Peace Starts With Me

Peace Starts Within

International Day of Peace — 21 September

Today, 21 September, is the International Day of Peace, an annual United Nations observance dedicated to promoting peace among people and nations.

When we hear the word peace, we often think about wars, conflict between countries and violence around the world. These are certainly important issues. But our theme for this week, “Peace Starts With Me,” asks us to look at peace from a much more personal perspective.

Before we ask how we can create peace in our communities or in the world, perhaps we should first ask ourselves: “Am I a person who brings peace to those around me?”

Peace doesn’t mean a problem-free life

Being a peaceful person doesn’t mean that we never become angry, frustrated or upset. Difficult situations are part of life. We will have disagreements with family members, friends, colleagues and others.

The important question is how we respond.

Two people can experience the same difficult situation but react completely differently. One person may immediately become angry, shout or say something hurtful. Another may take a moment, control their emotions and try to resolve the situation calmly.

The problem may be the same, but the response can determine whether the situation becomes worse or gets resolved.

This is where peace begins within us.

Controlling anger

Islam places great importance on self-control, particularly when we are angry.

It is easy to react when our emotions are high. Someone says something that upsets us, and before we have had time to think, we respond harshly. One angry response can lead to another, and suddenly a small disagreement becomes a major argument.

Sometimes, maintaining peace simply means choosing not to escalate the situation.

That doesn’t mean ignoring problems or allowing people to treat us unfairly. It means dealing with difficulties in a way that does not unnecessarily create more conflict.

There is strength in being able to pause, think and control our reaction.

Peace when we have been hurt

One of the greatest challenges to peace is what happens when somebody has wronged us.

Forgiveness can be difficult. If someone has hurt or disappointed us, it is natural to feel upset.

But Islam encourages forgiveness and reconciliation while also recognising the importance of justice. Peace does not mean pretending that wrongdoing never happened. It means refusing to allow anger, resentment and hatred to control our lives.

Sometimes we cannot control what another person does, but we can control how we choose to respond.

Finding peace within ourselves

Peace also involves our relationship with Allah.

Life can be overwhelming. We can spend so much time worrying about yesterday, thinking about tomorrow or dealing with everything happening around us that we forget to pause.

Salah, dhikr, du’a, Qur’an and placing our trust in Allah give us opportunities to step away from the noise of everyday life and reconnect with our Creator.

Our problems may not disappear, but our perspective can change.

Peace Starts With Me

So, as we begin this week’s theme, “Peace Starts With Me,” the message is simple.

We may not be able to stop every conflict in the world. We may not be able to control what other people say or do. But we can control our own words, our reactions, our anger and the way we treat others.

• We can choose to calm an argument rather than escalate it.
• We can choose to apologise when we are wrong.
• We can choose to forgive where appropriate.
• We can choose not to spread gossip or rumours.
• And we can choose to be someone whose presence brings calm rather than conflict.

Perhaps the question we should carry with us today is:

“When people interact with me, do they experience more peace or more conflict?”

Because peace may seem like a huge goal when we look at the world, but it can begin with something very small:

It can begin with me.