Peace is a concept that tends to evade people on a personal level. It is easy to think of peace in terms of world relations (war vs. peace), but if most were asked what they do to contribute to peace on a daily basis, they would be dumb-struck.  As long as we are unable to build a bridge between global consciousness and our personal daily interactions, we will be unsuccessful in our attempts to battle international unrest.

As Jonathan Larson so aptly stated in the musical Rent, "the opposite of war isn't peace, it's creation."  If you want to examine the concept of peace in your own life, take a moment to examine what you are creating on a daily basis.  Let's take it to the micro level. You are driving in traffic, someone pulls out in front of you and you give them the "finger." The driver of the car gets upset and takes that emotion home to his/her partner. The partner, in turn, gets upset at the injustice of the emotion (now being exerted on him/her) and takes it to the supermarket where it is unleashed on an employee at the check-out. If you are unable to see that your words and actions may have global implications, you are fooling yourself.

Take some time today to examine the practice of peace in your life. Are you treating yourself with respect and dignity? Do you belittle yourself or put yourself down in your self-talk or in the presence of others? Do you engage anger as a means of releasing your emotion when things are upsetting or unpredictable? It is not a matter of validity; your emotions are always valid. It is a matter of your investment of energy. Is it an investment that serves you and the world that surrounds you?

Success or sabotage? Success is not created in a vacuum; one could argue that it is your responsibility to create joy and success in your life for your benefit and for the world.

Is this going to be an incredible day?  Look at your commitments today. Are you creating greater peace or greater conflict?