It doesn't Impress Me like Peace does

I was in a workshop the other day and the speaker was talking about conflict. Specifically he was talking about conflict within a cohort, but the symbolism he used to describe the conflict can be applied to anything you can think of - marriage, work, friends, family, or self. He showed a picture of an iceberg. Now, even without the help of James Cameron we all know the story of the Titanic and its fate with that damn iceberg. The ship is on a historic journey, plugging along across the Atlantic while it's passengers are intoxicated by merriment and gaiety. Suddenly the watch stander sees the tip of an iceberg ahead. All efforts to avoid it by those in charge fail, the ship goes down and hundreds perish amongst confusion and panic. But it wasn't the tip that brought down the Titanic, it was the mountain of dense ice under the water that sealed its fate. Why does an iceberg represent a conflict? Because as the cliché goes, a conflict is the tip. It's what we see and hear- it's the tangible product of what lies beneath the surface (by the way, the tip of the iceberg is usually only one tenth of the whole thing).

Although this cliche is familiar, I never put much thought into it. It hasn't meant much until I started really honing in on what constitutes my dense ice under the surface. Right now I'm working on trying to let go and not control (or have a feeling that I can control) so much- to realize that I cannot control many many many things and just focus on the here and now- not a year ago and not a year from now. I can't get all worked up over the crazy holiday marathon/schedule that is about to come up in a few months when we get home. I can't get all worked up over the 'what ifs' and the 'maybes' or 'only ifs' of the navy life and i certainly can't get worked up over finances- I don't do well when I think like that. I just have to realize things happen for a reason and if I try to maintain a postive outlook, positive things will always materialize.

For me, appreciation for peace of mind doesn't manifest from a peaceful mind- it comes from a place that was not peaceful, always churning, always planning, always trying to control. Now, that I am letting go more, I do have a more peaceful mind as compared to what it was. If it weren't for the constant conflict, I wouldn't be able to truly appreciate how much more calm and carefree I can live life. I want peace because I know conflict.

These thoughts brought back memories of our trip to Hiroshima. The documentation of devestation and human suffering was gut wrenching. The museum was so graphic at points that I got sick to my stomach and had to leave. The Holocaust Muesum in D.C. is moving in much of the same ways- your heart hurts when you listen to the stories of those who lived through it- their lives forever changed by the hands of others. Now I'm not here to debate why it happened or if it could have been avoided. I just know that this was the tip of the iceberg for our relations with Japan during WWII.

I am not impressed that a couple ton bomb could level an entire city. I am not impressed that the US was able to bring the Japanese to their knees within days of dropping these bombs. What impresses me is that Hiroshima and Nagasaki have just put in bids to be a candidate city for the 2020 Olympics. They have rebuilt, they have grown, they have come to terms with their past and want to shed light on the possibilities of tomorrow. They want the world to know Peace because they do not want the world to relive their conflict. Now, to me, that's impressive.