Musings on the pre-requisites of peace

Hi there, I’m Kathryn (with Marlee and Percy).  I am so very excited to meet you all on October 4^th

I love etymology and was fascinated to learn that the ancient origin of the word peace is pag which meant to “bind together.”  This  offers a great insight into one of the pre-requisites of peace—that we recognize the ways in which we, as living beings, are not just interdependent but truly bound to one another.   Thich Naht Hahn, a Vietnamese monk and peace activist, would define pag as “interbeing:”

Interbeing is the understanding that nothing exists separately from anything else. We are all interconnected.

By taking care of another person, you take care of yourself. By taking care of yourself, you take care of the other person. Happiness and safety are not individual matters. If you suffer, I suffer. If you are not safe, I am not safe. There is no way for me to be truly happy if you are suffering. If you can smile, I can smile too.

The understanding of Interbeing is very important. It helps us to remove the illusion of loneliness, and transform the anger that comes from the feeling of separation.

I believe peace is the outcome of this recognition of our mutual, irrevocable interbeing. It is also the outcome of social systems where human beings have food, and shelter, and connection and belonging; where we are all seen for the gifts we bring to the world and accepted despite our foibles.  When these conditions are met, then we can experience compassion for ourselves and each other; and this in turn allows us the capacity to listen and co-create whole heartedly with each other.   And all of this, I think, allows us to imagine a world, a community, a family, a person…where peace is actually possible.