Peace is real. Peace is always possible. Peace is a choice. When you extend peace, especially when it feels impossible, you move into another realm of being in this world. You begin to be the peace that you seek, and you see it in the reflection of the world. You see that you lose nothing by choosing differently in the moment, and you gain everything as a result.
It is our coffer of debilitating and useless stories in the moment that keep us from peace.
Stories can be let go in any moment. Stories can be gotten back in the next moment if you miss them. Stories of others having stories can be let go too. Hallelujah!
Here is a list of questions that I came up with for myself to keep in my conscious awareness, especially in those moments when I am tightly wound up in runaway emotions, and my stories of suffering, or in the stories of others suffering, or in the wanting of others to move past their stories.
Peace begins with me. Peace is a practice. Peace leads the practice. Let these questions be a springboard for your own. Let us open to this gift of allowing peace to live here.
Questions I really want to know the answer to in the present moment:
What beliefs am I carrying that are keeping me from showing love in this moment?
What am I requiring of others that they fix in order for me to feel good in this moment? Would I really feel good if they were to fix it, or is there some deeper unrest that is active?
Is my current way of interacting solving the problem or making things worse?
How does the other feel in our interaction? i.e. overpowered, unseen, bullied, commanded, overloaded by words? What is their body language and what does it tell me about how they are perceiving me in this moment? Would I be open to me?
What beliefs am I giving others about themselves?
To what degree do I feel threatened by their behavior toward me in this moment?
To what degree do I feel threatened by my own behavior in this moment?
To what degree must I have control?
To what degree am I open to allowing others to be who they are, accepting what I find wonderful, worrisome, and annoying about them in this moment?
What kind of behavior am I modeling in this moment? If the other were engaged in my behavior would I approve?
If time moved backwards, would it shift who was 'wrong' to me? Would I be engaged in the same or similar behavior to that which I disapprove of?
What is my level of flexibility in this moment on a scale from 1-10? Do I have a strong feeling of what is right and wrong in this moment? To what degree is this feeling driving me and my actions? How will I feel if I don't get my way? What am I willing to do to make sure that I do get my way?
If I were to just stop reacting in this moment, what would I lose? What would I gain?
Am I willing to stop myself right now and experiment with other ways of interacting in this moment? If so, to what degree?
What is the level on a scale of 1-10 that I am actually willing to surrender my thinking in this moment, to allow for a more peaceful way to emerge?
In general do I see others as fully formed, or as emerging, growing and developing? Does this change depending on how I feel?
Are my statements about or to others harsh and unyielding in this moment?
Are my statements about others defined by my love or by my fear?
If I were aligned, or feeling good, how would I talk about or to this person?
Could their negative reacting to me be a result of my own misalignment? Could it be possible that they are not receptive to me, because they are avoiding my own misalignment?
How many experiences just like this show up regularly in my life? Can I open to the idea that if I experiment this one time with a different reaction, that I will still have plenty more opportunities to react in the same old way?
How familiar are my stories, and how willing am I, really, to see them as untrue? What is my overall focus most of the time?
Do I value suffering? Is that part of me active in this moment?
It is our coffer of debilitating and useless stories in the moment that keep us from peace.
Stories can be let go in any moment. Stories can be gotten back in the next moment if you miss them. Stories of others having stories can be let go too. Hallelujah!
Here is a list of questions that I came up with for myself to keep in my conscious awareness, especially in those moments when I am tightly wound up in runaway emotions, and my stories of suffering, or in the stories of others suffering, or in the wanting of others to move past their stories.
Peace begins with me. Peace is a practice. Peace leads the practice. Let these questions be a springboard for your own. Let us open to this gift of allowing peace to live here.
Questions I really want to know the answer to in the present moment:
What beliefs am I carrying that are keeping me from showing love in this moment?
What am I requiring of others that they fix in order for me to feel good in this moment? Would I really feel good if they were to fix it, or is there some deeper unrest that is active?
Is my current way of interacting solving the problem or making things worse?
How does the other feel in our interaction? i.e. overpowered, unseen, bullied, commanded, overloaded by words? What is their body language and what does it tell me about how they are perceiving me in this moment? Would I be open to me?
What beliefs am I giving others about themselves?
To what degree do I feel threatened by their behavior toward me in this moment?
To what degree do I feel threatened by my own behavior in this moment?
To what degree must I have control?
To what degree am I open to allowing others to be who they are, accepting what I find wonderful, worrisome, and annoying about them in this moment?
What kind of behavior am I modeling in this moment? If the other were engaged in my behavior would I approve?
If time moved backwards, would it shift who was 'wrong' to me? Would I be engaged in the same or similar behavior to that which I disapprove of?
What is my level of flexibility in this moment on a scale from 1-10? Do I have a strong feeling of what is right and wrong in this moment? To what degree is this feeling driving me and my actions? How will I feel if I don't get my way? What am I willing to do to make sure that I do get my way?
If I were to just stop reacting in this moment, what would I lose? What would I gain?
Am I willing to stop myself right now and experiment with other ways of interacting in this moment? If so, to what degree?
What is the level on a scale of 1-10 that I am actually willing to surrender my thinking in this moment, to allow for a more peaceful way to emerge?
In general do I see others as fully formed, or as emerging, growing and developing? Does this change depending on how I feel?
Are my statements about or to others harsh and unyielding in this moment?
Are my statements about others defined by my love or by my fear?
If I were aligned, or feeling good, how would I talk about or to this person?
Could their negative reacting to me be a result of my own misalignment? Could it be possible that they are not receptive to me, because they are avoiding my own misalignment?
How many experiences just like this show up regularly in my life? Can I open to the idea that if I experiment this one time with a different reaction, that I will still have plenty more opportunities to react in the same old way?
How familiar are my stories, and how willing am I, really, to see them as untrue? What is my overall focus most of the time?
Do I value suffering? Is that part of me active in this moment?
Yes, yes. I'm with you on this completely. I love "peace begins with me. peace is a practice." So true.
ReplyDeleteWhat a thoughtful set of questions! Thank you Brooke. Peace be with you. Peace be you!
ReplyDeletegreat questions, brooke! the words peace and love have been so commercialized, it seems many have forgotten their essence. to counter this is the inevitable awakening that is upon us - we're remembering we are peace and love.=)
ReplyDelete