Essay by Luke Foster
“Only through compassion and inner peace, can one spread peace in the world. Inner peace leads to a peaceful individual and then this peaceful individual can build a peaceful family, then a peaceful community, then a peaceful world.”
His Holiness the Dalai Lama
I think if one was to ask every countries, leader in the world what is your greatest desire for your country and their relation in the world then I think all of them would say the same thing:” A peaceful nation and a peaceful world. “
I love having protection but to be honest I feel the safest not when I think about this but more when I have done everything in my power to have no enemies and mend broken bridges with everyone, I have ever had differences with.
I always joke that I am the Dalai Lamas cat but when I was arguing with my parents, decades ago I took out my frustrations on everyone so I was kind of hissing all the time and now I think I just purr and meow.
I think that a lot of world leaders build bigger and bigger armies and more weapons to feel safe but I think the best way to be safe is to cultivate a kind heart and have all the good emotions: compassion, forgiveness, unconditional love, and humour.
Its, not that I am against soldiers but to the contrary as I feel their most important job is providing security for aid workers as usually the places in the world most in need of aid are also some of the most dangerous places on the planet. So, security for aid workers and allowing the people who suffer most in the world in developing countries to get support in daily life and death situations is made possible by highly trained and very brave security forces. I also feel that the aid workers jobs also require great skill and courage.
“Since the mid-2000s the number of security professionals working for humanitarian organisations has increased significantly. This has important consequences for how humanitarian aid is delivered.”
Jethro Norman
Martin Luther King said:” If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective.”
I didn’t know what ecumenical meant so I googled it and it means: “ Of relating or representing the whole of a body of churches.”
As I always say I feel that I have a more balanced perspective when I have equal number of male and female role models as inspiration for my essays.
Mary MacKillop said in 1873 on the 12th of January “Do not be afraid. Love one another, bear with one another, and let charity guide you in all your life.” ( From the last letter typewritten by Mother Mary herself )
MacKillop is Australia’s beloved Catholic Saint.
Ruth Fry (1878-1962) is another strong inspirational woman who I just discovered.
“Fry grew up in a family of Quakers. She acted as her family’s secretary at the Hague in 1899, during which time her belief that peace can be created through goodwill and international dialogue rather than violence was solidified, guiding her life mission as a pacifist and humanitarian. “
OUP Blog (Oxford University Press’s Academic Insights for the Thinking World)
In conclusion I feel that as much as I love and worship the Dalai Lama, I feel that there are literally thousands of grandmothers as equally kind, loving, wise and jovial as the Dalai Lama and their network of love in the world holds the world in relative peace all the time. I feel they are everywhere in the world including: Australia, Korea, America, Russia and China and many other countries.
This is a fabulous grandmother wisdom quote: “There is no other love that is as special as the love of a grandma/ so warm and fuzzy, so calm and sweet, so cheerful and joyful.”
Hopal Green
We used to call our grandmother Murtle who always playfully teased us and made us laugh. I miss that kind love and wisdom.