Choosing Peace

I just came from the voting booth.  It was a grueling two hour process because I had failed to update my address since the last elections, and because the polling station was understaffed and disorganized.  But, it was a peaceful change process in action, and for that I'm grateful and proud.

I'm studying war and peace these days and there are reams and reams of academic papers debating why people kill each other, how to end wars, whether we can ever rid our world of organized violence.  But there's still quite little written about why and how people choose peace.  Especially in the midst of violence.  I wish we understood that more.

Why for instance, does a young Congolese man named Henri, who was once a child soldier himself, decide to put down his guns and dedicate himself to building peace, risking his life to help others lay down their weapons and return to their communities?  How does he find the courage and clarity of mind to do it?  Or why does a Sri Lankan woman named Dishani give up a profitable career as a lawyer and risk everything to begin interfaith peace building programs in a society divided by religion?  How is she able to smile and encourage others with her honesty, passion, and humility, when she has witnessed so much suffering and human violence?

These are just two individuals among thousands, millions, across the world who choose peace each day.  (They are peace builders supported by Peace Direct, one of my favorite organizations, if you want to know more of their stories.)  They are leaders in their communities that others recognize and look up to.  But many many other people choose peace in smaller, less noticeable, but still such important ways.

Waiting in line outside my polling place a woman running for our local neighborhood council was working the line.  Her husband told me she worked really hard, without pay, to serve on the council.  I asked her why:  "Because I love my community."  Inside,  I listened to a young African-American woman talking to her grandmother on her cellphone:  "Have you voted yet, Grandma?  Well, what do I need to do to get you to turn that no into a yes?  Will you vote for Question Six (gay marriage in MD)?  People just want to get married.  So you'll vote this afternoon, you promise?"

What moves people to choose peace, serve their communities, encourage others to act for positive change?  Is it individual conscience?  Communal values?  Love?  Is it something we can study and understand, or something we must experience and feel?

Whatever it is, I'm feeling blessed to be encountering so many people choosing peace, in my local neighborhood and around the world.