Peace is not something we impose on the world.

As peace grows in us it spills out bringing joy, understanding, compassion, and calmness to a tormented world.

But peace does not come easy. It has its costs.

To find peace you must be willing to do battle with your shadow…that is, those things inside you which are dark and ugly and loathsome. Those things that separate you from others and from your own holiness.

It takes a courageous warrior, perhaps the most courageous warrior, to confront the inner demons that cause much of the pain and suffering in the world. This is what we must do if we are to have peace in our lives.

Yet, peace is not the absence of the shadow -- the dark, the feared, the loathsome in our lives. Peace resides in our willingness to face our inner darkness, to confront it and stop it from spreading out into the world. Inviting our shadow out into the open changes its very nature -- for darkness cannot exist in the light

Take a look at what lurks within the shadows of your own soul.

And open to the possibility of peace; to the possibility of giving the gifts of kindness, and compassion and understanding to others; to the possibility of standing up to those who would oppress and kill and saying NO, STOP. This will not be allowed.

Each of us has the challenge.

Each of us has the opportunity.

Each of us has the responsibility.

We bring about peace