“Once, when we were discussing a world peace project with my teacher Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, somebody asked him, ‘Where is all the money going to come from?’ And he replied without hesitation, ‘From wherever it is at the moment.’ “

–Deepak Chopra

The above anecdote resonated within me on many levels. First, the obvious grabber, is that the Maharishi’s faith was unwavering that the funding for the Peace project would come. His faith was steadfast to the point that  worrying over the fund-raising was unnecessary. He knew that the money for the project already existed in the world; in time, the way to amass the  financial support would make itself known, and the project would commence.

As a single mother living on a teacher’s wage, may I now say that wherever the money is at the moment, it’s not in my checking account, and it hasn’t mapquested my address yet.  I am no living example of the attitude conveyed by the Maharishi. Worrying about money is a daily event (the good news is, when I have enough-notice I didn’t say “when I’m rich”-I’ll stop worrying.).

Yet it did strike me as remarkable, this unwavering faith……”from wherever it is at the moment.”  So simple, so complex, so profound.

It’s not fund-raising, though, or my electric bill, that really prompted some thinking on my part. It was my own faith-my deep and abiding belief that a compassionate and peaceful world is possible. Because it is possible; in fact, the seeds of it already exist.

Within every beating heart is the seed of peace. It’s like ground cover, sprouting and spreading in all directions.

“…from wherever it is at the moment.”

I plant the seed every time I write about Peace in this blog. You fertilize it when you pass the link to this blog to someone else (that is, if you read something you find meaningful here).

The seed is planted when a sore and tired heart melts while watching the “Christian the Lion Reunites with the Humans” video.

The seed is planted when you give someone a compliment. Or a hug. Or a pass when they’ve blundered.

The seed flourishes when the person in line in front of you digs through her purse and counts out 86 cents to buy enough gas to get to work, and once she goes outside, you tell the cashier to up the total to 5 bucks. Thanks again, stranger.

The seed grows especially well for people who venture out of the perceived (yet counterfeit) safety of sameness and seek out those who are different– to worship with, work with, break bread with, or just hang with.

The seed sprouts when we push through the paralysis of passivity to turn even the smallest wrong into right.

Where is the Peace going to come from? From wherever it is at the moment. Which is here. Meaning in me. In you. In your neighbors, at the intersections, in the 7-11 line. Every second is a chance to make change. Whatever Peaceable Moment you create doesn’t stop with you. It sprouts and spreads in all directions and covers more of the earth.

“…from wherever it is at the moment.”

Where is it?  You know where.

Peace, friends.