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When I looked up the meaning of the word "peace" in the book I was reading, titled "Find Heaven in Your Heart," I discovered the complete meaning of peace. The book stated that peace is a condition in which humans can live side by side, even though, as a natural law, humans have differences.
But when I asked my mother,
"Mom, do you know what peace means?" I asked.
She replied, "My child, peace is when humans can make peace with their circumstances. Accepting circumstances with an open heart without feeling burdened."
"Can everyone have peace?" I asked again.
"Everyone deserves peace. But not everyone can have it. Only those who have understood the meaning of life and know themselves will find true peace," my mother answered in a firm voice.
My friends know me as cheerful, talkative, and even shameless. However, I'm still a normal teenager and still have some shyness. It might be surprising to learn that I was once a quiet and very shy child.
Eight years ago, I wasn't the teenager I am today: at peace with myself, talkative, and shameless. I was a loner with no friends. Or, as today's slang calls it, "nolep," meaning no life.
I don't know why, but no one invited me to play, and I didn't have the courage to invite others to play. It could be called discrimination, bullying, or whatever. Maybe I was just a weird kid and hard to joke around with.
My first three years of elementary school were spent without any friends who truly wanted to be my friend. Some only came when they needed help or a cheat sheet, or, more painfully, were simply used as errands. These things made me a little angry and resentful. It wasn't until my fourth year of elementary school that I met one of my friends who would eventually become my first best friend; her name was Sofi.
I don't remember exactly how we first met or how it happened. Long story short, Sofi and I became best friends, and then several other friends joined us. Through our friendship, I gradually began to become more open and less of a nolep person. The bond of friendship we formed brought positive changes for me.
Then, to pursue the next level, I chose SMP 1 Singajaya as a new place to gain knowledge. The three years at this school were very different from the first three years of elementary school. I discovered many new things from my new friends. Previously, in elementary school, I only met friends from the same region.
Now in middle school, I got to know many friends from different regions, ethnicities, and religions. I could learn from them and discover unique things they had never encountered before. I began to realize that the world wasn't just about me; it was much broader than that.
Then, I realized that I had strong social skills. I discovered that I enjoyed public speaking, or speaking in front of crowds.
"Every person is unique. They have hidden abilities," I said.
"These abilities sometimes emerge with age or sometimes in critical situations," my friend said.
However, I went through a phase in my life when I discovered social media. I started to feel less at peace with myself. I constantly thought I was lacking something. I constantly compared myself to others. I even wallowed in sadness and self-loathing. It seems this is a common feeling experienced by all teenagers: insecurity.
I tried various methods to look like my idols. But the results were still not exactly the same as my idols. From there, I realized that I was different. I am me, and they are them. I can't compare myself to others. Because this is who I truly am, created to be myself.
As my mother said, peace is when a person can make peace with circumstances. Accepting circumstances with a light heart without feeling burdened.
Finally, I realized that my strengths might be weaknesses for others, and vice versa. Brown-skinned people want white skin. White-skinned people want tanned skin. Curly-haired people want straight hair. And straight-haired people want curly hair. From this I understand that humans want to change everything about themselves.
I often encounter people who lack self-love and want to change their flaws. We all have things about ourselves we wish we could change. But that's beyond our control. All we can control is how we deal with them. We have two choices: we can avoid them, or we can stand up and face the world.
To accept and appreciate others, we need to accept and make peace with ourselves. Self-love and self-compassion are essential in life. How wonderful it would be if, before we could love others, we first loved ourselves.
In this vast world, I will always encounter various types of people, each with their own unique qualities. These differences are unavoidable because creating differences is God's way of complementing each other.
These differences, if not based on mutual tolerance and respect, can lead to conflict. Prolonged conflict can lead to disagreement and hostility. The best way to resolve conflict is to make peace with life and with ourselves.
The End.