“Peace on Earth” by AlohaSiempre on DeviantArt.com.

As we enter this holiday season, I have already seen the first salvos in the annual social-media battle over “Merry Christmas”. It brings to mind another annual phrase:

“Peace on Earth.”

Too often, the two wishes are juxtaposed in a venomous mocking of each other. We say we wish for “peace on Earth” but then attack people because they say or do not say “Merry Christmas”. And while that is ridiculous unto itself, it speaks to a much bigger question:

Is our wish for peace on Earth void of intention?

Being peaceful with people who believe and live as we do is easy.

Being peaceful with people who do not believe and live as we do requires effort. When someone does not believe as we do, we tend to believe they are wrong. More importantly, we tend to hear them telling us we are wrong. Telling someone they are wrong tends to make them defensive. Defensiveness often leads to becoming offensive and that escalates to adrenaline-fueled fights.

Creating peace requires that we stop thinking about so many beliefs in terms of absolute right and wrong.

No one—no matter how brilliant or well-informed—has but a small fraction of the answers to the big questions of politics and religion. That limitation is one of the pesky downsides to being mere mortals. Instead, we have a little knowledge coupled with monumental faith.

Creating peace also requires that we find common ground in views that oppose our own. We must step back from the microscopic perspective that leads to our being offended by our miniscule differences so that we can see and celebrate our more important similarities.

Stepping back is hard.

Focusing on the bigger perspective is even harder. It means we have to learn and that means we have to actively seek knowledge from reliable, benevolent sources (the latter of which can be challenging to find).

In the pursuit of creating peace, there is an alternative to trying to gain knowledge of another’s beliefs: Faith.

By definition, most people are not extreme. Regardless of where they swim in the vast sea of political and religious beliefs, most people share basic values and differ from us only in how best to uphold those values. If this were not true, civilization—even the United States—would be in anarchy.

Have faith that most people are well-intentioned.

Regardless of which path you take to help create peace on Earth, you must take the first step down that path. Do not merely wish for peace—act to create it.

Peace on Earth, good people.

Kind Regards,

Howard Ravenkamp