It may feel like and overwhelming or daunting task to consider what you as an individual may do to create a peaceful world, however there are many things each of us are able to do each day to be a force for good!
Consider your daily acts as a form of service that support and foster a culture of mutual respect and collective well-being, leading to a more peaceful world.
What am I able to do to create a more peaceful world?
Reduce Stress
A calm and peaceful state of mind is a prerequisite for thoughtful exchanges and relationships.
- Spend time in nature.
- Practice deep breathing and meditation.
- Smile and laugh often.
- Have fun, play more, and do things that bring you joy.
- Connect with community to feel a sense of belonging and purpose.
- Take time to pause, be still, inquire within, and listen to your intuition.
- Practice all Eight Limbs of Yoga (not just the poses).
Practice Mindful Consumption
- Support local businesses and invest in your community’s well-being and economic stability.
- Live sustainably and be mindful of your consumption habits and how they impact the natural world.
- Reuse and repurpose as much as possible.
- Use cloth bags for shopping.
- Eat more plants.
- Buy organic.
- Start a garden or get your produce from a local farm.
- Consider going vegan to create a more peaceful body and to reduce harm to animals.
Hold Meaningful Intentions and Interactions
- Express gratitude every single day.
- Forgive others and let go of grudges.
- Practice compassion for yourself, all beings, and the earth.
- Stop arguing, blaming, complaining, criticizing, and judging.
- Be kind and curious with those that hold different viewpoints and perspectives.
- Practice understanding and engage in meaningful conversations to break down barriers, prejudices, bigotry, discrimination, and privilege.
- Acknowledge and apologize for hurtful or disrespectful behavior.
- Be humble and honor your own and other people’s journey.
- Continue to learn, unlearn, grow, think critically, and evolve.
Take Responsibility
- Dedicate time to a cause you personally care about.
- Promote freedom, justice, and equality through your daily actions.
- Every day you vote with your thoughts, words, and actions. Every choice you make casts a vote—from your interactions with others, to what you eat, and what you purchase. Vote for:
- Hugging over hitting
- Empathy over numbness
- Joy over frustration
- Relaxation over stress
- Sustainability over environmental destruction
- Understanding over anger
- Faith over worry
- Kindness over harm
- Peace over violence
- Connection over disconnection
- Community over isolation
- Union over division
- Collective well-being for individual well-being
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We are each responsible for the world we live in. The most important votes happen every day. These votes have the potential to create profound change. Some days our votes are more peaceful than others—it is a lifelong practice.
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Posted by Anna Ferguson, author of World Peace Yoga: Yoga for People Who Breathe, a book on yoga that inspires peace in action, developing intuition, deepening empathy, and expanding compassion. Connect with Anna on Insight Timer for FREE meditations, at World Peace Yoga in Cincinnati and via Instagram @annafergusonpeace or via Facebook or join her for a class online at worldpeaceyogaonline.com.