Lessons In Peace: A Deer Without Fear

A chilly Friday morning. I go out to start the car.

I see a deer in the front yard, not the backyard, where I'm accustomed to seeing them.

This guys is BIG. A full rack of antlers. Looks very much like the alpha male of his group.

There are only about fifty feet between him and me. The suddenness of the door opening should have scared him off. He didn't move.

Guess there was good grazing where he was.

I didn't move either. At first because it was because I like to observe deer, and this was a really great specimen.

Then it became kind of a stare down between him and me.

At that point I got a little nervous. My "fight or flight" mechanism started to kick in. I was used to deer running away from me. This guy stood his ground.

He was bigger and more agile, and had a clear shot at me. I wouldn't have had time to make it back into the house if he charged. I got a quick image of what those antlers and legs could do to me.

We kept staring. Fortunately, reason took over. Deer don't attack humans, especially when he has a clear escape path back into the woods.

I went back into the house and told the girls, so they could see if they wanted. My older daughter had been watching through her window. The younger one went on her way to school and caught a glimpse of the now slowly retreating deer. "That's cool."

Remarkable.

What we fear, fears us.

We attract fear, dread, anxiety based on what we EXPECT to see.

I'm guessing this deer had enough experience with humans to know that in these parts we don't carry guns - nor are we riding in those shiny fast moving things that run into them.

What we fear, fears us.

What we desire to make peace with, desires to make peace with us.

I'm talking about peace, including the absence of war, which is a STEP TOWARDS PEACE.

And genuine harmony as well. Dynamic balance and co-creation, which is REAL peace.

What we desire to make peace with, wants to make peace with us. Your enemies, your finances. Your body.

You have to drop the resistance. Your calm and reason has to override your fight or flight mechanism.

You have to soothe the object of your conflict - even if it's something that doesn't seem to have an actual existence. It does, ESPECIALLY if it's within yourself.

Stare down the fear, with reason and love. Go out and actively create peace.