Peace is a state of mind

A possibility rooted in our hearts

Buried in our hearts

A possibility we have to nourish

To make it come alive

War

Is not the absence of peace

Not only something political

War is a state of mind

Pushed to its climax

The state of resentment and anger

Of envy and hate

Of distrust and malevolence

War between countries

War in a family

War in a working place

What is the difference?

They all have the same root:

A malevolent heart

The difference is only

The one in dimension

But to build peace

It is the same cause

You have to root out

So don’t judge Stalin

So don’t judge Hitler

When you’re conniving

When you’re resentful

When you are evil

At the place you are at

Remember: This is the only reason

Why there are wars at all

You contribute

To making them possible!

You pray for peace?

May there be peace in the world

As it is in your family

May there be peace between countries

As between you and your neighbors

May more and more people

Nourish the seed of peace

Cause all small units of people living together

Are but microcosms

Carried forward in the big ones

Therefore

If you talk about peace

Make sure you have peace

In your own heart first

Look inside. Ask yourself:

 How do I treat my neighbor

My family, my colleagues, my kin

How much love or hate is there in my heart?

How much benevolence?

How much malevolence?

What should I change

To make peace in my own heart?

Then make the change

Then let it grow

Then let it spread

Stefan Teplan