Peace.

"peace ... we're all looking for it."
"peace."
... that was all i could reply as i considered what such a thing would entail. we left it at that.

it's as though i have mistakenly stumbled into a room full of people. i cannot find a place to sit. and even should I find a place, i wouldn't be able to actually sit there for the dense crowd between the me and chair.

this is the disarrayed state of my thoughts.

and he speaks of Peace. the concept almost escapes me.

Peace, then, would be the moments sitting quietly without regard to rules or expectations. those few minutes when nothing matters unless you want it to matter. when no one owes anyone anything besides simple respect from one person to another, and this respect is given freely. Peace, i suppose comes as i gaze out the nearest window, or off seemingly into 'space' down the street. that 'space' is there for a reason--for thought, and consideration. that space gets filled with my past, the stories of the people passing by, the future, possibility ... so as i'm staring into said 'space', you can know that my thoughts are over there.

... and with this Peace, i have been introduced to a previously unfathomable dimension of life. within this dimension i am required to answer to only two voices: mine, and God's. there are no 'rules' i must follow beyond those which i want and choose to follow. the revealed Peace is my ticket to Freedom--Freedom to think anything i care to, Freedom to be anything i care to be, or just the Freedom to be.

just be.

this is far too underrated and unappreciated--probably because many have forgotten how to 'just be', or have never done it before. everything must be governed, regulated, or pre-planned. it doesn't make sense in our so called 'advanced society' to just be. society suffers from a lack of time, or a lack of consciousness of available time. no one takes a minute to step back and look at what is happening around them. they live in their own inner circle, without regard to the larger circles involving the people around them. and there are people around us--real people with concerns, questions, problems, joys, pasts, and futures ... somehow this also gets forgotten.

yes, we all notice the people standing in our way in the line at the market, or the woman walking her dog, or the man picking up his mail--but when does anyone consider the woman or the man? who are they? now that you've crossed paths every morning for three years, what do you know of them? i'll help you out with this one: nothing. you know nothing, because you didn't take the time to even learn the names of the people you see every day. look at the larger circles--how much do you know about each of those circles? because i can imagine you sitting there with a look of bewilderment, i'll help you out here, as well: not enough. people don't interact anymore, so no one cares. there's nothing to care about--no relationship with the world around you means you have no responsibility to it, correct? ... i think not. the people in today's grand society aren't aware of life around them. they can go about their lives in their own circles and not think about anything outside. but there ARE people outside, there is LIFE outside. so notice life, just for one day, perhaps. but do, in fact, notice.

and just be.