Peace Is The Way

  

PEACE IS THE WAY

 

By Alan Nordstrom

“There is no way to peace; peace is the way,”

 

Wise Gandhi said, by which I think he meant

 

We have to be that which we seek, and play

 

The role we would become with clear intent.

 

For as I think and act so shall I be,

 

And so the world around me shall become:

 

If violently, then war shall vanquish me;

 

If lovingly, then peace shall still the drum.

 

It’s in our hands and hearts and minds to choose

 

The manner we live by, day after day:

 

Shall it be marching boots or dancing shoes,

 

Aggression or compassion? Pick the way,

 

Not where to go, but who and how to be:

 

To live in anger—or serenity.

Jesuit Motivation

When my son was in the midst of deciding where he wanted to go to college, Fordham University was near the top of his list.  But he was stuck between Fordham and another school and couldn't make a decision.

Trying to help him, I played the role of Devil's Advocate:  "You are getting ready to graduate from a Jesuit high school and now you are thinking of attending a Jesuit university?  Aren't you sick of the Jesuits?  Don't you want to get out of the box and spread your wings in a different atmosphere?"

My son didn't miss a beat and replied, "Mom, the Jesuits are so smart.  You have no idea how great it is to be in their classrooms.  They are always saying to us: 'Don't tell me what you think I want to hear.  Tell me what you think.'  I love that challenge and they make you really think about an issue, not regurgitate it, when you start to talk about it."

Needless to say, he choose Fordham and had another excellent educational experience of being taught by the Jesuits, only this time in the Bronx and in Manhattan.  I hold the Jesuits in a special place in my heart for their leadership in education as well as their community outreach and social justice work. 

Whether you are Catholic or not, I hope the following quote from the founder of the Jesuits will motivate you (and me) to do our best today and to think about what is happening in our world and what we can do to improve our global community or our neighborhoods and work places:

"GO FORTH AND SET THE WORLD ON FIRE"

                      ~ ST. IGNATIUS LOYOLA