Welcome to the final instalment of Simple Living Sunday. Finding Peace, an early post in the series, was about making our little corner of the world a more peaceful place. As Christmas and the end of the year approaches, our world is still searching for peace. Today, I return to the theme of peace with a reflection on why it’s so elusive, and how we might be able to turn it around.
Peace on earth, can it be
David Bowie
Years from now, perhaps we’ll see
See the day of glory
See the day, when men of good will
Live in peace, live in peace again
Three simple pleasures and highlights
Continuing my practice of celebrating the simple things in life, here are three simple pleasures and highlights of the last week.
- On Sunday afternoon, we decorated the Christmas tree in our living room. It’s always fun to put the decorations on the tree, and relive the memories associated with each one. I think house is all ready for Christmas now.
- On Wednesday, I went to a team Christmas lunch with my co-workers. It felt good to enjoy an in-person gathering for the holidays after two years of virtual celebrations.
- Thursday was my last day at work until the new year. I’m on vacation now for 18 days, but who’s counting? This week, I’ll be doing some baking, and wrapping and, of course, grocery shopping for our Boxing Day dinner with my mum.
This week’s simple living focus: Still searching for peace
In my November 2022 roundup, I included a post by The Thoughtful Beggar, Eric Drury. It’s a thought-provoking piece of writing. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to check it out.
In many ways, the idea of peace is at odds with our modern world which praises money and power above everything.
Eric Drury, The Practice of Peace
That desire for peace and simplicity is the reason I started this series at the beginning of the year. Yet, when we look at the events of 2022, the world is further from peace than ever. Conflict is everywhere around the world. There’s conflict in eastern Europe, here at home in Canada, and within our own homes and families. It’s sad.
Things that rob us of peace
As Eric so poignantly points out in his reflection, greed and power are the two things that rob the world of peace. I would add a third to the list: the need to be right, and therefore to prove everyone else wrong. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines these as:
- Greed: “a selfish and excessive desire for more of something (such as money) than is needed”
- Power: “possession of control, authority, or influence over others”
- Right: “conforming to facts or truth”
These things have been at the root of every major conflict in the world since the beginning of time. But there is another way.
Embracing the opposites
Instead of greed, power and right, imagine what would happen if every person on Earth could embrace their opposites:
- Generosity instead of greed
- Humility instead of power
- Accepting imperfection instead of needing to be right
Just reading these words makes me feel more peaceful. Wouldn’t you rather live in a world filled with these three things than one fuelled by greed, power, and the need to be right?
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To do this week
As Christmas is the season of peace and goodwill, this week’s call to action is simple.
Let’s all consider how greed, power, and the need to be right show up in everyday lives. Then, think about what our lives would be like if we let go of those things and embraced their opposites.
In short, let’s seek generosity, humility, and imperfection. Maybe then, the world will stop searching and find peace.
I will wrap up the series with a quote from a poem by my dear friend Pat Keachie. Her book Medals and Memories is a collection of poems on the theme of war…and peace. It feels like a fitting way to close out the series.
It’s time for peace.
The time is now.
A Prayer for Peace, Pat Keachie
My goal for the Simple Living Sunday series was to encourage simpler living and provide some food for thought. I hope you enjoyed these posts throughout 2022. Drop me a comment below your thoughts on the series.
Thank you so much for this beautiful post. Truly, greed and other vices rob us of our peace. And we must try as much as possible to protect our peace at all cost.
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. Yes, there’s a lot to be said for saying no to what the world tells us we need, and embracing a more peaceful life instead.
This was just the reminder I needed to focus on living more simply and to definitely figure out how to change my mindset/actions about the things that tend to suck the peace and joy our of my day/life. Thanks for this!
Thanks for dropping by Molly. It does take a lot of work to counteract all the negativity and crap in the world. You’re right that it can steal our peace if we let it.
Love this post! I am glad you added the desire to be right to your list of de-stabilizing human impulses. I am more and more becoming a fan of imperfection.. For example, I it is very helpful to remind myself when I am working on a new song that it doesn’t have to be perfect. Just work on it and see what unfolds… Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings and accumulating wisdom with all of us via your inspiring blog posts in 2022!
Thanks Will. Letting go of the need to be perfect has been a challenge for me over the years. Thank you for reading my ponderings during the year. Here’s to 2023!