Vulnerability and Peace

I will never forget a keynote speaker that was featured at a Peace Conference I attended in the late 1990’s.  I can’t remember the name of the woman, but her words have stayed with me these past (almost 20) years.  She was talking about vulnerability as the way to peace.  She was speaking of it on a considerably larger scale than a personal peace.  She was taking it much further, as an antidote to war.  

I remember being intrigued by this concept, the very idea that vulnerability could be so powerful.  The possibility of this has stuck with me all these years.  I think it is a compelling theory to consider in the pursuit of peace on any level.

In the practice of yoga, this notion of vulnerability is a way to travel in one’s quest for inner peace.  This is totally understandable on a personal level.  Bringing it to the world stage is another matter entirely.

Just because our vision, as human beings, is limited, doesn’t necessarily mean that a prodigious goal cannot be achieved.  But big ideas usually start small.  And starting small is within each person.  That IS possible.

Can one even imagine the immensity of a peaceful world?  There is no single word that could contain it.  Many words could not do it justice.  But doesn’t  the idea of it give one visions of serenity and joy?

All of this is just an exercise of my mind.  And I realize that most people would not buy a ticket for this train of thought.  But, just thinking about peace, is in itself, a step in the right direction.  I may be an aging Pollyanna, but it beats the heck out of being a pessimist.  And in the fictional story of Pollyanna, there was a happy, even if, a fairy tale ending.   I’d like to think that peace is in the realm of possibility.  Being vulnerable could be the way to get there, if only enough of us could believe it and give it a try.

Total Page Visits: 526 - Today Page Visits: 1

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *