More on peace -- in the big world and the little one

The previous blogpost discussed the value of peace and where we learn in Pirkei Avot of its importance. Staying on the topic of peace, the idea that each individual is a world in himself, and that the “world” is actually each one of us, is frequently discussed in the context of Shimon Hatzaddik’s teaching (Avot 1:2) that the world stands on the three pillars of Torah, Temple service and acts of kindness. These, according to the Maharal of Prague (Derech Chaim) correspond to man’s need to sort out his relationship with God, with others and with himself.  

The same approach can also be taken in the Mishnah at Avot 1:18, where Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel teaches that the world is kept going by three things: truth, justice and peace. Within the "little world" which is each of us, we must internalise the values of truth, justice and peace. A person who does not even admit or recognise the truth as to what he is and what he has done is a person who will never be able to address the challenges in his life in an honest manner. He must learn to judge himself fairly, neither being unduly critical of himself nor giving himself the benefit of what is a fictional doubt. Only then will he be able to live at peace with himself, knowing his capabilities and his virtues as well as his faults and his failings – and knowing where and how he can best hope to improve himself in his own eyes and in the eyes of others.