(Inner) peace.
4 steps toward a more peaceful life.
In 2001 and 2002, I studied abroad in Seville, Spain. In between classes, I learned Spanish vocabulary, grammar, history and art at the Hotel Alfonso VIII, next to the university.
On September 11th, as I sat on the plush hotel daybed reminiscent of my grandmother’s, I got a phone call from one of my classmates. ‘Did you hear the news?’ she asked.
I packed up my things and left the hotel. The first thing I remember is chaos. I remember Max running around crying and screaming. We tried to connect with our families from payphones, but calls wouldn’t go through. We went to the Irish pub to watch the news in English. Two planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York.
There was so much I didn’t understand. At 19 years old, I knew my whiteness enabled me to saunter into any hotel in the world, use the bathroom, sit in the lobby, dine in the restaurant. Because of my parents, I knew Jackie from Panama, Maria from El Salvador, Marcelo from Chile, Josué from the Congo. I knew open arms, kind hearts and empathy were the necessary ingredients for peace.
I did not understand terrorism (nor can I claim to understand it now). I did not understand the complexities of international policy, war or violence, yet I knew that mass murders had transpired around the globe for centuries.
Nineteen years later, I still don’t claim to fully understand why we turn toward violence. What I have discovered is this: No one is born with prejudice. Our biases and judgments are learned. Violence and bigotry are the results of fear.
My call to action on this day, the nineteenth anniversary of a divisive and jolting moment in our history, is to do the following:
1. Take a breath.
2. Offer kindness and love to yourself. What is one thing you have been longing to hear from others? Say it to yourself and honor it as truth.
3. Turn to someone you know (or someone you don’t know) and say to them what you said to yourself.
4. Reach out to someone with whom you’ve experienced conflict. Say to them what you said to yourself.
Maybe they’re small steps, but maybe these very acts of love move us in the direction of #peace
Hi! I’m Susan.
I am a Success Consultant for business professionals, entrepreneurs and educators. I support my clients through coaching, training and content development as they develop strategies to empower positive growth.
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