Finding Peace in a Divided World

Today’s Miracle Moment Is About Finding Peace in a Divided World

Have you ever closed out of a news article and noticed you were clenching your jaw?

Maybe you’ve been scrolling and felt your peace slip away a little more with every post.

Or perhaps there’s someone you love, a cousin, a sibling, an old friend, who you’ve been quietly avoiding because you don’t know what to say anymore.

And a little voice inside has been whispering:

How am I supposed to feel peaceful when everyone is so far apart? How am I going to sit across the table from them at the holidays?

If any of that sounds familiar, I want you to know that it’s unfortunately very common these days. When the world feels pulled in two, it’s so human to feel it in your own heart. Feeling it this much is a sign of how much you care.

And there’s something beautiful I’d love to share with you, because I believe it can help you find your peace again, whatever is happening around you.

A Word From South Africa: Ubuntu

I first heard the word ubuntu (pronounced oo-BOON-too) from the beloved South African peace leader Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Archbishop Tutu received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, and he spent his life working for peace in a country that was deeply divided. When apartheid ended, President Nelson Mandela asked him to lead the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Its job was to help people face what had happened, so the country could begin to heal.

At the heart of that healing was this one word.

Archbishop Tutu said ubuntu is very difficult to put into English. The simplest way I can say it is this: I am who I am because of you, and you are who you are because of me.

In his book No Future Without Forgiveness, he wrote, “My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours. We belong in a bundle of life.”

Isn’t that beautiful? A bundle of life.

It means my happiness and your happiness are tied together. When you’re hurting, part of me feels it too. Underneath all our differences, we’re connected at the level of the soul.

Peace Begins With an Open Heart

I teach that there are Five Foundations for Living in the Miracle Zone. The Miracle Zone is that place where synchronicities keep showing up, the Universe seems to be working right alongside you, and you catch yourself thinking, wow, this is a great day.

One of those foundations is Lead with an Open Heart.

Leading with an open heart means you can hold on to what you believe and still keep your heart open to the people who see things differently. That’s ubuntu in action. And it can change how you move through divided times in two ways.

1. The Other Side Is Still in Your Bundle of Life

When the world feels divided, it’s so natural to shrink your circle. Without even meaning to, you start sorting people into “my side” and “the other side.”

The cousin whose social media posts make your blood boil. The friend you have been avoiding certain topics with.

When you can look through the lens of ubuntu, you start to see the commonality that you share, rather than focusing on the differences.

Each one of them was once a little baby. Each one of them is loved by someone. And each one of them wants to be happy and safe, just like you.

Ubuntu gently widens your circle again. You don’t have to agree with anyone to remember that they belong with you. The person on the other side is still part of your bundle of life.

2. Your Peace Spreads Out

If your humanity is bound up with other people’s, then your peace is bound up with theirs too.

So much of what happens out in the world is out of your hands. And the energy you carry into every conversation and every interaction is always yours to choose.

When you bring peace into a conversation, even with someone you disagree with, the other person can feel it. When they feel it, they’re more likely to soften too. That’s how peace grows: one heart, then another heart, then another.

Archbishop Tutu believed a divided country could heal when people saw each other’s humanity again. You can begin that same healing right at your own kitchen table. And with the holidays coming, that may be one of the most loving gifts you bring.

Try This: The Ubuntu Heart Practice

Here’s a simple practice for any time the world feels so divided that your heart starts to close. It takes just a couple of minutes.

1. Find a comfortable spot, place your hand on your heart, and close your eyes. Take a slow, deep breath in, and let it go.
2. Bring to mind someone who is easy to love. A friend, a family member, even a beloved pet. Feel the warmth of your love for them.
3. Now bring to mind someone you’ve been feeling divided from. Start with someone who frustrates you just a little. Whatever comes up is okay. Just notice it, without judging yourself.
4. Imagine this person as an innocent little child. Someone held them. Someone loved them. And just like you, they want to be happy, and safe, and loved.
5. Silently say to them, “I see you. We belong in a bundle of life.” Then send them one simple wish: “May you have peace.”
6. Let the circle grow. Picture your neighborhood, your country, and the whole world, all part of your bundle of life. Say, “May we all have peace,” and breathe that in.
7. When you’re ready, gently open your eyes and notice how it feels to wish peace to everyone.

Maybe you’ll feel a little softening. Maybe it will feel a little difficult, and that’s okay too. Every time you practice, your heart opens a little more.

We Belong to Each Other

The next time the headlines get loud, I hope you’ll remember ubuntu.

You belong in a bundle of life with the people who are easy to love.

You belong in a bundle of life with the people who see things differently.

And the peace you bring to any one of them is peace you’re bringing to the whole world.

This week, I invite you to try the Ubuntu Heart Practice once a day and see what shifts in you. You may be surprised by what changes around your table, too.

I’ll leave you with the words of the beloved humanitarian Mother Teresa:

“If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.”

Who Will You Bring a Little Peace to This Week?

I’d love to hear from you. Share in the comments below: who’s one person you could make a little more room for in your heart?

With love and miracles,

Marci 💛