For sure one person cannot bring “peace on earth, goodwill to all” this holiday season. However, one person can “change his own nature,” as Gandhi said, and thereby see “the attitude of the world change towards him.” Today, make it your goal to cultivate small, peaceful moments in your life, and you will be amazed to see how it spreads to those around you. 

Jesus called people to love themselves, and then to allow that love to spill over into loving all the people around them (Mark 12:31). This was a major departure from the religious teachings of his day, which focused on rule-following and punishment for those who did not conform (Mark 2:27). We are no different today. Psychologist Carl Jung wrote, “Where love rules, there is no will to power; and where power predominates, there love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other.” We do to others that which we do to ourselves.