I remember years ago, while sitting in a personal development seminar, the speaker kept asking the audience why they wanted “something.” That something most often was money, fame, career, material things, or a loving relationship or partner. The person would state whatever that was, then the speaker would ask, “Why do you want that?” He would keep asking this over and over until they finally got to the root desire.
Most often, the answer would drill down to peace, love, or being happy.
Fast forward to the madness and chaos we see all around the world today as we try to wrap our arms around the wars and conflict on a multitude of fronts, and my thoughts are once again drawn to finding peace and calm in the eye of those storms.
An endeavor that is easier said than done.
So much so I was inspired to write a novel, called “In The Wake Of Chaos” by Delaina Layne, whose main character attempts to do just that.
And yet, today I stumbled upon a story of a young gal, Maya Alper, who was working at the recent Nova Festival in Israel when the massacre began by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023. In the face of terror and death all around her, she managed to stay calm and find peace within, which most likely saved her life.
She began a Facebook post with this:
“I don’t usually share on social media but after running for my life, being shot at and hiding in a bush for 6 hours, I realized there are some things that are worth sharing. Heaven and hell are choices, they are state of minds that we can choose to be. I was in the heart of the war zone, and during those 6 hours I was hiding in my bush. I heard thousands and thousands of gun shots coming from the villages around me, knowing that terrorists are massacring innocent children, men, and women. I saw the people that were with me, as we were running together for our lives, getting shot at, and I also saw the smile the terrorist had on his face as he shot the girl and she fell to her death. I saw the fear and worry and the amazing strength of the soldiers that helped me get out of my bush and towards safety. They knew they are on a mission to save all the families that are getting massacred, and they might lose their lives to do so. I will be forever grateful for those brave souls and their sacrifices to help me and every single person in all of that. Being surrounded by living hell and so much death and hate, I sat in my bush smiling, breathing, praying in my own way for myself, for peace and for love. I realized that between all the bombs, gunshots and screams, the birds were still singing, and behind all the smoke the sky is still blue, and I kept focusing on that. Whenever any thought of stress, fear, anger, or revenge came to my mind, I stopped, I took a breath and gave gratitude for at least three things in my now moment. “Thank you for the bush that is keeping me safe, thank you for the birds singing to me, and thank me for doing such a great job at the situation I’m in.”
I don’t know about you, but the calm & grace she expressed in these moments of terror is remarkable. Not many of us in that same situation would be able to attain that state of mind.
Contrast that with the experience my own niece had who was among 22,000 others experienced the mass-shooting at the Las Vegas Route 91 concert that killed 60 and injured 867 people. I can imagine what was going through her head as she hid under part of that concert stage while more than 1,000 rounds of ammunitions were fired her way. Thoughts of gratitude might not be one of them.
And yet, in gratitude anything is possible. It’s the best place to be. But again, it’s endeavor that is easier said than done most often. This young woman in Israel goes on to explain, “I think what I’m trying to say, is that I don’t have any answers on how to bring world peace, but I was able to bring peace and heaven to myself in the heart of that living hell.”
This brings me to finding our moments of peace.
Above, I made a mention of a novel I wrote, called “In The Wake Of Chaos” by Delaina Layne, whose main character finds herself disillusioned by the state of our political affairs here in the United States. In order to reclaim her own sanity, she quits her dream job as a journalist for the Washington Post and retreats to the wisdom of the woods to ground herself in nature to calm her nervous system that was under constant attack otherwise.
This character, Madison James, takes it upon herself to find peace, even in the eye of the storm. She does what is required to remain calm and be true to herself. Same goes for this young woman in Israel who found peace within herself to survive the bombs and gunfire all around until she was finally rescued and returned to her family.
This takes courage and a deeper sense of faith.
Take a moment to reflect on what you might do in the same sort of circumstance. Would you choose your actions from fear? Or would you, as this person did, choose your actions from a place of love and gratitude? I can’t guarantee the same result, but I truly believe that by choosing love and gratitude this woman was able to remain calm and in control of her circumstances and lived to tell her story.
Here are more words of wisdom from this young gal, Maya, “If you don’t have anything smart to say please don’t, especially on social media; our words have so much power, please use them wisely.”
I for one agree with her on that, believing she is wise beyond her years.
In closing, I’m reminded of the lyrics of a song by George Harrison:
Give me love
Give me love
Give me peace on earth
Give me light
Give me life…
About the Author:
International bestselling author of Songwriting for Dummies, Cathy Lynn loves to create and inspire through writing; whether it’s in her own books, co-writing projects for others, or through her passion for screenwriting. In her role as professional ghostwriter, she has co-authored several books with husband and mental performance coach, Dave Austin including The Unfinished Cross: Listen to the Voice Within and Be A Beast: Unleash Your Animal Instincts For Performance Driven Results, which presents proven methods that he uses daily to keep his professional athlete clients “in the zone” and at the top of their game. Cathy Lynn’s clients range from Internet gurus, inventors, music-industry giants, and professional athletes, to relationship coaches and masters in the personal development arena. Her primary motivation is to help them get their stories told, which stems from her own dad’s passing before he got the book he wanted to write out of his head and onto paper. Dedicated to each other for more than 40 years, Cathy and Dave now reside near the mountains of Northern Utah, after decades of being in Southern California raising four amazing boys.