If thou canst but thither, There grows the flower of Peace, The Rose that cannot wither, Thy fortress and thy ease.
Interpretation
The quote expresses the idea that true peace is a timeless and unchanging quality that brings comfort and security.
Henry Vaughan's quote reflects the belief that achieving inner peace is essential for a strong and secure life. The 'flower of Peace' symbolizes a serene state of being that remains unaffected by external turmoil, akin to a fortress providing safety and ease to those who possess it. The imagery of a rose, which is often associated with beauty and tranquility, reinforces the notion that inner peace is both precious and enduring.
In practice
During a meditation session, I shared a thought on finding peace in our hectic lives using Vaughan's quote.
Man hath still either toys or care: But hath no root, nor to one place is tied, but ever restless and irregular, about this earth doth run and ride. He knows he hath a home, but scarce knows where; He says it is so far, that he has quite forgot how to go there.
By its existence, the Peace Movement denies that governments know best; it stands for a different order of priorities: the human race comes first.
If Catholics and Jews can today come together regularly for talks after so many tears and so much blood have been shed, than Jews and Arabs must be able to do the same.
World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.
The cure is care. Caring for others is the practice of peace. Caring becomes as important as curing. Caring produces the cure, not the reverse. Caring about nuclear war and its victims is the beginning of a cure for our obsession with war. Peace does not comes through strength. Quite the opposite: Strength comes through peace. The practices of peace strengthen us for every vicissitude. . . . The task is immense!
Mankind will never win lasting peace so long as men use their full resources only in tasks of war. While we are yet at peace, let us mobilize the potentialities, particularly the moral and spiritual potentialities, which we usually reserve for war.
Peace is a question of will. All conflicts can be settled, and there are no excuses for allowing them to become eternal.
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