Peace is Freedom

I’ve been thinking a lot about peace lately. We live in a time of wars and rumors of wars, civil disturbances, and fractured families. We speak of treaties and ceasefires, but flames of hatred and distrust seem to billow up again and again. The greatest question of our time is how to achieve peace among a diversity of humanity, with conflicting interests, and a fear of things that may or may not happen in the future.

My favorite dictionary provides several definitions for the word “peace.” A good summary would be “a state of quiet or tranquility, freedom from disturbance or agitation within ourselves and the society in which we live.” This includes wars, civil disturbances, and disputes as well as fears, terror, and anxiety. Peace is freedom from some sort of chaos, an unrest in our souls that expands into the world, or into our souls from the world around us.

What is Freedom? Freedom is the liberty to think or act as we please. However, if everyone acts according to their own will and they choose to act in ways that interfere with someone else’s exercise of will, conflicts arise which often erupt into arguments and worse.

The first key is Law — God’s Laws or the Laws of Nature, to paraphrase the great statesman Thomas Jefferson. Law is the standard societies use as a guide to regulate the behavior of their citizens in order to maintain peace. Psalms 119:165 states, “Great peace have they that love the law.” There must be a common standard by which to measure our behavior, something which will hold us accountable for our actions.

What is the law which brings peace? For Christians, that Law comes from Jesus Christ. These can be found in the Bible, and for me, I add in the Book of Mormon and the Book of Doctrine and Covenants. Other religions and philosophies may have other sources, but all share common core beliefs that can promote peace. What are some of these core beliefs?

The Law of Reciprocity: I’ve written on this before. Nearly all cultures or religious systems have some version of the Golden Rule, that we should “do unto others as we would have them do unto us.”

The Law of the Natural Family: The vast majority of cultures emphasize the importance of family relationships. It is estimated that over 7,000 currently existing or historical peoples prioritize healthy families first. Heal our families and we heal the world.

The Law of Integrity and Honesty: The author C.S. Lewis said, "Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching." Playwright William Shakespeare stated, “Honesty is the best policy. If I lose mine honor, I lose myself." Trust is the basis on which peace is built. Without it, there is no peace.

The Law of Charity: In John 13:34, Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that ye love one another: as I have loved you, love ye also one another." Jesus also taught that the Second Great Commandment is to “Love your neighbor as thyself.” The ancient Greek physician, Hippocrates,taught in one of his medical texts, “Make a habit of two things—to help, or at least to do no harm." Charity opens the door to peace. If the need for food, shelter, and safety are not addressed, there is no peace.

The Law of the Harvest: Writer James Allen put it like this, “The law of harvest is to reap more than you sow. Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you reap a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny.” Eastern mysticism calls this Karma, the idea that “Every action, every thought has its reaction, and we are the sum total of our actions." Try ‘paying it forward’ by patiently sowing little seeds of peace in your daily life.

There are many other Laws based on common principles, but these I’ve mentioned are at the top of my personal list.

Laozi, a Chinese philosopher born in 600 B.C. summed up the path of peace very well when he said, “If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations. If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities. If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors. If there is to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in the home. If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the heart.”

Peace in the world begins in our souls and fills the earth from the hearts of the people to the world at large. If we would have Peace and the Freedom it brings us, we must first convert ourselves, then boldly speak “Peace to Power.”

There is a song we often sing at Christmas that says, “Let there be Peace on Earth and let it begin with me.” Maybe we should sing it more often . . .

Karen Murray is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints experiencing life as a wife, mother, grandmother, family historian, and political activist.