peace in struggle

kim on 2:00 pm December 12th, 2007 / Be the first to comment! »

i just finished a great book, all about love. in concluding both the book and a story about the bible’s jacob, bell hooks (who is also from kentucky: represent!) quotes two other writers who address the way we can stay peaceful in the midst of strife:

in that calmness we begin to understand that peace is not the opposite of challenge and hardship. we understand that the presence of light is not a result of darkness ending. peace is found no in the absence of challenge but in our own capacity to be with hardship without judgment, prejudice, and resistance. we discover that we have the energy and the faith to heal ourselves, and the world, through openheartedness in this movement.

this, from soul food: stories to nourish the spirit and the heart, by jack kornfield and christina feldman.

’tis the season to remember these words, eh?