Sign a Peace Treaty
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I have been seeing more lately, that hatred and fighting is not only unnecessary and a waste of time, but has no value . Irritation is nothing more than a bad mechanical habit that I have allowed . When we watch ourselves closely when consumed by these states, we see that there is a sick pleasure in being mad. It gives us something to fill the empty space. The only way to be free of these destructive emotions is to say a’ BIG NO’ to them. Shake it off as if a hot coal landed on your body.
When Vernon says that I am hateful and full of rage, I immediately want to push it away. There’s a great deal of resistance – why would this be? If I look at my days and watch myself, I see that what he is saying is true. Contrary to what I would think, there is great relief in seeing this and admitting the truth to myself. Now I can put down the bayonet and the bombs and sign a peace treaty!
The first peace treaty we should sign is with ourselves. Then we can let self-observation reveal the many masks that warfare uses to hook us. Then, when we see through the masks and really understand them, the peace treaties with the rest of the world will already be signed.
Here’s a snippet of a talk by Vernon Howard on 4/20/1986:
know what warfare is. It’s attacking, it’s an attempt to hurt,
injure and kill, and it’s getting wounded in return. You are
engaged in violent inner warfare.
This warfare consists of any wrong unnecessary, hurtful moods,
attitudes, beliefs. When you’re sad, you are battling in war.
When you are aggressive and rudely impudent toward another
human being, you are engaged in war. When you cry out in
despair over your condition in this life, you go into pain,
pain accompanied by rage!
Pain is always accompanied by rage and fury and hostility
and hatred. If you’re rageful, you are hateful! That’s warfare!
Sign a peace treaty. I told you what to do. Put down the rifle
and the bayonet and the bombs, your anger, your self-defense
and your offense. Just put them down, regardless of what you
think will happen to you as the result of signing a peace
treaty with yourself. Just do it and do it now. And do it
for the rest of the day and on and on, every time that thought
occurs to you.”