I've come to believe that peacemaking always begins within my own spirit. What I decry in others I need to recognize and come to terms with within myself. If I don't, that's when it manifests itself in self-righteousness, judgment, aggression, self-indulgence -- in other words, the very things that, when taken to extremes, become the root causes of war.

It is so difficult to keep from objectifying other people, especially during a particularly ugly election season. Evaluating what candidates do and say while resisting the impulse to demonize them as human beings is a major challenge, and one I don't always rise to.