DAY 61 Mar. 31: The practice for today is PEACE. "Practice watering seeds of joy and peace and not just seeds of anger and violence, and the elements of war in all of us will be transformed," says Thich Nhat Hanh. You water seeds of anger and violence by deciding to stay angry and act violently. You water seeds of joy and peace by deciding to be peaceful, no matter what is happening to you. Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart, and then respond in a nonviolent way.

Not only must we dedicate our lives to inner transformation, we must be prepared for our consciousness to make manifest ways that call for us to act for peace for all. It is not enough that we are at peace, that we each have inner peace - we must BE a force for peace in the world. Do we stand by and watch someone be physically abused and do nothing? Do we rationalize the situation and say "gee, it's their problem" - of course not!

The same applies to armed conflict - do we stand idly by and do nothing, just as long as it's not our families who are put in harm's way? As long as it's not our sons and daughters whose life is put on the line? But the truth is, it IS our sons and daughters whose life is on the line, because if we don't stand up and be counted now, there is no hope for peace in our lifetime; their lives ARE at risk.

Today: I choose to meet each experience with an intention for peace. I will be aware of any feelings of anger or irritation and replace the feeling with calm. I envision any areas of unrest transformed into safe havens for all people. I see beyond conflict and discord to the truth: peace is everywhere present and active. Peace begins with me.