Peace on Earth

Usually, I avoid the news except for the headlines, but recently, I did a couple of deep dives into news stories that left me distraught. I felt sadness, anger, hopelessness, and guilt. Too many emotions to handle at once.

I was at a talk once where the speaker explained this reaction. He said that we have only evolved to the point of getting our news at the speed of a runner from village to village - meaning our brains have only evolved to handle bad news in small bits every few days at most. So now, with thousands of places to get information 24 hours a day, our poor brains don't know what to do. Especially mine.

After a few days of reeling from the tragedies around the world, I woke up with this song in my head. "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me." It was a song from my youth that I hadn't thought about in years. The message was clear. I couldn't fix the world, but I could do small things to make the day better for someone else. Maybe a small act of kindness would be enough to be a turning point for them. And that could cause a chain reaction that could have far-flung effects. That calmed my worried mind.

So let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.

Let There Be Peace on Earth

by Sy Miller and Jill Jackson

Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me
Let There Be Peace on Earth
The peace that was meant to be

With God as our Father
Brothers all are we
Let me walk with my brother
In perfect harmony.

Let peace begin with me
Let this be the moment now.

With ev'ry step I take
Let this be my solemn vow
To take each moment and live
Each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me