“A house divided against itself cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln.

This famous quote by Abraham Lincoln was given well over a hundred years ago, and I believe that We can directly apply it today to why we do not have peace in the world. When it comes to war, hatred, and discrimination of any kind, there first has to exist a feeling of separation in one’s mind.  A cognitive judgment that a person places on another to exclude them from themselves and their lives.

I was trying to decide if I had ever experienced peace in my lifetime, and I concluded that I had not.  There are several definitions of peace, but the one I am talking about is a state of harmony between people or groups; freedom from strife.  Perhaps for a short time, these afflictions exist all around us, and only the implementation of love and understanding can provide any other experience.

It’s Easy to Build Walls A Monkey Can Do it.

I was having a conversation with a friend who continually separates people into different groups and stereotypes them.  When I point this out, his retort is OK because his stereotypes are positively meant to him. There is no such thing as a positive stereotype because once you separate yourself from someone, you have set the stage for you to perpetrate violence or discrimination against them.

If you honestly look at your own life and feelings toward others, you will see that the groups and people who you don’t care for are the ones you have separated from yourself. Either because of race, religion, economic status, ethnic background, or nationality.  These separations perpetuate fear and lead to acceptance of violence toward others.

 Divide and Conquer

My simple premise is that once you accept a label and separation, you have justified any poor behavior toward those that have been separated. This can be done individually, as looking down on your neighbor or en mass as relating to races, religions, or nationalities.

If that were where my thought ended, then it might seem a rather dim view of the world without any hope of peace ever breaking out, but I do not think this is so. The solution to the problem of separation lies within each of us in our ability to love.

Peace Starts Within You

The first place for peace to start is within yourself and in your daily life. Look for the separations that you create between yourself and others. Rich or poor. Old or young. Married or single. Any of these are separation devices.  In my state, there is a lot of discrimination against the poor. All people who need help from the state are labeled as unsuccessful, lazy, drains on the economy.  It is then easy for these people who already.

Why we Build Walls

When it comes to experiencing peace in our world, the biggest barrier is the walls we build to separate us. This can be a physical, mental, or spiritual separation. Still, when you hold something apart from yourself, you have subconsciously allowed yourself to exclude others, discriminate against them, and in the end, perpetuate hate.  When separations are removed for whatever reason, the opposite happens. Understanding flows because we are all the same.

Walls are built because of fear, and fear is the root of all evil in the world. Hate, anger, jealousy, and conformity all stem from the tree of fear.

Expanding circles is the Answer.

The simple response to building walls is not tearing them down but refusing to build them in the first place. In your mind, your heart, or your soul.  We need to expand the circle of who we include under our definition and allow more people in. The more you include in the group of “us,” the less fear there will be of the group of “them.”

Instead of excluding someone and labeling them, include them and accept them. People are all the same. We are equal members of the human race, and that membership should rise above one’s nationality, religion, or skin color.  Draw a big circle around yourself and include everyone on your side, then there will be no opposition.

Love is the answer to fear, and love involves understanding and acceptance. For every branch that exists on the tree of fear, there is a corresponding and more powerful counterpart on the tree of love.  Love over fear.

One day I may experience peace.