To be a peacemaker means to be challenged and confronted with my own weakness, and to be tested by God and the universe in order to carry out the task properly. I’ve realized that the willingness to build the self means being aware of the conflict between the mind, heart and action inside one body. As a matter of fact, living through the war in my home country has been a good lesson. It has helped me to look at life: conflicts, causes, hidden causes, and the importance of those causes to guide us to peace. Wait a minute… can’t I, we, learn the lesson without a going through that dilemma? As human beings we deny the reality until we are hit by the calamity.
When I call for peace and creating a safe zone for everyone, I ask myself: am I a safe zone for the people who agree with me and the ones who do not? Isn’t it healthy to be different and have various attitudes? After contemplation over a long period of time, I’ve realized that as long the tools of life fit the four standards of honesty, purity, love and unselfishness, and these tools serve humanity in various ways, then we can meet and go again to its stream… just like the relationship between the ocean and rivers. The shape of the universe is perfect, but we can manifest this perfection in our own simple imperfect characters. Life is hard and simple at the same time; where should we start in order for us to understand it and start to compromise with it and its secret? Quiet time? Honest time with ourselves? Or understanding the relationship with others who reflect on our journey and our message?
Death and life have been my friends during this war. The war in Syria was scary as it revealed human nature. The flame of war can trigger a calm, kind and simple person into a different one. Hardship and pain can affect us deeply but we require a lot of awareness to balance our feelings and thoughts and measure them according to the standard of what is right. The Prophet said that wars are considered to be source of disasters and we should not start them; wars are meant to destroy people at the time they break out. When this happens we should stay home, have quiet time, and focus on our own actions and deeds. Most people did not do such a thing: they were easily influenced. Some even turned into war business dealers. There were others who became hopeless, depressed and in despair. War showed me how close death is: every time I was saved from a shell or a rocket thrown close to where I was living. The more I realized death’s closeness the more I appreciated life and blessings & bliss, which are God's gift to us. I've learned to enjoy it and transform it into heaven. One action, one person, and one prayer are enough, as my power is derived from God the Creator.
The war is about to end hopefully, as all wars must come to an end. However, the peace work that has started since the beginning of the war will not stop. This time it is going to be continued and worked on by the ones who lived through the fire of pain, hatred, revenge, and tasted the sweetness of love and peace through the sessions of Creators of Peace Circles. Now it is time to harvest the seeds of the hard work we did under the oppressive atmosphere. It is time to share the grace with others, with ones both in Syria and outside of it. It is time to learn that one group cannot build Syria; it has to be built by all groups. Furthermore, it is time to learn from our mistakes: we have to go back to concerns and the small steps to be the change before we change our mistakes. It is never easy or hard: it is life with both peace and war.
I consider myself lucky, as I wasn’t by myself during this journey. The Initiatives of Change family has been always there for me: the Canadian, Lebanese, and the international one as a whole. The Creators of Peace family was surely there for me too. This is what we need in hardship… We need hands to hold ours, eyes to watch our moves, good words to guide us and above all we need love to be moved by. Thank you God Almighty for the meaningful experiences You provided me so that I can grow.