Peace on Earth

Has there ever been peace in the world, and if so, will there ever be again? I suppose it depends upon who you ask. Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, has an image of world peace that looks like world domination from where I sit. Those who refuse to trust anyone without certain “seals of approval” are likely to picture a peaceful world as one in which everyone just quietly puts on a mask, rolls up a sleeve, and makes the best of it—for “the greater good.” For me, peace has something to do with freedom, personal responsibility, openness to learning new things (no matter who wants to teach you), and finding meaning somewhere, somehow: meaning that will carry you through when far too many people are putting on their masks, rolling up their sleeves, and unconsciously doing everything in their power to help Klaus create his “peaceful” utopia.

Sonnet, Trinity 18
Peace is the centre of the atom, the core
Of quiet within the storm. It is not
A cessation, a nothingness; more
The lightning in reverse is what
Reveals the light. It is the law that binds
The atom’s structure, ordering the dance
Of proton and electron, and that finds
Within the midst of flame and wind, the glance
In the still eye of the vast hurricane.
Peace is not placidity: peace is
The power to endure the megatron of pain
With joy, the silent thunder of release,
The ordering of Love. Peace is the atom’s start,
The primal image: God within the heart.

—Madeleine L’Engle