May/June 2003 Featured Stories
Creating Peace in Troubled Times

by Mary Manin Morrissey

Mary Manin Morrissey
A small, slightly built young attorney had just taken his seat in the first-class section of a train in South Africa when the conductor came through the car collecting tickets. Seeing the young man’s brown face amid a sea of pale ones, he loudly ordered this outsider off the train. The young man quietly collected his belongings and walked past row after row of staring passengers until he reached the door, where he was grabbed from behind and thrown off the train.

Sitting in the dirt at the edge of the tracks as the locomotive chugged off into the distance, the young man listened to the fading whistle, the excitement over his would-be journey forgotten. He had, in his own words, been "reduced to zero".

In that moment, he could have chosen to abandon faith. He might have turned bitter and vindictive. Instead, the young attorney who would later be known as Mahatma Gandhi, inspiration to the world, claimed this the most significant moment in his life. Gandhi made a choice that he would not be diminished. He saw his own inherent dignity was greater than violence, ignorance or fear. Through a non-violent methodology, from that moment forward, he began to champion truth--what he would later call "Soul Force", and the rights of people. The rest, as we know, is history.

I’m reminded of Gandhi’s story, because right now, we may all feel thrown off the train. World events have altered the course of our lives, with nothing quite as we thought it was supposed to be. The stock market was "supposed to" go up. Vaccinations were "supposed to" be for childhood illnesses. And America? The values this country was "supposed to" stand for are being challenged across the globe.

Bereft of our assumptions, engulfed in an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty, we can easily become fearful, cynical or hateful. Or, like Gandhi, we can recognize there is a Higher Power greater than any circumstance in the world, the power Gandhi called Soul Force. By aligning with this Power, we can stand in peace even in troubled times.

To discover Soul Force, or the Power of Truth, try these three spiritual practices: Focus on faith, honor differences with others, and make a difference yourself. Begin with yourself. Acknowledge the concerning or even terrifying circumstances, but know that your real security does not hinge here. "Get thee behind me," Jesus said, meaning that we don’t pretend away fear, evil or violence – but neither do we devote all our energy to being afraid. Turn your attention to something greater.

I focus my faith by making a written inventory of what inspires and matters most to me. My inventory includes: the thrill of hearing my husband’s voice every morning I awaken. Holding hands. Telling everyone in my family, "I love you." Pride in my children and grandchildren. Work I love and feel useful doing. Being of service to others. My gratitude to God for each precious day I have on this earth. These are just a few examples of what might appear on any day’s "Faith Focus For Today" sheet. Then, I carry that inventory with me. When I’m tempted to get lost in fear, or the "supposed to"s of life, I practice thinking instead about the opportunity for choice in the now. I practice thinking of words of praise and appreciation left unspoken and I speak them. And I rejoice that there is a peace that can never be taken from me – the peace that is God.

As we find a growing peace within ourselves, we must strive to honor the differences that make each of us unique. We have a God who loves differences, but a human race that struggles with them, never more than now. Rather than disagreeing respectfully, we often apply violent thinking to the person of opposing view.

There is another way--a more respectful and peace-producing way. The word Namastè means, "The Light in me recognizes and honors the Light in you." Recognizing this light requires that we look beyond surface differences to the essence within. We don’t better our world all at once, but as we look for that light, person by person, situation by situation. From my work at the United Nations, I know that lasting peace in the world can never be achieved so long as we remain divisive with those right in our own communities. In diversity we discover gifts. Through listening and non-judgmental, respectful dialogue, we become a living demonstration of proactive peacemaking.

Honoring differences leads us to making a difference. Christian scripture instructs us: "Be doers of the Word, not hearers only." Overwhelmed by the violence in today’s world, we may tend to think: "What difference can one person make?" The truth is, one person can make all the difference required to change a family, a work place, a nation, and even the world. Martin Luther King did not sit back and say, "Somebody ought to fight for civil rights." Gandhi did not say, "How could one Indian attorney transform a nation?" These individuals applied their authority as children of God through action. They applied Soul Force. There is a power in you that can change your world.

Try focusing your faith every day for one month. Reach out to those unlike you many times this next month. Honor the spark that is nudging you day by day to make your difference for a more respectful, loving and peaceful world. As Gandhi said, "Be the change you wish to see in the world."

Rev. Dr. Mary Manin Morrissey is the founder and senior minister of Living Enrichment Center in Wilsonville, OR. For more information on LEC, call 503-682-5683 or go to (www.lecworld.org). The acclaimed author of "Building Your Field of Dreams" and "No Less Than Greatness," Mary will speak at the First Leadership Gathering of Humanity's Team (www.humanitiesteam.com) June 27-29 held at Living Enrichment Center. You can hear Mary on (www.newthoughtbroadcasting.com).