Unfortunately, we live in a time where everything is possible, both good and bad things can happen to you. For example, you can get sick with cancer, you can get sick with COVID or one of its variants, get in an unexpected car accident or you can get into a really bad situation that is hard to get out of, where you feel trapped. To pave the way of a more peaceful life filled with love, there is so much we need to be aware of and counteract against. Several things need to be addressed and eliminated from our mindsets. Wars, terror attacks, honor killings, suicide bombings, systematic racism, fascism and homophobia are just a couple of examples. Each one of them brings about a lot of negativity that is uncalled for.
Individual Struggles
Now, there are not only violent things. There are many things that deal with the individual person in terms of them facing certain struggles that are not always visible at first glance. Loneliness, for example, is something that many people face in this world. If loneliness would go away, there will be more time and space for love and love can come in all forms, shapes and sizes but should be an unconditional type of love in order for it to really be fulfilling.
Isolation Versus Inclusion
Confirming prejudices, spreading rumors, overly gossiping can’t continue to persist or else more people become isolated instead of included. Everyone wants to feel included & welcomed; everyone wants to feel loved. This is universally ingrained in us humans and, therefore, does not depend on where we come from or what religion we follow (or don't follow).
Outsider Mentality as a Hurdle
The mentality of “Oh, she/he didn’t catch that” needs to stop. The reason is simple. It turns people against each other. We don’t need anymore of turning against each other. We have been through that too many times in the past, over and over again. We should have learnt from our history by now but obviously many of us haven't. As a cultural anthropologist, I see the reason behind it being connected to a form of teasing and harassment, which at the same time does express a bit of hatred because it spreads the idea of “not wanting to get along with each other due to our differences” and hate has no place in a world that needs more peace and love.
Insisting on an outsider mentality is something that hinders social integration and the feeling of being accepted that is also inclined in every human-being. Moreover, such outsider mentality and the behavior that underlines it, only creates more hatred. Hate is not something we need in this world. We suffer already enough from so many different things. Beyond that, every one of us is struggling with something, therefore, kindness is inevitable, and hatred, therefore, needs to be put to an end by all possible means.
An Example of an Ethics Seminar
It really isn’t that hard to do, if you think about it, it only takes more motivation and willingness to include them in everyday activities. When I was in the German Protestant boarding school from age 17 -20 years old, I participated in a one-year seminar focused on ethics and in order to implement the theoretical frameworks we studied we actually created our own play together with a bunch of young handicapped youth who were in the same age group as us. We learned so much from each other, we took a traditional fairy tale story, modified it into our own story and then practiced performing it in front of an audience. It was an incredible experience and if schools would include more such seminars then we would see more inclusion towards those who are being isolated from society.
Empty Words & Broken Promises
I have also noticed that saying “empty words and breaking promises” is another thing that keeps us away from having a peaceful life. Maybe instead of focusing on a work-life balance kind of lifestyle, we should concentrate on a love-life balance, meaning letting as much love in as possible, just like Martin Luther King wanted us to in 1963, over 50 years ago, when he said and wrote the following words: "Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that” (taken from his book: A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings and Speeches, copyrighted in 1986 and published in 1991). Interviewing Martin Luther King would be my dream. I would love to ask him questions about his faith, his views on life and his perception of the world we currently live in. He was not only a charismatic leader who used non-violent actions, while fighting for civil rights for his people but was also very wise for his lifetime, someone to look up to even today, I would say.
Worrying Less is The Key
Ultimately, the less we worry about our lives, the happier we can be. We just need to let go and make ourselves embrace positive affirmations as much as we can. If we can get the suffering to stop, we will be able to let peace enter our lives. Of course, this isn’t easy and can’t be done overnight but taking each day step by step with everyone doing their little part, we can achieve much greatness. It starts with one "gear wheel" (in German: Zahnrad, literally means tooth wheel). I truly believe in that. Only standing together in unity and not as enemies, we will be able to achieve more peace and love in this world. Wishing my readers much: Peace, Salam, Mir, Pace, Hotep, Asomdwo Pake, Frieden, Innaaissttiiya, Shanti and Paco, wherever you may be.
February 24th shows how true your words are!