Avalokiteshvara, Bodhisattva of Compassion
This month’s Bloggers for Peace Challenge is Peace at Home. Having a peaceful home life makes us more likely to extend that peace outside the home, much like having inner peace is a key to having world peace. But how do we create a peaceful home, especially when there can be other strong egos to co-habitate with? We can try to teach, nag, or complain to family members about being more compassionate and selfless, but as many of us have experienced, this usually doesn’t lead to any changes. We can’t control others, not even our parents, partners, siblings, or children, but we can control how we behave, act, and respond to the situations and dynamics in the home.
Peace at home begins with each of us. By setting aside our egos’ desires to argue with our siblings, talk back to our parents, or control our spouses or children, and instead acting with understanding and compassion for their struggles and challenges in their lives, we set the foundation for peaceful and loving relationships in the home. When we accept others as they are, we remove the selfish clutter hiding our hearts. And by setting an example of love and peace, love and peace will grow in other’s hearts too.
The family unit and home life is a community, just as each of us is also part of larger communities: work, school, neighborhood, country, and the world. We can’t individually bring peace to the world, but we can work towards peace within ourselves and in our personal communities. From there may peace spread!
Perceiving now the faults possessed by the ego, and the ocean of good qualities that are in others, I shall lay aside all selfishness, and gain the habit of accepting other beings. Just as hands and other limbs are thought of as members of a body, can we likewise not consider others as the limbs and members of a living whole?
– Shantideva
While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.
For it is in giving that we receive.
Lord, grant me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do… but how much love we put in that action.
– Mother Theresa
Check out all the other Bloggers For Peace!
Through the Peacock's Eyes 
This was good. Namaskar.
Thank you!
Julianne, I have nominated you for the Inner Peace Award. I believe that with Inner Peace one must begin with themselves; the home would be the next logical place to turn to. Thank you for all of your likes, comments, and thoughtful words. Visit my Inner Peace Award Post to find out more. Hugs,
Debra
Julianne, This is beautiful. Every word and quotation sings with wisdom and peace. Your statement about “acting with understanding and compassion for their struggles and challenges in their lives” applies not only to family members, but to the whole world. Imagine if everyone adopted that empathic view. We would have world peace.
I also love your insight about acceptance: “When we accept others as they are, we remove the selfish clutter hiding our hearts.” Yes, acceptance releases OUR hearts from the bonds of selfishness. We actually benefit from accepting others. That is a secret that needs to be spoken.
Thank you so much for this powerful post for peace. {{{Hugs]}} Kozo
p.s.
Don’t be surprised if you see the St. Francis and Mother Teresa quotations pop up on my blog. 🙂
Thank you so much Kozo! By all means use the quotes! I think they were spoken to be spread. 😉 Have a good morning! {{{big hug}}}
Love your trans-traditions posts, Julianne.
Thank you! It is a goal to be able to reach out to anyone from any tradition. Namaste _/l\_
Peace at home is wonderful, if you can swing it! 🙂 We try to be peaceful here. Thanks for the award you gave me. Here’s the link: http://friendlyfairytales.com/2013/06/09/the-sun-is-shining-on-friendly-fairy-tales/
Most people don’t start peace at home. Great post! Thank you!
A beautiful post x whenever I get frustrated with my hubby ~ usually when he is making a mess fixing his fishing tackle in the lounge ~ I look at him and imagine how sad I would be without him. So I learn to accept the mess and not mind when I stand on fish hooks in my bare feet!
That’s my contribution to world peace!!
Wonderful! Hopefully his contribution is cleaning up his mess when he is done so you don’t keep stepping on fish hooks. 😉
What a wonderful post!!! I try to practice this as much as possible. And it works. The time spent doing it, calms you down. And then the understanding you get out of it erases the reason for the anger. But I have to admit, it also feels weird because many times it feels like anger is expected of you. Anyway, very inspirational post. Thanks!!! 😀
My fiancee is always saying that Assisi quote. I don’t know why I’m mentioning that, but this was a nice post – thank you.
Thank you! Namaste _/l\_