Time for Peace

We were out in Western Kenya recently giving a workshop on peacebuilding. We did an exercise created by John Paul Lederach’s based on Psalm 85:12 concerning truth, justice, mercy and peace. In this activity, I was struck by how readily people in this culture see the interconnectedness of these four concepts. One person said that these four concepts were like quadruplets, born at the same time. Another person said that peace was hated by society because people don’t want to put in the time for dialogue which can bring about a more sustainable peace. Yes time is an important ingredient to building peace with justice, truth and mercy. However, in a globalized market-driven world time is minimized. The less time it takes to do something, the more profit can be realized. I wonder how much of this has seeped into our unconsciousness, into every sector of life. Do we take the time to talk with our family, our community members, our co-workers to figure out things together? Do we give the time necessary for reflection on these conversations? Do we sit in the ambiguous moments and wait for things to settle? I have heard it said often that time is a gift we can give to each other. Now I see time not only as a gift of personal presence but of communal presence that can lead to a more peaceful society.

Giang