By TOMMY HOLGATE |
| Wise words . . . I'm willing to attempt to understand the 'enemy', if Einstein recommends it |
Today marks the end of nominations week, during which candidates gather 10 signatures from the local ward, sign myriad boxes and pay the £500 deposit.
Basically, it's now official that I shall be running in the elections as both a Prospective Parliamentarian and Local Councillor.
This time just over six months ago, I was on the train to Guildford to meet the party's co-founder and leader John Morris for the first time. So it's been a case of diving in the deep end somewhat...but what better way to learn to swim than immersing oneself in water?
John is a pacifist, who originally founded The Pacifist Party, which joined with ex-pirate radio DJ Jim Duggan's People's Peace Party in 1996 to form 'The Peace Party - Non-violence, Justice, Environment'.
As John pointed out on BBC's Daily Politics this week: "I prefer not to use the word pacifism, as it gets muddled up with 'being passive'. Being peaceful is a very active role to take."
Since that performance, many people responded on Twitter saying 'world peace will never happen'. But we are keen to bring to mind that the idea of peace begins at home, and how we treat ourselves and others.
There is plenty of terror and understandable fear in the world today. So in the spirit of claiming one's own power back, I try to live, as Jim Carrey said, choosing love over fear. It's not always easy, but it is rewarding.
Even the attempt to bring peace into one's own life [again, not always easy!] helps the wider cause, as the more we can bring the higher vibrational mindsets [love, empathy etc] into our personal existence, the more comfortably society's consciousness will shift towards the possibility of a peaceful world.
As John posted on our Facebook page:
"Peace is conceived by so many as the time that follows from the termination of war. The Peace Party recognises that peace is so much more than that. Its members and supporters work for the transformation of social, political and economic structures to ensure an enduring time when everyone is learning and re-learning to treat others as they wish to be treated themselves. Peace is a process to be engaged in, not an end in itself."
In the interest of further exploration of the concept of peace, here are a series of quotes from a variety of incredibly well-respected individuals on the topic:
Mahatma Gandhi: "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."
So it's OK - nigh on advisable - to be nice to other people without needing anything in return.
Martin Luther King: "Peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but a means by which we arrive at that goal."
Ah, so it is something we should enjoy acknowledging in our day-to-day lives and within our bodies I suppose.
John Lennon: "Peace is not something you wish for, it's something you make, something you do, something you are and something you give away."
Great news! So we can even create a bit ourselves and spread it around. Nice one.
Albert Einstein: "Peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding."
The man synonymous with the word 'genius' recommends attempting to utilise empathy even towards an 'enemy'.
Jimi Hendrix: "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will know peace."
I suppose the value systems of the elite financial ruling classes needs to shift.
In order to do so, maybe we need to try and understand them.
Mother Theresa: "Peace begins with a smile."
Good point. I'll try and bear this in mind as much as possible!
Speaking of smiling, I've heard people say:
"There's not much to be cheerful about in politics at the minute is there?"
I know. But that is changing.
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