Peace

German and British troops, Christmas Truce, 1914. (Imperial War Museum Photo)

Christmas cards are plastered with the words "peace" and "joy". These sound like nicely wrapped gifts which the sender has conveyed via the U.S. Postal Service. Peace and joy cannot be packaged because they are processes of an individual human mind-body. They can be simulated by a pharmacological stimulus to centers in the brain. However, withdrawal of the drug is the withdrawal of the processes which create drug-induced (alcohol-induced) peace and joy. 

Those who are interested in European history are familiar with the sentimental story of a spontaneous Christmas truce along the stagnant front of the First World War in 1914. This is a tremendous model of individuals defying convention and oppression to extend their personal joy to inspire peace for many in a difficult circumstance. The violence-obsessed, godly men on all sides who led and controlled, mostly members of the upper classes,  took subsequent threatening measures to discourage this humanist behavior between combatants.

If all human beings were taught the ways of personal peace and joy from childhood, there would be no war, murder, domination, greed. The impediments to universal peace and joy are those who reproduce without personal peace and joy. Those who bring children into the world without the means to teach those children personal ways of maintaining peace and joy are the obstacle to world peace. This flies in the face of current attitudes about "reproductive rights" in modern feminism and some international human rights organizations. 

Incompetent parents pollute children, who are capable of achieving happiness despite genetic impediments if taught how to do so. Incompetent cultural leaders force feed dysfunctional myths and attitudes which promote greed, hatred and guilt. Incompetent political leaders propagate policies which reward dysfunction which subsequently undermines peace and joy in the ongoing lives of affected children. 

Humanism, as I understand it, cannot be summarized in a Christmas card. It is an intentional way of being in the world, a daily process. Peace and joy are processes which are enhanced by living responsibly, ethically and generously in the world. The truly peaceful person is habitually nonviolent in word and deed. The truly joyful person is generous and forgiving. Peace and joy in practice overshadow greed and resentment. 

As a practicing (practical) humanist, I am working my way out of the processes in my mind and body which obstruct my development of peace and joy in my own life. These obstacles are deeply embedded. They arise in my path by the minute, by the hour, by the day. Sometimes they stop me dead in my tracks. The measure of my practice is the fact that I decide to move forward no matter how much inertia or gravity of my conditioning gets in my way. I am striving for peace and joy because I know I alone can light my own way to my happiness.