Word of the Day: Peace
Peace is highly desired and sought after. We may experience fleeting moments of peace, but few people exist in a constant state of peace. Every day conflict and disturbances take us out of a peaceful state.
If we wish to experience peace, it helps to know the true meaning of the word. Let’s explore the true meaning of peace and how knowledge of the true meaning can help us awaken peace in our experience of life.
peace (noun) :
freedom from disturbance; tranquility
a state or period in which there is no war or a war has ended
The earliest root of the word peace is the PIE root pag- meaning “to fasten, a binding together.” Other early roots of the word peace include:
Latin pacem “compact, agreement, treaty of peace, tranquility, absence of war”
Anglo-French pes, Old French pais “peace, reconciliation, silence, permission”
In the mid 12th century peace was defined as “freedom from civil disorder, internal peace of a nation.” Shortly after, the word peace was also defined as “spiritual peace of the heart, soul or conscience, freedom from disturbance by the passions” as in the phrase “peace of mind.” In the 13th century we see the meanings “friendly relations between people” and “state of quiet or tranquility” in use.
In one sense peace is defined as an absence of war. To understand this more clearly, it may help to also define war. War is a state of armed, hostile conflict. War stems from the Old English wyrre and werre meaning “large scale military conflict” and the Old French guerre meaning “difficulty, dispute; hostility; fight, combat, war.” Common belief in etymology is that these words stem from the PIE root *wers- which means “to confuse, mix up.”
In an early sense war meant to create confusion. If peace is the absence of war, we could also say that peace is an absence of confusion. Peace is clarity. This is why we also define peace as “freedom from disturbance; tranquility.”
The words quiet and silence come up in the etymology of the word peace. I find this interesting and helpful. One meaning of the root pais is silence. We also see “the state of quiet or tranquility” as an early definition of peace. This is helpful to remember if we are ever searching for peace. One path to peace is a state of quiet. You have probably heard the phrase “peace and quiet.”
If you find yourself in confusion and disturbance, remember the true meaning of peace. Peace exists in quiet and tranquility. Peace exists in silence. Perhaps the clarity we seek exists in the absence of noise.
In his book The Healing Energies of Music, Hal A. Lingerman writes, “We live in music. The universe is a tonal harmony composed of many moving sounds — many lives interacting and vibrating together as they resonate in music coming through the silence of the Infinite. Each individual human life either contributes to this creative harmony or produces discord. We make either music or noise.”
As a sound healer, I think of noise not just in the sonic sense but also in the energetic sense. Overactive thoughts and unconscious emotional programs like anger, grief, and fear all create noise. They create confusion. Anything we can do to quiet the noise of our thoughts and emotions will also invite peace.
This is true both in our individual lives and in collective operations. Quieting noise in our personal lives invites personal peace. Quieting collective noise invites world peace. What does collective noise sound like? Propaganda, racism, classism, and pollution come to mind.
In times of war the path to peace is to end the war. In times when we are not at war, the path to peace is tranquility, silence, and the end of disturbance. Meditation, Qi Gong, Reiki, Sound Healing, and time in nature are all wonderful practices that support peace. Anything that supports a quiet mind and a tranquil heart will support peace. There are many paths to peace and peace is accessible to all of us.
In it’s original sense, peace is a “binding together.” When we are in health, or wholeness, all parts of ourselves bind together in peace. When we are in health, or wholeness, we can bind together with others in collective harmony. This binding together in tranquil connection and health is the original meaning of peace.
