Reflections on a Peace-Full Life

Being home with my daughters over their break has been enlightening in many ways. Most notably today I realized how easy it would be to cocoon myself in the cares and worries of the everyday and ignore the world at large. It would take very little effort for me to block out the horrors committed daily, the violence impacting our people and our planet, and only to do the right thing for those closest to me without agonizing over the impact it may have on those I do not know or the Earth at large.

I intellectually understand how people can put blinders on and just live day to day. And I was tempted. To move back into a world where all I had to think about was those I love most. A world of more contentment and peace. One where my every action isn’t tempered with thoughts of how this might not be best for the planet. Or guilt over all the things I have that others do not. One where I don’t constantly remind myself of the privilege I hold as a white woman born to a family that was able to provide all of my needs.

But I couldn't. I can’t. I never will be able to. My soul shrinks from the idea of ever retreating from the work I do. I have too much passion for a sheltered life. For what is life if not an opportunity to constantly try to better the world around you in all the ways you are able? For some people, that is raising their children and living a life of example. For me, that is part of it...but it is also being constantly in motion, working to educate people – and myself – on ways to create a better, more sustainable, more just society for us all.

And I am learning to find peace in that.

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