Are You Searching for Peace?

Are you longing for peace in our troubled world? 

Most of us do. 

Our world is fractured and breaking down in many places. Most of them are caused by humans. There is so much hatred and animosity amid pollution and natural disasters. What's happened to us?

When is enough really enough? 

How much longer can the human race destroy itself, and our environment before we stop it?

That answer is the trillion Dollar question and there is no simple answer in sight. So much needs to change from every corner of our world for that question to even have chance at becoming reality.

Every little thing you do matters

If I say to you that we have a lot to be grateful for even in our bleak world. You only need to look for it because it's all around us.

I see hope in my own children and in the children I teach every day. Our children are our future. If we show them how to look after each other and our precious world, then we have a chance. 

Our world depends on our future generations. Those who are young right now hold the key. It's too late for us to see the real changes that need to happen, but our children will. 

I crave the day when people speak the truth. A world where there is no place for lies and deception. Where those behaviors are illegal and unaccepted. A world of honesty and harmony. We can learn a lot from young children. How they approach things ,and how they speak with innocence and truth. 

I long for the day when there is peace in the world. I am hopeful that our children will find a way to communicate with each other much better than we do in order to find peace. I am hopeful that our children will be more successful in dealing with darkness and trauma.

I yearn for everyone in this world to have essential food and shelter. Many people go hungry, and live in despair without enough money to feed their families. It's 2025. How can this go on? Who is accountable for allowing people to live in these conditions? 

I ache for those who are living in the aftermath of trauma. Many of whom are my friends. Many are living in this world believing that they have no voice. We must help one another, especially when we are suffering. I teach my kids to help each other in the playground and in class. Why can't we do the same to our friends and neighbors?

Everyone in this world matters. We all have a voice and our individual talents and gifts. We should all try and make our world a better place. It's all of our responsibility. Everyone's little light has the potential to shine brightly.

If you can paint and draw. The spread your talents to others. If you have the gift of public speaking, then broadcast your voice to the world. If you have compassion for others then use your talents to care for others. 

When I look at the world, I see goodness in people. I try and see the goodness even in those who I don't like. People's lights flare at different intensities, but the lights are there. Be open and you will see what I see.

I saw an elderly widower struggle down a set of steps downtown. There were so many people who walked by him without noticing his struggles. Before I could get to him, a wiry teenager with chains and piercings on his face, stepped up and held the older man's hand. They walked up the steps and it was beautiful to see. One act of kindness where young meets old. I saw compassion in both of their eyes - regarding each other for a moment at the top of the stairs. I couldn't hear what the older man said, but I'm sure it was a "thank you."

I saw a young mom in the food market. She was struggling with her three boisterous boys while the cashier rang up her groceries. Two young girls of about ten years old were buying candy. One of them turned, stuck out her tongue and winked at the middle boy. He stopped in his tracks and started making silly faces at the girl. It turned into a comical (non-verbal) match of who could do the funniest silly expression. All three boys soon joined in. The youngest boy won and made all five of the kids double over with laughter. The boys' mother got a five minute respite. Her eyes said it all to those girls. They understood her struggle in that moment, and helped. It wasn't much, but it made the whole food market stop and stare. Compassion is infectious.

Then there was the little old lady who always waits for the bus in the same place. I see her on the weekends, waiting for the bus to take her home with her shopping. One weekend it was raining and her arthritic hands couldn't open the umbrella that she was holding. A man in a suit was walking past before I could get to her. He took the umbrella, opened it, and gave it back to her. He didn't say a word. He just smiled and left her. I smiled at her too, and in the old lady's eyes there was that light. A small act of kindness made her day better.

Every year, I teach my own kids to plant a small vegetable garden in our yard. We dig it together with giggles and smiles. My kids decide which vegetables they want to grow. Tomatoes and beans are their favorites, but we grow other vegetables too like potatoes, zucchini and chillies. I then show them how to cook with them. Eating fresh produce is good for us, and growing them ourselves is so much more satisfying than buying them. 

My kids love watching our garden grow. They talk about "their plants," measuring them and watering them. In the future, I hope they take this skill into the world and use it.

I also teach my kids to be aware of our planet. When we have a picnic in the mountains or on the beach, we police all our trash. My family are all Scouts, where life skills are taught. Scouting is for everyone, and I think it's a great place for kids and young adults to thrive.

I love junk modeling and I encourage the parents in my elementary school to bring in their cardboard boxes, and plastic bottles for the children to explore their creative side. It's wonderful to recycle something old into something new. My class has made rockets and boats for our transport topic and they had a blast.

How are you helping our world? Just remember, one small act of kindness can make someone's day.

My name is Lizzy. I'm a trauma survivor, a wife, a mom, a teacher, and an author.

If you like reading my posts, then please follow me.

For more about me: www.elizabethwoodsauthor.com

Support your fellow writer:

https://ko-fi.com/elizabe69245484

Here are a few links to my top articles:

How To Explain Complex PTSD To Loved Ones

https://medium.com/illumination/how-to-explain-complex-ptsd-to-loved-ones-769f81d437ab

A Search for Identity

https://medium.com/beyond-lines/a-search-for-identity-893df7c970c2

Dealing With Flashbacks

https://medium.com/illumination/dealing-with-flashbacks-1b8c0d94c19d

The Knock on the Door that Changed My World

https://medium.com/illumination/the-knock-on-the-door-that-changed-my-world-ff126c8c07cf