"Peace has to be created, in order to be maintained.
It is a product of
Faith,
Strength,
Energy,
Will,
Sympathy,
Justice,
Imagination,
and the triumph of principle.
It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism.
Dorothy Thompson
I appreciate and I am thankful for all the virtues included in this quote by Dorothy Thompson. I believe there is also the philosophy that inner peace can be created from the ability to be quiet and still, in the form of meditation, in the form of prayer. Passivity is a another subject with many meanings. Jesus was passive many times in his life; he taught to turn the other cheek, he forgave his persecutors, he was submissive to God. There is also the whole theme of passive resistance, as in nonviolent methods to achieve peace. One of Gandhi's quotes on the M.K. Gandhi Institue site is, "Jesus Christ, Daniel, and Socrates represented the purest form of passive resistance or soul force."
Photo: A bouquet of minerature roses and a Crystal Cross, a gift from Al's cousin, Sister Yvonne LeBlanc, a Sister of Providence.
2 comments:
Hi, Pati.
I like the idea of peace being created. Sometimes, it seems like we expect things to be just granted to us. Peace is one of those things. I forget the art of cultivation of such things. Taking time to make choices that create an environment of peacefulness.
Very thought-provoking. Thank you for sharing that.
Melissa
Wow...love the quote by Gandhi and your thoughts on passivity and quiet.
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