Creating World Peace from Home
I have a friend and associate who was a soldier in the US Army and saw up close what happens during armed conflict. Whether or not you have had the first-hand experience that she and so many other women—both military and civilian—had, you probably genuinely wish for world peace. But how many women feel empowered to do anything to create peace? Aside from being emotionally absorbed by and busy with our jobs, families, and personal lives, we wouldn’t know how to begin. Well, here’s how:
When women think about learning meditation, it is with the desire for “self help”, not “world help”. In the case of learning Transcendental Meditation, the benefits are in both categories. Even though the TM practice and its broad range of benefits are personal and intimate, one’s experience during TM is scientifically shown to directly affect the level of harmony in society.
During TM meditation, neuroscientists report that personally there is heightened brain wave coherence and that there is also a radiant effect that is not confined to the meditator’s brain. Numerous peer-reviewed scientific studies have measured this effect, showing that people practicing the TM technique together in a group leads to a drop in crime, violence and terrorism. And just 1% of a population doing TM on their own creates the same harmonizing effect.
Listen to a 17 minute radio interview on this topic. Here’s another blog post that explains more from another woman’s point of view.
Women are generally not happy when those they love are suffering. But it is also hard for us to bear the consequence of man-made conflicts, terrorism and war—the suffering of so many people around the world, especially the suffering of children. Through the TM program, we can effortlessly support our own personal development, be more available to those around us, and increase positivity in the world—all at the same time.
About the Author
Janet Hoffman is the executive director of TM for Women Professionals, a division of TM for Women in the USA
