Peace With Enemies
"They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." - Mark 2:17
This writing is Certified Human
The Obstacle
It's easy to get along with those we get along with. It's easy to agree with people we agree with. It's easy to have conversations with people we're aligned with. It's easy to do things we already know how to do or that we're good at.
It's difficult to disagree. It's difficult to have conversations with people we do not agree with. It's hard to move forward when we don't have the skills.
We look for the easy path and avoid the difficult. But life is seldom easy, and the path always has obstacles.
We cannot be in peacetime forever, and we cannot avoid those we disagree with. We must learn to sue for peace.
The Gift and Opportunity
There is always more to learn.
We can learn more from those we disagree with than from those we agree with. We gain new skills through frustration and difficulty, not by avoiding the unknown.
It is not difficult to forgive those we love and those we are friends with. The difficulty lies in making peace with those who would be enemies.
We can learn to navigate differences and learn what we do not know. We can gain skills in areas where we are deficient and turn frustration into growth.
We can accept that life will be full of challenges, and those challenges will make us stronger, more knowledgeable, wiser, and fitter.
The Practice of Self-Mastery
• Notice where we're at war
• Understand before disagreeing
• Adjust our expectations
• Sue for peace
CHEAT CODE: NOTICE → UNDERSTAND → ADJUST → PEACE
The Why
There is much in these times, and throughout humanity, that doesn't make sense.
We can war within ourselves, with others, with society, the political system, schools, laws, and traffic. We can war with all the things that get in the way of how we think life and the world should be.
I can constantly be frustrated when circumstances and individuals don't meet my expectations. When I do this, I find myself constantly uneasy with my relationships and my position in life.
I can only control what I can control.
I can let others know how I feel and what I wish would happen, and leave it at that.
When I redefine my expectations to align with what others are capable of doing, I find myself less frustrated, anxious, and resentful.
When I understand that perceived injustice is often just things not going my way, I can reframe my expectations. I can redesign my environment and build the skills to match it, or accept it as it is, rather than warring against God and the universe.
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