Change of Focus

Change of Focus

Sometimes a book doesn’t speak to us until we’re ready to listen or, in my case, in need of the lessons it offers.

I’d been deeply despondent about our current political state, where hatred and ill will toward anyone “different” flourishes. Many people suffer from job loss, discrimination, rising costs, health care challenges, and more. Meanwhile, the sweet earth that we and all other living organisms depend on is being poisoned and abused.

I raged when people spoke what I felt were merely platitudes, like Love is the answer. Are they crazy? We need to stand up, speak up, and fight, fight, fight!

And I did. I wrote letters and sent postcards to those in power, got involved with groups aligned with protecting marginalized folks, made signs and marched in every protest possible. But instead of feeling better, I got angrier and began to lose hope. Was my desire for a peaceful world filled with kindness and love a foolish, “Midwestern nice” fantasy?

Sinking deeper into an abyss that no amount of good service seemed to alleviate, I spied Peace Pilgrim’s book on my shelf. I began reading, then paused, underlined and highlighted key phrases, and cried and even laughed.

In 1953, Mildred Lisette Norman started her journey as “Peace Pilgrim.” She gave up all her earthly possessions, including her fashionable clothes. Her new uniform was a pair of navy slacks, a long-sleeved navy shirt, and a navy tunic with deep pockets sewn around the bottom for carrying her paper, pen, toothbrush, and comb.

Peace Pilgrim’s core message was that world peace starts with inner peace. At 42, her mission was to “overcome evil with good, and falsehood with truth, and hatred with love.” She would accomplish this by walking across the country, living off the land when possible, fasting until strangers offered her food, and sleeping under the stars unless shelter was offered, while spreading the message of peace.

In her singsong voice, she told small groups and gigantic crowds how wars come from hate and only bring destruction, with precious lives and land lost. She spoke of the money wasted on wars, which could instead ensure that every person has a bed, a roof, and food to eat.

For 28 years, Peace Pilgrim literally walked her talk. She stopped counting her steps after she reached her initial goal of 25,000 miles. She’d averaged 1,500 miles per pair of cheap canvas shoes, using tape to keep them from falling off her feet before accepting new ones that people offered her. At first, she carried a bedroll and a sweater, but soon left them behind, not wanting the bother. By 1964 she’d crossed the US seven times, walking south in the colder months and north when it was warmer, surviving only by the “goodness of people and God.”

She had no religious affiliation but believed that God was all around her—in the trees, the dirt, the twinkle in someone's eye, and even in the judgment of people who thought she was crazy. “Pioneers have always been looked upon as being a bit strange,” she said. “But, you see, I love people, and I see the good in them."

Peace Pilgrim vowed to “remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace.” She reached thousands of people at universities, schools, parks, and churches where she was regularly invited to speak.

Sadly, in 1981, having accepted a ride to speak at a senior center in Elkhart, Indiana, days away from her 73rd birthday, Peace Pilgrim was killed in a car accident.

She died instantly, but her message has outlived her: in her booklet, “Steps Toward Inner Peace,” available in over 30 languages, as well as documentaries and the book Peace Pilgrim: Her Life and Work in Her Own Words, which makes her message globally accessible.

Maybe I had it wrong. Maybe I don’t need to fight everything I don’t believe in. Maybe I need to work on the one thing I can change: myself and my inner peace. Should my anger lead the way, or would starting from inner peace be more beneficial? If every person always acted from a place of inner peace, would there even be wars, or this current political mess we’re in?

Peace Pilgrim believed that “When enough of us find inner peace, our institutions will become more peaceful, and there will be no more occasion for war.” But love must be active, not just prayers or good intentions. She encouraged people to abandon their apathy, live up to their highest potential, and put spiritual principles, such as loving-kindness and inner peace, into daily practice in order to create real change.

Thanks to Peace Pilgrim’s actions, dedication, and words, my focus has changed. I’ll still speak up, but I won’t let my anger turn into hatred and fighting.