How Are We Going to Live in Peace With Each Other?

Today when I recorded this, news broke that a public figure had been assassinated. I scrolled through the comments and saw things like he had it coming and he brought this on himself. And I sat with that for a moment and thought, have I ever thought that about someone I disagreed with?

I probably have.

✨Listen to the full episode or read for the breakdown.

The Question I Cannot Stop Asking

How are we as a human family going to live in peace with all of our different opinions, preferences, and experiences? Not by making more laws. Not by reforming systems, at least not only that. Because if our hearts do not change, the rules on paper mean nothing.

We are always going to see the world through the lens of our own experiences. Our traumas. The love we have felt or not felt. The people who shaped us. And we are also just very human, which means we have low moments.

Every single one of us.

With cameras everywhere and social media always watching, any person's worst moment can be captured and put on display for the world to judge. The woman at the baseball game who made a scene over a foul ball and reportedly lost her job over it. What was going on in her life that made that baseball feel so important?

I get curious about that. Not judgmental. Curious.

The Natural Man and the Work We Are Here to Do

A huge part of this life is learning to override that first reactive impulse. The one that shows up before you have had a chance to think. The yell, the silence when you should have spoken, the lashing out, the shutting down.

That initial reaction is almost never the one you would choose if you had a moment to breathe and process.

This is the work. Not perfection. Just the steady practice of doing better than you did before.

And when you do not, that is what grace is for. Prayer for me is often that quiet moment at the end of the day to look back honestly, acknowledge what did not go the way I wanted, and extend compassion to myself while I keep working on it. The atonement has always felt to me like permission to keep going even when you are still getting it wrong.

"If our hearts do not change, the rules on paper mean nothing. We can make all the laws we want, but it is the work on the inside that determines how we show up on the outside."

What Love Actually Looks Like

"Forgiveness, love, and the atonement all run on the same frequency. They are the means of setting us free from the things that hold us down."

The Four Agreements defines sin as anything that keeps you from your truest self. Not a checklist of rules that apply the same way to everyone, but anything that pulls you away from showing up as your highest, most authentic self.

How do I love someone I cannot stand?

How do I love someone who has hurt me?

I do not think there is one right answer. But I believe with all my heart that it is possible. Forgiveness, love, and the atonement all run on the same frequency. They are the means of setting us free from the things that hold us down. And love does not require agreement. It does not require understanding.

It just requires presence. Space. A willingness to sit with someone without trying to fix them or rank yourself above them.

Finding Each Other Instead of Separating Further

The more energy we spend finding ways to keep each other separated, the more separated we stay. My group versus your group. My hurt versus your hurt. It is exhausting and it is not getting us anywhere.

But if we start putting our brain power and our heart energy into how can I see this person differently, what would it look like to actually take care of each other, something shifts.

Mourn with those who mourn. Comfort those who stand in need of comfort. Love your enemies.

These are not small asks. But I think they are the answer. Not a policy answer. A human answer. And the more of us who choose it, the more peace we actually make.

We got this 🤟🏼

Brynne

"You do not need to fix people or change them. Just allow them space to tell you what they are thinking and feeling. That is how we take care of each other."

Thanks for Being Here

Hi, I’m Brynne. I share my journey of becoming through stories and reflection - guided by a higher power as I explore identity, faith, and everyday life, inviting you to grow alongside me.

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