View full issue in PDF - The Mindfulness Bell
View full issue in PDF - The Mindfulness Bell
View full issue in PDF - The Mindfulness Bell
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Writ<strong>in</strong>g Peace<br />
by Max<strong>in</strong>e Hong K<strong>in</strong>gston<br />
To write a scene, a story, or even a poetic moment of<br />
peace may not be easy to do. In the writ<strong>in</strong>g workshops<br />
that I share with veterans, most of the stories that come are<br />
traumatic scenes: a firefight where everybody except the<br />
writer is killed, go<strong>in</strong>g berserk <strong>in</strong> the vet hospital and<br />
break<strong>in</strong>g through a wall, giv<strong>in</strong>g orders for planes to bomb<br />
our own troops because the enemy is com<strong>in</strong>g. It is easier to<br />
write about scenes like that than about moments of great joy<br />
because the habit energy of our culture tells us that the<br />
excitement of violence is more dramatic. Often people say,<br />
"Were you excited?" or, "That was really excit<strong>in</strong>g!" We are<br />
addicted to excitement more than to calmness, ease, and<br />
peace. Violence, conflict, and excitement are what draw us<br />
to the movies, television programs, and books we choose. In<br />
fact, the whole po<strong>in</strong>t of the form of a novel is to lead to<br />
conflict and then resolution.<br />
It is very easy to look over our lives and th<strong>in</strong>k of all the<br />
crises we have had. We th<strong>in</strong>k of those as times of growth.<br />
But what if you stopped and asked yourself, "When have I<br />
been happy?" It could be a childhood memory, but it would<br />
be wonderful if you had a happy moment yesterday, because<br />
that means that you are experienc<strong>in</strong>g joy and delight now.<br />
Please write a scene of joy. F<strong>in</strong>d a quiet spot, breathe,<br />
and review your life. Th<strong>in</strong>k about a wonderful moment that<br />
has happened to you or that you have caused to happen <strong>in</strong><br />
this world, a scene of delight, love, hope, or gratitude. When<br />
you put a great moment of joy <strong>in</strong>to a story or poem, that joy<br />
is passed on to the reader who learns how to have that feel<strong>in</strong>g<br />
through what is written. When we write our scenes of<br />
happ<strong>in</strong>ess and joy, we could be beg<strong>in</strong>n<strong>in</strong>g a new k<strong>in</strong>d of literature<br />
and chang<strong>in</strong>g the consciousness of what great art is.<br />
of<br />
<strong>The</strong> words "love," "joy," "delight," and "beauty" are<br />
abstractions. You need to write <strong>in</strong> a way that makes this<br />
moment very concrete. Peace, joy, and delight take pla~e <strong>in</strong><br />
our physical body as physical sensations. When you thmk of<br />
this happy moment, can you remember how your body felt?<br />
Where did the joy take place? In your stomach? In your<br />
chest? Sometimes I feel as though there is sunlight <strong>in</strong> my<br />
body, and I feel rays of light com<strong>in</strong>g out of my ch.est. I also<br />
feel joy and agony <strong>in</strong> my hands. You are the physIcal<br />
embodiment of those feel<strong>in</strong>gs. You feel them <strong>in</strong> all parts of<br />
your body. So when you describe these feel<strong>in</strong>gs, remember<br />
to describe the way your body felt.<br />
This joy and happ<strong>in</strong>ess is not just <strong>in</strong> your body, it also<br />
happens <strong>in</strong> a place. Write about what is <strong>in</strong>side of you, and<br />
then also write about what is <strong>in</strong> your surround<strong>in</strong>gs that gives<br />
you those feel<strong>in</strong>gs.<br />
A scene of joy takes place <strong>in</strong> sequential and cont<strong>in</strong>uous<br />
time. When you write a scene, write about a series of<br />
moments. Don't skip forward or skip backward, just stay <strong>in</strong><br />
that scene until you have described everyth<strong>in</strong>g that contributed<br />
to the atmosphere. Use the senses of your body to see if<br />
your description is <strong>full</strong> and complete. Of all our sense<br />
organs, our eyes let <strong>in</strong> the most of the outside world. What<br />
does joy look like? Write down all the visual images that<br />
contributed to those wonderful feel<strong>in</strong>gs. What does peace<br />
smell like? What does it sound like? If there were people<br />
who contributed to the happ<strong>in</strong>ess, what did they talk about?<br />
What did you say that made everybody so happy? What<br />
tone of voice did they use? What does happ<strong>in</strong>ess feel like?<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are times when the sk<strong>in</strong> feels different, depend<strong>in</strong>g on<br />
what feel<strong>in</strong>gs and thoughts we're hav<strong>in</strong>g. What does joy<br />
taste like? As you look through your scene, check it for all<br />
of these senses. <strong>The</strong>se are ways that we perceive and<br />
<strong>in</strong>teract with the real world.<br />
Story is cause and effect. As you write, th<strong>in</strong>k about what<br />
causes this feel<strong>in</strong>g. Sometimes we have a flash of great<br />
happ<strong>in</strong>ess or a vision that seems to come out of nowhere,<br />
. but there is a cause for our happ<strong>in</strong>ess.<br />
Keep look<strong>in</strong>g at what caused what, and<br />
keep describ<strong>in</strong>g what happened.<br />
Don't miss a moment of peace just<br />
because it is surrounded by unhappy<br />
moments. You may be able to f<strong>in</strong>d a<br />
diamond or a light of joy <strong>in</strong> the middle<br />
of a very traumatic moment <strong>in</strong> your life.<br />
My husband and I spend summers at the<br />
Grand Canyon and live with firefighters<br />
who often talk about be<strong>in</strong>g surrounded<br />
by fire. I know one young man who felt<br />
that there is a place of calm and peace<br />
even <strong>in</strong> the middle of a firestorm. It<br />
might have been <strong>in</strong>side of him or it<br />
might have been out there, but he was<br />
able to sit <strong>in</strong> the middle of the fire and<br />
write a poem.<br />
6