Day 16 - What Peace is Not
It's not avoiding challenges or confrontation or staying in our comfort zones
It's not simply an absence of direct, visible violence like being bombed by inhumane drones.
It's not just a peace prize
It's not something you wake up to on your birthday as a surprise.
It's not immediate gratification or just a short-term aspiration.
It's not easy to attain, maintain or sustain
It's not just a dream but a right we can all gain.
It's not fair that so many don't know how it feels.
It's not fake, false, or fabricated like so many on their social media reels.
It's not given to us, by others' pity or concerns, but it's taken, lived, and fought for and something someone learns.
It can't just be grabbed from us like our wallet or our phone, it's ours and our communities, together or alone.
It's never perfect, progress is needed, watered daily like oaks being seeded.
It's not caught, bought, or found, for the dollar or the pound but more grown and sown and tended to our oak deep underground.
It's not for free and not a patent, many tried but that's simply pretending.
It's not possible to predict just how peace is going to go when the leaders in the suits don't really want to know.
So...
On my 15th day of reflecting on my inner and outer peace, I feel I'm getting somewhere, K by K and piece by piece.
I think I'm gaining insight into what I want to do, starting by focusing on the inner and then sharing with my crew.
Working on the micro, with my neighbor, with my yard, starting to enjoy this craic (Irish for fun) , it doesn't warrant being so hard.
Shane O'Connor
