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It does not take a great philosopher to understand that peace and justice in the world would be for the good of all, while war and oppression benefit a few at the expense of many·.Those who truly realize that love and understanding are more effective in peacemaking than hatred and force are the people who will be changing the world for the better by communicating and educating others. As Einstein clearly saw, what is needed is a chain reaction of awareness from person to person to person." —Sanderson Beck
Concepts of Peace
Druids and the Druid philosophy have always been associated with the idea of Peace. Over the next few pages we invite you to explore this association with us:
Classical writers, such as Julius Caesar and Diodorus Siculus, spoke of the way in ancient times Druids were exempt from military service, and did not bear arms, and how they often pacified warring tribes, passing between the massed ranks of opposing forces urging peace:
For they [the Druids] generally settle all their disputes, both public and private› The Druids usually abstain from war, nor do they pay taxes together with the others; they have exemption from warfare. -Julius Caesar
Often when the combatants are ranged face to face, and swords are drawn and spears are bristling, these men come between the armies and stay the battle, just as wild beasts are sometimes held spellbound. Thus even among the most savage barbarians anger yields to wisdom, and Mars is shamed before the Muses. -Diodorus Siculus
Every Druid ceremony begins with a call to Peace towards each of
the Four Directions. The Druid performing this function faces North,
South, West then East calling out 'May there be Peace in The N/S/W/E'.
As s/he does this s/he feels peace emanating from the Druid circle
out into each direction of the world. Finally all participants say
'May there be Peace throughout the whole world.'
The Order has begun a programme of planting Peace Groves throughout the world.
A grove of olive trees has already been planted in Israel and one is planned
for Northern Ireland.
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The Sacred Grove, whether a physical one, or whether an individual one created by a Druid in the Inner World, is seen as a place of peace and tranquility, that radiates these qualities out to the world. Druids often sign their letters or messages Yours in the Peace of the Grove.
The Order holds monthly Peace Meditations on the day of the Full Moon.
Druids often say this Peace Prayer in their ceremonies:
Deep within the still centre
of my being
May I find peace.
Silently within the quiet of the Grove
May I share peace.
Gently within the greater circle
of humankind
May I radiate peace.
(This Prayer has been printed in a collection of Peace Prayers edited by John Matthews and dedicated to the U.N., Now out of print.)
Druidry, in common with many of the great spiritualities of the world, supports a stance of peacefulness, rather than aggression, towards others. This quality of peacefulness is seen as a strength, not as a weakness. Some might say that Druidry is a Path of the Warrior, but a Warrior for Peace not war.
In common with many of the world's greatest thinkers and spiritual teachers, the founder of the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids, Ross Nichols, was a pacifist. Not to be confused with passivism, pacifism involves actively promoting peace, which is understood to include co-operation and justice among peoples and not merely the absence of war. It can often include non-violent protest against injustice.
The concept of justice and fairness is central to Druidry. In ancient times, Druids were judges and law-makers. The pre-Christian Brehon laws of Ireland can still be studied, and many of these laws are exemplary in their application of restorative justice rather than a justice of retribution. A search on the keywords 'Brehon Laws' will reveal many interesting sites dedicated to them.
"There are several different kinds of pacifism, including opposition to all killing and violence of any kind; opposition to all war on religious or moral grounds; and opposition to war of a specific kind (e.g. nuclear pacifism). There is also 'Pragmatic Pacifism' that stresses practical rather than moral or spiritual reasons for opposing war, holding that war is wasteful and ineffective. Many pacifists subscribe to non-violence. But some consider violence and/or killing permissible, say in personal self-defence, law enforcement, abortion or euthanasia. Absolute pacifism rejects war in all circumstances, hypothetical and actual. Conditional pacifism concedes war's permissibility in some hypothetical circumstances but maintains its wrongness in practice.
It is important to note that not all Druids are necessarily pacifists, and you do not have to subscribe to any of the different types of pacifism mentioned in order to be a Druid. It is considered a matter of individual conscience and decision.
The belief in the power of peace, and the philosophies of peacemaking and the various types of pacifism, have been evolving through the centuries and can be found in all the great cultures of the world. Like Druids, the Quakers and members of the Bahai faith are particularly concerned with Peace.
The way of peace has been practiced and taught by ancient sages
and founders of religions, such as Lao Tzu, Confucius, Mahavira, the
Buddha, Pythagoras, Socrates, Jesus, and Bahá'u'lláh.
Their messages have been carried by peacemakers like Mencius, St. Francis
of Assisi, Chaucer, Erasmus, George Fox, and many others. Principles
of justice through international law have been taught by Dante, Crucé,
Penn, Rousseau, Bentham, Kant, and Emerson. Methods of nonviolent civil
disobedience have been passed directly from Thoreau to Tolstoy to Gandhi
to King.
Great philosophers and pacifists such as Einstein, Schweitzer, Russell, and
Muste have protested nuclear weapons. The tragedy of the Vietnam War stimulated
the first peace movement that was able to stop a major war." -Sanderson
Beck
To explore the concepts of pacifism, peace and peacemaking we recommend visiting these two sites: The Peace Pledge Union and The Way to Peace
This site has an excellent series of concise essays by Sanderson
Beck entitled The Great Peacemakers, Philosophers of Peace and Efforts
toward World Peace. It includes spiritual viewpoints and highly pragmatic
legal and political approaches to bringing more peace into the world.
It covers the ideas of major thinkers on peace from the time of Lao
Tze and Confucius, through to Emerson, Thoreau and Bertrand Russell.
Reading these will give you a rapid overview of the development of
thought in this area over two thousand years or more.
Click here for quotes from Sanderson
Beck's site:
