This time of the year we are reminded that there are many different holidays being celebrated and we become aware of different cultures. As I sat thinking about being open minded, accepting others for who they are and what they practice in their lives. There is a quote from Marianne Willliamson who said, ” You must master a new way to think, before you can master a new way to be.” Embracing differences, being open to differences and learning to appreciate and in fact love those who are different is key to creating a peaceful world.
It is interesting how down through history the leaders of the world in whatever time frame that they lived have conjolled and told people who, what and when to hate different cultures. For the most part most people have followed the lead of those promoting this concept of hatred. If we had been alive in the 1750’s we would have been told to hate the French and the American Indians, but 25 years later it was okay to stop hating the French and now it was time to hate the British. If we go down through history we are repeatedly told whom we should hate and fear, changing every so often.
What would be a more peaceful way of approaching life would be to recognize that the enemy that we really have is not being open minded and having fear and hatred bound up in us. When each of us individually and with others removes hatred and fear, being closed to new ideas and ways, and opens to creating peace, love, joy in our own lives, we will begin to create a culture of peace in the entire world.
Say to yourself, “I refuse to collaborate with the energy of hatred, I am an instrument of peace.” Being open minded is beginning step in our process to inner and world peace.”