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Finding Peace
One of our deepest human desires and needs is to live in peace. We all yearn for peace, but what is it exactly? How do we find it, and how can we bring peace to our lives and our communities? Jean Vanier reflects on recent world events, identifying the sources of conflict and fear within and among individuals, communities, and nations that thwart us in our quest for peace. Peace is not just the work of governments or armies or diplomats, he argues, but the task of each one of us. We can all become makers of peace. We can do our part. And though it's easy to be a love of peace and much more difficult to be a worker for peace, Vanier shows us that ordinary people, unknown and unrecognized, are transforming our world little by little, finding peace in our neighborhoods, and lighting the way to change.
90 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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99 people want to read
About the author
Jean Vanier
222 books166 followersJean Vanier was educated in England and Canada, entered the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth, England in 1942. He went to sea in 1945 in the Royal Navy and in 1947 transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy. He resigned from the Royal Canadian Navy in 1950 while serving H.M.C.S. Magnificent. He then went to France to work in a students' community outside of Paris. He studied philosophy and theology and obtained a Doctorate from the Catholic Institute in Paris.
At various times in his life, Vanier has been a(n)
author-
traveler-
founder-
humanitarian-
peacemaker-
At various times in his life, Vanier has been a(n)
author-
traveler-
founder-
humanitarian-
peacemaker-
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 23, 2017
This is a very small book, one that I easily read over the course of one lazy Sunday (and I feel like I tend to be a slower reader than many, at least those who are accustomed to finishing a book in one sitting). I felt this way about From Brokenness to Community as well, but after reading all of Community And Growth I couldn't help but see much of this as a less developed echo of that work, which I found to be a stunningly beautiful and brilliant book. It's nice to revisit his ideas, and I do appreciate the ways that they are re-contextualized for a more global and post-9/11 reading, but in all I can't say that much of it felt new or even further developed from C&G.
With that said, read on its own accord, this is certainly a terrific little book! As always, Vanier writes with a tenderness, poignancy, and poeticism that's makes for an enjoyable and at times moving read. Although this book is uniquely full of more "big-picture" anecdotes and references to conflicts between countries and cultures, I found myself most appreciative of his more honed-in writing around pursuing peace in the small and simple ways our everyday lives allow. His writing on community, particularly community across dividing lines and "down" the hierarchy of power and prominence, is as inspiring as ever and he connects it to our own process of becoming human and achieving inner peace in a satisfying way.
With that said, read on its own accord, this is certainly a terrific little book! As always, Vanier writes with a tenderness, poignancy, and poeticism that's makes for an enjoyable and at times moving read. Although this book is uniquely full of more "big-picture" anecdotes and references to conflicts between countries and cultures, I found myself most appreciative of his more honed-in writing around pursuing peace in the small and simple ways our everyday lives allow. His writing on community, particularly community across dividing lines and "down" the hierarchy of power and prominence, is as inspiring as ever and he connects it to our own process of becoming human and achieving inner peace in a satisfying way.
December 26, 2021
'Tis the season. I knew nothing about this book or author going in though...
Jean Vanier was the son of Georges Vanier, former Governor General of Canada; the founder of L'Arche; and a Catholic philosopher. Finding Peace is a short book on peace, love, self, community, and spirituality. It is definitely a Christian text, though it's the kind of Christian text that is ostensibly accepting of all religions and forms of God. That said, I'm not sure it is so accepting of atheists. The book is tolerably-religious until the final chapters, when Christianity mostly takes over. Much of the book is that common sense which we all know is the ideal, but which is buried in the struggles and traps of life and society. Even if you aren't a believing, practicing, loving Christian, you will probably agree with much in here, which tends to follow the 'do unto others', 'love thy neighbour', 'love thyself', principals, as well as the importance of family, community, and helping the weak. Vanier has some great things to say regarding cycles of abuse and conflict as well. Finding Peace functions as a reminder of how we could be better people to ourselves and others, and, ultimately, how we can try to find peace and let go of unnecessary anger, stress, and conflict. It also functions to spread the word of the Christian, Catholic God a wee bit...
Here are some tidbits of wisdom from the text:
When we are made to feel inferior through a lack of respect for our deepest needs, we often begin to accept the vision of the powerful and to believe that we are inferior, that we should just do what we are told. We submit to those who have power, lose our self-esteem, and enter into a form of depression. We might also like to become like those who have power, copying their values and aggressive attitudes and developing a sense of ourselves that is based on oppression of the weak -- or maybe we will close up in anger and revolt against those who have power. Either way, we can lose faith in ourselves. Rather than developing and deepening our on vision of life, we use up our energies in obeying or attacking others and their system of values. When we lose ourselves, it is much easier to latch onto what is outside than what is inside -- easier to identify ourselves against an other than to search within our deepest needs and yearnings...Pages 21-22
Fear incites us to hide behind the walls of our heart, our group, our community. It is so deep within us all.
- Page 29: A parable. Essentially a simplified, outdated (but still applicable) cycle of violence. Father goes to work and gets yelled at by his boss, unable to retaliate or defend himself. Father goes home and yells at his wife, who feels weak and impotent compared to her husband. Mother yells at her child, who is weak and impotent compared to her. Child vents his anger on the family dog, cat, or bullies a kid at school, etc.
