Peace is Love

The popular definition of peace is, Peace is defined as harmony in the absence of hostility and violence like war or fighting, which brings us to the two types of peace, positive peace and negative peace.

Peace is beyond the absence of hostility, violence, challenges, crisis, conflicts and war etc.

To me Peace is Love, love for self and love for other. To know what peace is, you need to know what love is.

Love is a deep, complex connection characterized by a strong feeling of affection, attachment, and benevolent concern for the good and well-being of another person, animal, object, or concept. Peace as love is described in two ways:

personal peace (self love) and global peace (global love).

1. Personal Peace (Love for Self)

Lasting peace with the world is seen as impossible without first finding peace within oneself. You cannot give what you do not have, the way change begins with an individual that's how peace begins. This personal peace is gained by the following:

* Self-Love and Acceptance: self love and acceptance is the beginning of personal peace, loving who you are, what you are, and what you've become. This isn't vanity, but radical self-acceptance, compassion, and forgiveness for one's own mistakes and limitations. You have to love the idea of you, while making progress to grow.

* Absence of Inner Conflict: When you resolve your own inner battles like hate, fear, resentment, self-criticism and self sabotage, you create a state of inner peace. This inner stillness is a loving, gentle, and non-violent state. By these resolve you build self confidence, you become fearless and gain the boldness to speak your truth.

People who are at peace with themselves are less likely to project anger, fear, or judgment onto others. When you're at peace with yourself what other say or think about you won't get you triggered, it won't bring you to the state of self doubt rather you see the good in others. Negative opinions won't have an effect on you rather the love you have for yourself will extend to others and keep you at peace with them.

2. Global Peace (Love for Others): global love is seeing the good in others as you do yourself, extending love and not projecting anger hate and revenge etc. attributes of global peace (love for others) are;

* Empathy and Compassion: Inner peace allows for the cultivation of genuine empathy and compassion—the highest forms of love for others. When you operate from a place of love, you recognize the shared humanity in everyone, even your "adversary."

* Bridging Divides: Love fosters connection, understanding, and tolerance. It allows individuals to look past superficial differences (race, religion, nationality, politics) and see the person underneath.

* Conflict Resolution: Global peace is not just the absence of war (negative peace); it's the presence of justice, understanding, and cooperation (positive peace). Love provides the motivation to pursue dialogue, forgiveness, and reconciliation over violence and revenge.

I came to these conclusion of Peace being love when I learnt to love myself, healed and grew from my childhood trauma. My past is my past I can not do anything about it, neither living in regret no hate about it. I made peace with my past, made peace with who I was then in other to be able to love the current me. By loving and becoming at peace with myself helped me to become peaceful with others.

I'm from a polygamy family, I have two stepmothers. My senior step mother left before I was born and my mom followed.

At age 4 my mom left my dad, leaving me behind. It was though, my older siblings were children themselves and could hardly take care of themselves let alone me. Dad had to work to be able to provide for us. The house was not a safe place as anybody could walk in and mal-handled any of us because there was no adult to fight for us.

At age 7 my dad remarried and there came my step mother, the distance grew further between my dad and us. He started listening to his wife and it was obvious she hated us. The constant beating, yelling I received made me timid, it made me have low self esteem.

I grew up hating my life, my dad, my birth mom, and my stepmom. Blaming myself for every misfortune that befalls me because of lack of love from my parents. I had nobody to talk too to navigate through life, I had so many unanswered questions. The fear of not being able to speak up so I wont get misunderstood and be punished resulted to me being molested by a neighbor and I could tell my father about it, (the fear of being misunderstood and be punished).

Growing up in a community where girls are seen as object for sex etc, made going to school or having a dream to become something in future was difficult and being a girl seemed as though it was a waste of resources to be sent to school. But I knew I was different, I kept pushing I never gave up right now I'm the only graduate in my family, I have 9 siblings 5 boys and 3 girls. I have hated my community, my family and myself.

The only thing I was pursuing was to become something and get back at them (revenge).

My turning point was in 200level, I spoke to a senior friend and was able to bring out all I've bottled in, traumas I dealt with alone. She told me to forgive myself that it was not my fault, she encouraged me to heal, let go of the hurt and hate so I can love myself. She walked with me and helped me through it. A wise man told me that "forgiveness frees you. Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the person to die", u forgiveness kills.

Before now I don't care about my community, my family, infact everyone that I felt I was let down by. After my healing process the value in me increased, my self esteem grew, I gained confidence and can speak out through every situation and the better part of it is, I've extended this love to my mother, father and step mother even my community.

I no longer see the hate rather I'm engrossed by love which is making me give back to them.

The acts of kindness, understanding, and respect that stem from personal love create positive relationships in families, communities, and eventually between nations. As Martin Luther King Jr. famously said:

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."

In this view, Love is the active, powerful force, and Peace is the state of harmony that flourishes as the natural result of that force called love.

With this few point of mine I hope to convince you and not confuse you😁 that Peace is Love. The love for self and the love leads to Peace.