Choosing Peace: A Quiet Revolution in a Noisy World

On International Day of Non-Violence, I’m reminded of something my grandparents used to say: “You can’t control the world, but you can control how you respond to it.” In today’s fast-paced world, where conflict often seems to be the loudest voice, it’s easy to feel like peace is out of reach. But maybe peace isn’t as far away as we think.

Non-violence isn’t about avoiding problems or staying quiet in the face of injustice. It’s about how we choose to handle those problems. It’s the decision to approach conflict with empathy, to see the humanity in others even when it feels impossible. Sometimes, we think of non-violence only in the context of history—Gandhi’s peaceful resistance or Martin Luther King Jr.’s civil rights marches. But non-violence starts in the everyday moments of our lives.

The Ripple Effect of Small Acts

Think of the last time someone cut you off in traffic, or when a friend said something hurtful. How did you react? It’s in those small moments that we choose either to contribute to the noise of the world or to quiet it. You might think it’s just a fleeting reaction, but these choices ripple outward. A single moment of patience, kindness, or understanding can set off a chain of calm that spreads further than we realize.

Non-violence is found in these everyday choices. The way we speak to each other, how we respond to anger or frustration, how we choose to listen rather than react—all of this adds up. It may not make the headlines, but it changes the world around us, one small step at a time.

Embracing Non-Violence in Our Daily Lives

I’ve learned over time that non-violence starts within. There are days when it feels impossible to stay calm in a noisy, chaotic world, but the practice of non-violence is a journey. It’s in forgiving when we don’t feel like it, in pausing before responding in anger, and in choosing to walk away from conflicts that only feed negativity.

We often think of peace as something out of reach, something that’s only possible when the big problems of the world are solved. But peace is a daily practice—a choice we make in our homes, with our friends, and in our communities. We don’t need grand gestures; we need the small, consistent ones.

A Shared Dream of Peace

Today, as we reflect on the power of non-violence, let’s remember that it’s a shared dream. None of us can bring about peace alone, but together, through our individual choices and actions, we can create a world that is just a little quieter, a little kinder, and a lot more peaceful.

We might not be able to control the world, but we can control how we respond to it. And that response, no matter how small, has the power to change everything.