Today’s three-hour cease fire between Hamas and Israel provides a model for a spiritual practice which might turn us all into peace-makers, or at least peace-contributors, without even giving up on those views we cherish most. The idea was sparked by Michael Kress’ guest post on Steven Waldman’s blog. His insight, that peace may come less from being clear about where each of us is right, but in bravely opening ourselves to the possibility of where we are wrong, is brilliant.

The truth is, it’s not a wisdom limited to contributing to peace in Gaza and Israel, but that’s for another time. For now, I suggest that each of us use the three hour a day cease fire promised by Israel as long as no shells our rocket are launched from Gaza during that time, to create a cease fire in our own hearts and minds. If they can manage to temporarily stop the physical fighting over there, perhaps we can stop the verbal volleying over here for the same three hours.
During those three hours, I suggest that each of us entertain the possibility that out most deeply held conviction about the war are wrong – that those things about which we are most certain, the things which “assure” us that “our side” is right and its actions are just, may not be as clear, right or just as we think they are.
Don’t worry, it’s only for a few hours and then we can go back to our certainties and our rightness. But that slow opening of our minds, expanding of hearts, and willingness to ask a few questions, promises so much. Who knows, we might start to see the world a bit differently. We might begin to imagine possibilities that we previously could not. We might actually contribute to creating the peace which everybody says they want.