Imagine Eugene, A City of Peace

Suzanne Aird

 April 24, 2010 

          Imagine Eugene as a city of peace.  One thing I do towards this end is to belong to a grassroots group of citizens who hold the vision that this concept is a reality.

             I actively imagine Eugene as a city of peace.  I also imagine the U.S. as a country of peace, and peace all across the world.  I don’t see this as a pie-in-the-sky hope or dream.  For me, increasing my spiritual sense of inner peace has not only become a very doable reality, it has become surprisingly easy.

             Take a moment with me.  Remember a time when you felt peaceful, possibly sitting by a warm fire, holding hands, or hearing an ocean wave.  My favorite is remembering the time my daughter-in-law laid my premature grandson in my arms.  His tiny body weighed less than three pounds, yet he exuded more peace than I had ever experienced before.

           Can you imagine a sense of peace within you right now? I like to practice holding the feeling in my body without being distracted by thoughts.  Later, the act of simply recalling the feeling helps to recreate the feeling in my body again. Whenever I feel the physical sensation of peace, I feel the power to create my own inner peace.

            I was fascinated when I found scientific research that backs up this notion.  The ground-breaking work of physicists like John Wheeler and David Bohm led me to my own experience of a unified spiritual energy field.  They contend we communicate with this field through emotion. 

           When I call forth the feeling of peace from the field, I feel physically and emotionally changed. Thus empowered, again and again I see positive effects on my environment and the people around me. Being able to use this seemingly unlimited power for healing is mind-boggling!

              Research also shows that the square root of one percent of a city’s population holding the feeling of peace can significantly reduce violence, as long as the feeling is continuously maintained.  In Eugene it would require only 37 people at a time consciously feeling peace.

            By practicing the exercise above I have come to believe we each, in our own way, possess the skill of holding this energy. I find that the more I use it, the more I can positively contribute to my own life and those of others. 

           I want to practice living my daily life holding this peaceful energy.  Periods of my life were once overwhelmed by fear-based emotions. Now I find that the more I practice the feeling of peace, the more quickly I am freed from fearful thoughts. 

           I feel excited and grateful that I can use this spiritual field to lay a blanket of peace over my fear.  I find that peace attracts peace, and that the energy expands exponentially.  I believe that together we can lay a blanket of peace over our city, our nation and our world.  Join me, if you will, as I imagine Eugene, a city of peace.

 Suzanne Joy Aird, Unity of the Valley Prayer Chaplain and Taize Team,  Nonviolent Communication facilitator, and Eugene City of Peace Coordinating Committee.

This column is coordinated by Lane Interfaith Alliance (LIA) to offer inspiration, sharepersonal spiritual experiences and bring a deeper understanding of individual faith perspectives with the intention of blessing our community and the world.For information, visit www.laneinterfaithalliance.org or call 344-0430.