What does Peace Mean to You?

What does peace mean to you? Here are some definitions of peace:

1. The absence of war or other hostilities.
2. An agreement or a treaty to end hostilities.
3. Freedom from quarrels and disagreement; harmonious relations: roommates living in peace with each other.
4. Public security and order: was arrested for disturbing the peace.
5. Inner contentment; serenity: peace of mind.
interj.
Used as a greeting or farewell, and as a request for silence.
Idioms:
at peace
1. In a state of tranquillity; serene: She is at peace with herself and her friends.
2. Free from strife: Everyone wants to live in a world at peace

My guess is that to most of us, peace means all or most of the above. The bare-boned definition of peace is "the absence of war or other hostilities." We definitely DO mean that when we mean peace, that what we believe is the non-negotiable starting point: no war or hostilities.

Do we also mean freedom from quarrels; having harmonious relationships? I think most of us do. Many of us have come to understand that having harmonious relationships is possible, even in a world at war, if we seek for them.

Do we mean inner contentment, serenity: peace of mind? It seems to me we do, and having been an activist for peace since the '60's when "'Peace, man" was more than just a greeting, I now believe that the way to acheive peace in the world is to have your own inner peace. So the directions should be reversed: inner peace; harmonious relationships; no war or hostilities.

I am not saying that we don't need to take action to achieve peace, we do. But being a veteran of many actions that did nothing to end the war, I have come to believe that peace has to come from inside first.

"It is not recognized in the full amplitude of the word that all freedom
is essentially self-liberation — that I can have only so much
freedom as I procure for myself by my ownness.
Max Stirner"

What does peace mean to YOU?

"War is over of you want it."