- 32-33. We all need love. Violent prisoners probably got where they are due to the cycle of violence, and a lack of love and self esteem. Sometimes, this simple but incredibly-powerful element is all that was really missing.
- 53-54: How quickly we human beings fall into illusion, the illusion that we are the centre of the universe -- or the opposite extreme, the illusion that we are nobody.
3.4 Stars
May 3, 2019
This book correlated with my philosophy of focusing on the similarities of people regardless of religion, not differences, which warmed my heart. It does so mostly when it described a place for people with learning difficulties and how they get on even when they are of vastly different faiths.
Also great messages of forgiveness and it is a relatively easy read, stylistically not thematically.
This book is full of love and compassion and I would advice a more divided Christian to read as well as those who wished to strengthen there theological faith.
Also great messages of forgiveness and it is a relatively easy read, stylistically not thematically.
This book is full of love and compassion and I would advice a more divided Christian to read as well as those who wished to strengthen there theological faith.
August 7, 2019
I'm a big fan of Jean Vanier but I do find his writing a bit underwhelming at times. His overarching message that all people are valuable is important. Yet there's not much original thought in this book. Basically, we'll find peace when we treat each other with the dignity with which we want to be treated (and learn to accept). Given that this was written just after September 11th, his instance that we recognize the history of colonialism, with all its attendant domination dressed up with magnanimity, as a major cause of our lack of peace was, perhaps, more pertinent.
May 21, 2012
A thought-provoking and inspiring book which encourages the reader to consider the opportunities for peace at the personal and community level. Note: The book is written from a Christian perspective, but can be enjoyed/appreciated by people from all spiritual backgrounds.
Some key quotes:
"True peace can rarely be imposed from the outside; it must be born within and between communities through meetings and dialogue and then carried outward."
"When we love and respect people, revealing to them their value, they can begin to come out from behind the walls that protect them."
"Peace is the fruit of love, a love that is also justice. But to grow in love requires work -- hard work. And it can bring pain because it implies loss -- loss of the certitudes, comforts, and hurts that shelter and define us."
"'Ultimately we have just one moral duty,'" wrote Etty Hellisum [a Dutch Jewish woman killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz]. "'To reclaim large areas of peace and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.'"
"We can be seduced...by powerful political groups that promise more wealth and lower taxes. Those with power can use clever, psychological tricks and play upon our weaknesses and brokenness in order to attract us to their way of thinking. We can be manipulated into illusion."
"[Happiness] comes when we choose to be who we are, to be ourselves, at this present moment in our lives."
"The German theologian Josef Pieper [writes], 'Leisure is only possible when we are at one with ourselves. We tend to overwork as a means of self-escape, as a way of trying to justify our existence.'"
"We are not alone and we don't have to compete."
Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople's confessional poem, "I Am Disarmed, begins as follows:
"I have waged this war against myself for many years.
It was terrible,
But now I am disarmed."
[The entire poem is reprinted in the book.]
"We work for peace every time we exercise authority with wisdom and authentic love."
Some key quotes:
"True peace can rarely be imposed from the outside; it must be born within and between communities through meetings and dialogue and then carried outward."
"When we love and respect people, revealing to them their value, they can begin to come out from behind the walls that protect them."
"Peace is the fruit of love, a love that is also justice. But to grow in love requires work -- hard work. And it can bring pain because it implies loss -- loss of the certitudes, comforts, and hurts that shelter and define us."
"'Ultimately we have just one moral duty,'" wrote Etty Hellisum [a Dutch Jewish woman killed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz]. "'To reclaim large areas of peace and to reflect it towards others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will be in our troubled world.'"
"We can be seduced...by powerful political groups that promise more wealth and lower taxes. Those with power can use clever, psychological tricks and play upon our weaknesses and brokenness in order to attract us to their way of thinking. We can be manipulated into illusion."
"[Happiness] comes when we choose to be who we are, to be ourselves, at this present moment in our lives."
"The German theologian Josef Pieper [writes], 'Leisure is only possible when we are at one with ourselves. We tend to overwork as a means of self-escape, as a way of trying to justify our existence.'"
"We are not alone and we don't have to compete."
Patriarch Athenagoras of Constantinople's confessional poem, "I Am Disarmed, begins as follows:
"I have waged this war against myself for many years.
It was terrible,
But now I am disarmed."
[The entire poem is reprinted in the book.]
"We work for peace every time we exercise authority with wisdom and authentic love."
February 29, 2012
I'm not usually one for this type of book. But I'm on the board of Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and we had a board member that was challenging the Christian principles of our organization. What I think he and others have missed is not that we think others should live and abide by Christian principles (because few homeowners are actually Christian) it is that we believe that our Christian principles lead us to help others help themselves . This book did a wonderful job of exploring how we all need to recognize each other's definitions of God and humanity to live in peace. We need to see similarities not differences.
August 14, 2009
A short read on how fear leads humanity to erect boundaries and walls, creating differences from other people. Vanier describes that fear is really not understanding and loving ourselves. That God is the eternal love and when we realize that all of humanity is created in God's image, why do we need fear or walls. Break them down and interact with people, we will learn to love ourselves even more.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews