At some point, and this is different for each of us, it is necessary to declare peace with one’s self.
It takes a while to even realize that we are, have been, and will continue to be, at war within our very heart and souls. We think we are protecting ourselves from the quite obvious threat of the outside world. We weave entire story lines around how dangerous this situation is, this situation called life. As we interact with others we may find a few who we deem to be safe territory, but it is mostly us against them. Some are lucky enough to have families that are a safe zone, others not so much.
As we peel back the layers of our defenses, bit by bit, we realize that it is not me versus the other. There is a deep recognition of the fact that where the war has been taking place all along is inside our own hearts, minds and souls.
We all have places in us of which we are not proud – to put it mildly. We can actually shudder if we allow ourselves to hear our own negativity.
Rather than cringing away from this negativity, these awful feelings, thoughts and attitudes, the key is to sit down and hear them out. In many ways, this is how I imagine a peace treaty comes about. Rant, rave, complain, accuse … followed finally with, yes, I can see that. That makes sense that you feel that way. What else? Going back and forth for what seems like years, because this never ends … until you have received all of what the negativity has to express.
You can then soothe and re-educate and hold yourself just as you are. You allow yourself to cry out, scream at the top of your lungs, rock back and forth or curl up in a ball. Stomp and wave your fists in the air with all of the outrage that you have been covering up, to the detriment of your soul.
We can then make a decision to let go. This new thought takes a while to settle in. We don’t trust it at first, naturally. We go back to the table time and again, willingly, with all of our hearts wanting peace.