There is really only one way to contribute to a lasting peace in the world and that is to establish your own inner peace first.  To give something first you have to have it. It makes sense. Peace doesn’t come from talking about peace but rather becoming peace. “When the age of reason ends,” says Sri Chinmoy. “The heart of peace will inundate the whole world.”

It is empowering. Peace doesn’t depend on politicians, it depends on us: our prayers, our longing for peace. I remember a young refugee talking about peace on a Peace Run in Australia. “You can be the richest man in the world,” she said. “But if you don’t have peace you are poor.” In high school and with English as her second language she gave one of the most inspirational speeches on peace I have ever heard.

Right now we use our mind to divide, analayse, conquer and compute. The heart needs to come to the fore in all of us. Full of love, compassion, oneness and peace it can help bring about a new world where everyone lives in harmony.  At another event in South Australia I watched children from Bridgewater Primary carry their peace cranes and lanterns for peace in the evening dusk in a ceremony that was so touching you could feel the peace filling the air.

The inner peace can come to us in many forms and many ways. Happiness, being self-giving, faith and gratitude can all give us inner peace. It doesn’t matter, walking the road of peace is a journey that can be travelled in many ways. Sri Chinmoy gave peace in many ways. Meditation, music, art. He meditated at the United Nations twice weekly for 37 years. If the staff and delegates had peace, they could then share it. He performed over 800 free peace concerts in his lifetime. His haunting, uplifting melodies reaching millions. His over 18 million bird drawings were all dedicated to peace.

It is up to us to focus on our own peace if we want to change and transform this planet into a world of peace. This foundation is solid and powerful. Lasting and fulfilling. Meditation is at the crux of inner peace. Inner Peace can come from within or descend from above. I hope you can find it. The world needs it.