"Have some HOPE, believe in peace." Granddaughter Keanna wears a t-shirt with those words on them. Can we as adults believe in peace? My husband and I just got off a 14-day cruise in the Southern Caribbean, and over forty countries were represented on the ship. A common refrain on cruise ships is that if everyone lived in harmony as people do on cruise ships, world peace would ensue. And now at my husband's daughter's house, enjoying the family, the realities of the outside world are at bay. My step-daughter today complimented me in that I don't bring drama into their house. My stance is that there is enough drama in the world that we don't need to create any in our homes. Peace does begin at home.
My husband says that with all the people on the earth, there is a 35,000-year gap between the most enlightened beings and the least. So what percent of homes embrace the concept that peace begins at home and live that motto? I used to live with rose-colored glasses, but the older I get, the more cynical I get. Reading the book LOVE and WAR: Human Nature in Crisis by Rudolf Harmsen and Paddy W. Welles gives an understanding biologically, scientifically, and psychologically why we have such a challenge on our planet to achieve peace.
Like we enjoy having our children believe in Santa Claus, don't we also want them to have HOPE that they can make this a better world? Our Season's Greeting card has this quote on it by Hamilton Wright Mabie: "Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!"
When I hear in the news about children being murdered, about police killing people and people killing police, of riots, of war, and then I look at Keanna's sweet face, I so want to hold the vision of hope and peace for her future. The thought of anything happening to her or any of our grandchildren is unfathomable. My husband cried when he heard of the 150 children killed in Pakistan. I so much want to have HOPE.