Picasso's Dove of Peace
Deep within the still center of my being,
may I find peace.
Silently within the quiet of the Grove,
may I share peace.
Gently and powerfully,
within the greater circle of humankind,
may I radiate peace.
I am not a diplomat. I am not an ambassador. I am not an official representative of any nation, or any druid group, or any Buddhist group, or of any group. I am a solitary druid seeking my own path through the forest. What can I do in response to terrorism, to sectarian violence? What can I do when a young man guns down fellow students at a university, when a man enters a church prepared to kill everyone there and then kill himself, when militants attack public places in Mumbai and take hostages and must be met with violence in order to stop them?
I applaud the people of the Unitarian church who used force but not violence to stop their attacker; they tackled, disarmed, and restrained him, at the cost of a man’s life. I honor that man who gave his life willingly.
The Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids has given us the prayer that heads this entry, a druid prayer for peace. If you feel there is nothing you can do in the face of sexist, racist, ethnic, and religious hatreds, pray for peace. Pray for understanding and reconciliation between those who hate. Pray for peace.
