an ancient African word meaning 'humanity to others.'
"The order of
existence in the universe is rooted in acting for the sake of others.
The world of true
peace, true love and the true ideal is both the ideal of God's creation and the
desire of humankind. Therefore, the origin of happiness and peace lies in living for the sake of others."
~ Sun Myung Moon, (1920-1992), Korean Religious leader, author of Philosophy of Peace
Sun
Myung Moon is a Peacemaker
Rev.Moon has lived his whole
life promoting peace. It has been his
deepest desire to teach mankind that we are God’s sons and daughters and as
such are meant to live together as one family.
He has revealed to us the heart of God which is broken because of the
way we live: fighting wars, living in strive, killing and conquering each
other. He has inspired members and
leaders around the world to overcome differences in religious beliefs, cultural
traditions, political opinions and scientific viewpoints to find the common
denominator through his conferences and rallies.
The
following video was recorded in 2012 and portraits the life and works of Rev.
Moon.
“Rev. Moon has emerged
as a great peacemaker and unifier on the world stage. He is a leading force for
interreligious dialogue and understanding between people of all backgrounds,
and for global peace and security.”
~
Alexander Haig, (1924-1990) former Secretary of State (59th)
Our
greatest challenge today is to resolve the conflicts among people of different
opinions and viewpoints. It is not just
enough to fight wars with weapons, overpower another country with strategies or
battle the enemy. By recognizing the spiritual
nature of man, we need to develop that spiritual quality and absorb each other’s
resentment and ill feelings. We can
exercise our spiritual muscles with forgiveness and tolerance. By accepting each other for who we are and
seeing the “Christ-consciousness” in each other peace can be a way of
life. It can only be possible when we
see each other from God’s point of view, the view of the parent looking down on
His children. On the world scene
politics have taken the upper hand over religious practices. Or religious opinions have taken the liberty
to dominate other’s beliefs rather than demonstrating the mastery of their
principles by manifesting acceptance, forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, and
other forms of love.
Even
science has now confirmed that we are hard-wired to have a relationship with God, the
creator. That connection lays in the
foundation for internal unity between mind and body. Even those who are not looking for a
spiritual experience like artists, athletes and inventors have had profound
‘aha’ moments where they could encounter an internal peace. For most of us these kind of ephemeral
moments come and go.
Here
is an historical example of how enemies can make peace:
I like to finish with the words of the song by John Lennon:
IMAGINE
“Imagine there's no
country, It isn't hard to do.
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace.”
– John Lennon, British musician (1940-1980)
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