Returning to the heart with peace

May 5: The next morning in Paris, I walked over to the Arc de Triomphe. Once again, I stood at the foot of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier, my eyes transfixed on the eternal flame. I believed a revelation would occur. Nothing external happened. But suddenly I realized the revelation was within me.

Peace begins with me.

The Unknown Soldier buried beneath the massive monument was a man with a body who fought in Verdun. It’s so hard to remember that fact when you’re faced with the massive surfaces of stone, marble and brass. He had a life, he was part of a family, and he had a heart. In Verdun, the soldiers died. Most walked into the battle knowing they would die. They died fighting in a war that was to end all wars. And yet, the world continues to war on the outside.

For me, there was an echo that I now understood: 

Remember them. Remember the gift they gave you. The peace begins within you.

Wars would continue to wage in the world. But I could choose to return to peace in my own life, and in doing so, honor them, their lives and their sacrifice. It wasn’t world peace, but it was peace in my world.

I passed through the arch to view the “La Paix de 1815” facing Avenue de la Grand Armee and then passed under the arch to view La Marsellaise, which faces Avenue de la Champs Elysees. The Italian tourists were gone, and now I had the Arc de Triomphe to myself. I sat on a bench facing Champs Elysees. Twelve avenues radiate from the Arc and I sat at its core watching Parisian life orbiting around the monument. Cars and trucks raced around La Place de l’Etoile and moved toward the street of their choice. People were bustling on the sidewalks and others were alighting from the metro escalators and heading to work. It was life and suddenly I wanted to join the activity of life on Champs Elysees. My task was complete. I had entered the mystery of remembrance and I had returned with peace.

I stopped at the foot of the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I watched the eternal flame, and the fire held meaning for me. I was grateful for all the unknown soldiers and strangers who had supported me. I headed down into the tunnel’s underpass, and climbed the stairs to join the crowd of people and life on Champs Elysees.