Exploring Positive Peace

In this meditation, we explore two types of peace (positive and negative) and how they show up in our lives. We look for ways to pursue positive peace (the flourishing of all) in our body, mind, and in the world.

Transcript

Welcome to today's meditation on exploring positive peace.

When we think of peace,

What comes to mind?

Most commonly,

We associate peace with feeling calm or serene,

Letting go of tension,

Or being relaxed and at ease.

This idea of peace is the absence of conflict,

What we call negative peace.

On the flip side of negative peace,

There is positive peace,

Which is the presence of justice.

It is the presence of attitudes,

Institutions,

And structures that allow all of humanity to flourish.

While negative peace is not inherently bad,

And some actions that contribute to negative peace might in fact be useful,

It's important to understand the differences between the two,

And in particular,

To be aware of what might happen if we always prioritize negative peace over positive peace.

In this meditation,

We are going to explore how the two types of peace show up in our lives and create more awareness and intentionality around creating positive peace.

To get started,

Find a comfortable seat.

It could be sitting cross-legged on the floor,

In a chair,

Or even lying down.

Relax your shoulders away from your ears,

Relax your jaw,

And gently close your eyes.

Take your attention to your breath,

Beginning to notice your inhales and your exhales.

Pay attention to the qualities of your breath.

Is it fast or slow,

Jagged or smooth,

Quiet or loud?

Where do you feel it most in your body?

Gently become aware of your breath moving in and out of your body without needing to change anything about it.

Now let's start by exploring peace in your body,

Remembering that negative peace is the absence of conflict.

Mentally scan the body and ask yourself how negative peace is showing up.

Where are you trying to release tension?

What does your body need to foster a sense of negative peace?

For example,

You might do a stretch to release neck tension or take a hot bath to release general tension in the body.

These are ways of reducing conflict in the body,

We could say.

What impact does a state of negative peace have on the body?

Let your body be missing in a state of negative peace.

And if no answers come to mind,

That's okay.

Simply repeat and reflect on each of these questions.

This plants the seed and creates an environment for insight to develop over time.

Now take a deep breath,

Breathing into your belly.

Imagine what positive peace,

The presence of justice,

Or the flourishing of all of your cells,

Muscles,

Organs might look like.

What are you doing to foster positive peace in the body?

Or what would allow your body to flourish?

For example,

You might exercise and build greater strength in the body.

What's different about these two ideas of peace and how they show up in the body?

How are they useful?

Now,

Take your attention to your mind.

Start by noticing any thoughts or feelings as they pass by.

And again,

Ask yourself what does a state of negative peace look like in your mind?

If it's the absence of conflict,

Perhaps it's being mindless,

Not being aware of what's going on,

Or ignoring any thought,

Feeling,

Or belief that could cause conflict.

Or maybe it's distracting yourself with TV to avoid unpleasant thoughts or feelings.

What actions do you take to create a state of negative peace in the mind?

And what impact does this have on the mind?

What might your mind be missing if we focus just on building negative peace?

Now,

What would positive peace in the mind look like?

Do you do anything right now to create a mental state that allows you to flourish?

If not,

What can you do to promote positive peace?

Perhaps it's meditating to become more aware of your thoughts and feelings,

Or challenging yourself to step outside of your comfort zone and try new things.

In the short term,

Taking action towards positive peace might disturb feelings of negative peace.

It might create tension and cause conflict.

But what do we gain by pursuing positive peace?

Now,

Let's step outside of ourselves and consider how these two types of peace show up in our lives,

Particularly at work,

With our friends,

And with our family.

Imagine a recent conflict you encountered,

Or simply a difficult situation where there might have been tension,

For example a disagreement with a colleague or friend.

In what ways did you attempt to keep the peace,

As we often say?

Use your first thought towards negative or positive peace.

Negative peace might be not telling a friend the truth because you don't want to hurt their feelings,

Or you don't want to create a conflict.

It might be staying silent or ignoring when a colleague makes an inappropriate comment.

It might be not talking to your family about racism because you don't want to make them feel uncomfortable.

I'll just put a reminder here that negative peace,

Or taking action towards negative peace,

Is not necessarily bad or wrong.

Sometimes it may be the best option for a situation.

Sometimes it might support your mental health or be what your body needs in the moment.

That's okay.

The goal here is to become aware of the differences,

To notice when we're pursuing one versus the other and be aware of the impact that it might have.

When we prioritize negative peace in our lives with our friends,

Families,

And colleagues,

What impact does it have?

In the scenarios above,

Or the scenario you imagined,

How might taking action to promote positive peace look different?

It might mean standing up for your beliefs and for justice,

Even if it makes some people uncomfortable.

It might mean having difficult conversations.

What actions can you take today to promote positive peace in the world?

When you're ready,

Bring your attention back into your body.

Feel the weight of your body against the floor or chair.

Wiggle your fingers and toes.

Rock your head from side to side.

Bring your attention back to your breath,

Noticing your inhales and your exhales.

Take a moment to thank yourself for taking this time to practice.

Inhale and exhale.

Slowly open your eyes.

Thank you for joining me today.