Peace be with you." My family and I attend church regularly. The Roman Catholic religion is steeped in long standing traditions and rarely changing rules and rituals. In the past two weeks, we have noticed that at the services there was no moment where we could all turn to those around us and wish them peace. The first time, I was surprised, but as we were visiting a different church, we dismissed it with as being unique to there. This week once again we attended church and once again there was no "peace by with you". It is missed. The camaraderie and support that the simple act of smiling to others and shaking hands of those you might not know if important to the day and to the greater kindness of each of us towards each other.
Acknowledgment is the opposite of ignorance which breeds contention, frustration, and too some extent a level of isolation. There are many in this world in which a church service might be the only interaction with others in a given week. We see each other and understand we are there by choice. It is a group united in belief, and a feeling of friendship among those around us is felt. It helps with the fundamental need for interaction.
There is a moral uplift when we great another. Listening to what someone has to say or nodding with a smile as one walks briskly by a stranger on a street is a sign of our humanity towards each other. Part of what I do for living is a shaking hands, and meeting new people in all sorts of locations and in all of different backgrounds, and I am thankful for it. I am so grateful I have met people I might not otherwise have met, by simply reaching out my name and saying a few words. Those few words often open up floodgates of conversation and a lasting interaction.
In these days of a new administration and rallies for and against, there is an importance in reminding each other that regardless of whether we disagree on certain subjects, we still wish peace upon each other. It is a message that we want another to feel that we care about them. That we wish them the peace that can be given and the sense of calmness that comes when one says and is told kind words. I hope that we can always remember to wish peace upon others. It is when we wish peace that we feel one of the strongest and natural senses of compassion towards one another. I hope that peace continues to be spoken aloud to to encourage tolerance and kindness. Peace is the word that signifies hope for the future.