The call for peace is something many Druids do as part of a ritual.

It may be as simple as calling for peace in the four directions, and for peace in all the world. It may be more complicated – I once did a Peace One Day ritual that focused on an extended call for peace rather than have it be part of how you set up a ritual.

Peace isn’t simply the absence of conflict or violence. You can get that kind of quiet by successfully oppressing people. Peace is a state of being, and it calls for a commitment to justice and fairness. A lack of conflict that isn’t underpinned by justice is itself a state of conflict, it’s just not wholly visible to anyone on the privileged side of it.

Peace means dismantling privilege and replacing it with equality and fairness. To have peace we have to dismantle white supremacy, colonialism and exploitation. We have to deal with all forms of bigotry and oppression and build a human society that is fair. To create peace in the world we need to be at peace with the natural world rather than pushing exo-systems to breaking point.

The call for peace is not a call to something easy. In the short term at least, it’s not a call to uncomplicated comfort. To have peace we would have to first understand where peace is not present, and what the barriers to peace are. Those who have most and who benefit most from the way things are would have to change most and give up most. Justice is seldom appealing to people who benefit personally from ongoing injustice.

To seek peace, we have to be ready to be troubled. Peace based on looking away isn’t real, and solves nothing. I acknowledge that the world is hard and overwhelming and that staying functional is vital for each of us and these things require careful balancing. Being discomforted is one thing, being unable to function is another. It is the people who are most comfortable who most urgently need to be willing to be less comfortable.

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