Thanks to Wallee McDonnell for offering to share this thought provoking piece. Wallee has supported TalkMatters right from the beginning. He believes in TalkMatters and the grass roots projects that enable Israelis and Palestinians to talk together. He also believes that to make peace between the different communities, people need to first make peace within themselves.
Wallee is an advocate of the Peace Education Programme created by Prem Rawat – ‘I came from Ireland to live in the UK in 1977. l heard about Prem Rawat’s message of personal peace a year later realising I was searching for an inner peace myself. In 1997 I moved to London where my interest in humanity and peace broadened coming across and getting involved with the Oasis of Peace UK (the first grassroots initiative to come under TalkMatters’ umbrella). My passion for and about personal peace continues to grow from my own experience and I’ve been a facilitator with the Peace Education Programme set up by Prem Rawat since 2015’.
What Is The Peace Education Programme?
The Peace Education Programme is an innovative series of video-based workshops that help people discover their own inner strength and personal peace. The programme gives participants the opportunity to focus and reflect on their inner resources such as choice, hope and dignity. Rather than describing or defining personal peace, the programme empowers individual to reach their own understanding.
How did The Peace Education Programme begin?
Inspired by his vision of helping people discover and practise peace, Prem Rawat has travelled across the world for over 50 years speaking to audiences from all walks of life, from intimate gathering of inmates at correctional facilities to forum with world leaders as well as vast public crowds. In 2012 he developed the Peace Education Programme in collaboration with the Prem Rawat Foundation.
Workshops content
Each workshop features video excerpts of Prem Rawat’s presentations on one of ten themes: Peace, Appreciation, Inner Strength, Self-awareness, Clarity, Understanding, Dignity, Choice, Hope and contentment. Facilitated reflection time, participant discussions, workbook activities and reading materials all contribute to each session making them fun and adaptable.
Why Is Personal Peace Important?
Basically we live with ourselves, regardless of our circumstances we have our own inner world that only we know. Within each person is a yearning to be happy, safe and even fulfilled. That need comes from within us at the same time the answer to this need is also within us. Our lives are a set of days, weeks, months and years until we come to that final moment, all along this journey we strive to be happy relying on things on the outside going well. Unfortunately this world is not so stable, that’s it’s nature, however within each person is a place, a feeling of peace and well being, something constant designed beautifully for each one to know and be in touch with regardless of outside circumstances. If outside circumstances are dire as they are in the Middle East currently and longer than that, these are huge challenges however the peace inside is always there, it’s part of who we are and has nothing to do with the mind.
It’s a matter of the heart
The most incredible blessing we’ve all been given is this breath, it’s coming and coming is our real tempo. In this world there is a hunger for love, without knowing of having this presence in our lives we are missing a crucial ingredient. Within us is also the attribute of gratitude for being alive and recognising what a gift we’ve been given so we can look around at this amazing planet, the preciousness of life and also the recognition of seeing others as they really are, the same as we are.
What People Say About the Course: Peace Education Program videos & stories – TPRF.org
For more information about the Peace Education Programme and where it’s taking place near you contact pep@tprf.org
