Is it “Flashback Friday” already? Found this old Grasshopper Note in the archives. Hope it brings you some peace.

“Peace Isn’t Selective.”

There is this absurd notion that some people are singled out to get that which can’t be purchased – Peace.

Peace is your birthright, and it’s not for sale and it doesn’t pick someone else instead of you. The same goes for luck, or grace, or forgiveness.

Peace comes to those who are open to it. Being open isn’t a guarantee that it will immediately come, but it is the starting point.

If you are searching for a cool breeze, it helps to open the window. You could sit in a shuttered house and lament that others are getting cool breezes, but that does nothing to give you a fresh breath of air.

Openness and willingness are aphrodisiacs to peace. They smell that aroma in the air and, by hook or crook, they find their way there.

You can’t get that which you resist. We seem to resist getting peace by barring the door to it. You can’t be “right” and peaceful at the same time. You can’t want good will for some, but not for all and find peace. Peace passes you by when you are selective in how it comes. “I want to hold a grudge and be peaceful at the same time” is being selective. The more selective you are, the less peace you will have.

Peace comes to a calm mind. The busier you are in there, the less room there is for peace. Holding on to all the selective criteria makes for a noisy mind.

So the formula for peace is twofold:

1. Be open to its existence. Openness is an invitation.

2. Calm your mind. A quieter mind is the welcome mat.

Mind quieting can be as simple as letting go of some of the selective conditions you currently have for peace. You may not have noticed that peace has never and will never agree to those conditions.

You can’t demand peace. It’s not afraid of your threats because you have no leverage. Peace holds all the cards; all you have to do is fold your selective hand and stand by an open window and wait for your windfall to blow in.

All the best,

John