the Peace Page

Nearly ten years ago (2003) I wrote "the Peace Page." I sent it as a holiday letter and then posted on my old web page. I was going to post it here, and had thoughts of using it and some other material as a first draft of the Peace Treatise my dad so wanted me to write. But, I have to say it's just not as great as I remember it. Here is a quickly edited, abridged version:
On Being Mad: Many of us spend a lot of energy on anger. We feel frustrated when things don't go the way we want. We get angry at others who hurt or disappoint us, or steal our joy. The truth is, no one can make us angry or steal our joy. We make ourselves mad, sick and angry. Being mad only hurts us. We get sick and dis-eased. Remember;

• How people ACT is their business. How we RE-ACT is our business.
  
• Hatred does not hurt our enemies -- it only hurts us.

On Letting Go: We often hear, "just let it go." Buddhism teaches about "letting go." But how do we do that? We can know that clinging to bitterness and other toxic emotions, like anger, only hurts us, but how can we actually let go of those emotions? Visualizations can help more than layering on more thoughts and feelings. Picture the hate, frustration, despair (insert any emotion here) as an actual object. Make it gross and disgusting. Perhaps a rotted, stinking piece of food. Why cling to that? Would you want to consume that thing? Hell NO! Then why keep bitter, rotting feelings within you? Remember, toxic emotions -- like rotted food -- only hurt you, no one else. Let go of them! Okay, that's just a couple of ideas from the Peace Page. Next I'll post my edited "take" on a friend's Facebook note about the Shift. Did it happen and what is it? Til then, take a breath, smile and toss out the rotted food. ahhhh!