Touching Peace

Since the time when David Mc. Clleland published his classic work Achieving Society decades ago, many material progress happening here and there. A number of advances in science and technology even reach beyond imagination. And as always happens in history of life, every advancement has its own cost. Stress, depression, suicide, divorce increased rapidly everywhere. These made the world poor of peace.

Philosophy of Number One

The dominant characteristic of Mc. Clleland's classic work is the urge to be always number one. Whatever the field, from housekeepers to state leaders, all of them  are driven by the energy of being number one. Of course there is the result. Poverty and unemployment declined. Rising incomes and economic welfare in many places.

However, as the soccer tournament, the winner is always one. While those who do not receive the trophy are far more than one. Mc. Clleland just focus on the limited number of winners. And even the winners will no longer winners in the following times.

And the number of non winners increase significantly from year to year. Like the accumulation of dirt in the body, one day when the amount of dirt is far more than the capacity of body to absorp it, then there is explosion in the form of dangerous sickness. Life in this level is similar to enemy that must be destroyed. There are some signs in this case. From global warming, nuclear waste till extreme weather. Without the serious efforts of building peace, earth is no longer a suitable place to live. In very competitive societies like Japan and Korea, it has been proven by the significant increase of suicide.

Philosophy of Flowing

Like a pendulum that keeps moving, civilization keeps swinging. There was a time when human was full of hunger, there is time when people are full of abundance. There is time of joy, there is time of sorrow. The suffering beings let themselves being shaken by this pendulum movements. That's why stress and fatigue increase everywhere.

In contrast to the commoners, the wise is stable like the sun. Life can keep flowing from day to night, night to day, but the sun keeps shining like a witness. In summer, enjoy the beauty of sunrise and sunset. During the rainy season, thanks to the beauty of rainbow. In this way, life is taken good care like a mother taken good care of her only child.

A British psychologist John Bowlby with his attachment theory discovered that our brain grow the most healthy in the moments of love, kindness, compassion. In other words, after spending long time of overheating periods because of the excessive desire of achievement, it's now the right time learning to flow. Especially to let our body, mind, soul back to be embraced by love, kindness, compassion. Flowing is like a womb, love, kindness, compassion are babies who were born from that womb.

Peace, Peace, Peace

While under the flag of achieving society life is assumed as imperfect, that's why people keep struggling to be number one, on the path of meditation - especially at the level of perfection - life is believed to be a series of perfection. In Tibet (roof of the world) sometimes it is called dzogchen (great perfection) sometimes it is called mahamudra (great seal). In Japan, it is called Bushido. A sort of meditation that witnessing all without being touched by the flow of life. In Bali, it is called Embang (ultimate silence). That's why Bali is the only island in the world that celebrate new year as silence day. In the language of God's devotee, everything is the dancing of the same perfection.

Since everything is the dancing of the same perfection, then the daily life contains only three simple steps: accept, flow, smile. For the layman, it is called passive, not doing anything. For the masters, it is far from passive, far from doing nothing. As coconut trees naturally grow on the hot beach, pine trees naturally grow on cool mountain, people who perfectly accept, flow, smile, are learning to return back to his/her natural calling.

When a person returned back to his/her natural calling, he/she does not sleep unproductively, otherwise they touch the peak of peace. In peace, it is very probable that people will come to the stage of high productivity and creativity. It is as simple as coconut who is productive on the beach, as simple as pine who grow healthily in the mountain. In two different places both coconut and pine bless life perfectly. In the same way, human can best contribute to life when he/she is carrying out his/her natural calling. In this stage, the answer is not to be number one, the answer is to be the unique and authentic you. Comparison, competition are no longer needed, as we can not compare coconut and pine. On the top of that, by performing the natural calling of life then life flows naturally in the river of peace, peace, peace.