Balance is not about equality, it is about being in harmony with another, about recognizing that you are partners working together, not competitors. This is the source of balance in your relationships.
Peace is sometimes regarded as an absence or a state of inertness, like the peace of the dead, but thinking that way obscures that it is an actual experience. Just as you can be in a state of agitation, worry or panic, you can also be in a state of peace.
A relationship without respect is like sand in your salad. Respect need not be based on accomplishments or be earned. It is something we offer arising from an awareness of our kindred nature.
Celebrating differences is a choice. When two people relate to each other in this manner, they become a powerful force for peace in the world. When there is no undercurrent of criticism, you can have an attitude of openness. This is where the feeling of connection comes from.
If you want peace, you have to be peaceful. If you want to spread peace, find peace within yourself. This is a process and takes a conscious dedication to observing and opening yourself to finding the peaceful solution in any given event.
Coming to terms with the fact that people are different from you can be a challenge. An important way to treat differences is to see their benefits. They bring diversity and broaden the possibilities available to you. They add to what you have, rather than taking away.
In the face of all the dissonance and conflict in our world, it is easy to become despondent and to feel hopeless. We are not powerless! Peace is a real, livable and discernible experience. Every time you respond peacefully, you raise the chances of peace.
The sense of connection between two people is one of those things that we don’t see, but when we look at it, it has a tangible nature. The relationship we have with one person is unique; it is not like the relationship we have with any other person.
Equality means treating another person as a complete human being, and respect is equality in action. When you accept the uniqueness of expression of another, you are showing respect.
This week was our wedding anniversary and it brought us to reflect on what we have learned about the potentials of all relationships from the experience of ours. Here are our musings on just that for our blog this week.