People sometimes ask me what Pax means in my company name Pax Bodywork. I usually tell them that Pax is latin for Peace, and that Peace has always been an important value in my life.
Probably more accurately, Peace is an important state to live in, and I’m happy to say that I’m in that state most of the time these days.
Peace became especially important to me in the early 1980’s when my parents separated after a long period of discord. As a 17-year-old and oldest of three brothers, the timing was pretty shitty. And my brothers would probably say the same. Until my amazing step-mum arrived with her daughter, life was quite fraught for a while. Instead of being a normal rebellious teen, I was doing groceries or home cooking dinner most nights.
It was also a time when being a member of a “broken family” was still seen by society generally as a mark of shame. There must be something wrong with us! Which of course was rubbish, because separation became very common from then on, but we didn’t know that yet.
Peace was also a buzz word from the 1970’s during the Vietnam War, civil unrest, major political and social upheaval, and the “iron-curtain”. The threat of the “Atom bomb” was constantly hanging over us, even in the Pacific where the French were blowing up one of their islands nearby with nuclear testing. Then the French sunk the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour.
It seemed the wider world had gone mad too.
On a personal level I’ve had periods of peace, interspersed with … well, less peace! You will know that life is not a straight line, more of a zig zag, rather like a yacht tacking into the wind, with the occasional storm blowing us into the roaring forties for a while! But we keep coming back, starting again.
I’ve learnt than in order to accomplish anything, or even just live well, Peace is a prerequisite. Zero Balancing (which I fell into through my awesome step-sister) and my study of Present Moment Awareness over the years have certainly helped me establish this firm foundation.
Now I see my two parents, the key protagonists in a world of upheaval and pain at one time, now quite dependent in their dotage, and all I feel is love and compassion. They were only doing their best, they just weren’t suited to be together long term.
I’ve also learnt that Joy is the active form of Peace, some call Joy – “Peace on the move”. So, doing what I do now, gives me huge Joy.
Peace and Joy are available to all of us. It’s a conscious choice that we each can make, once we’ve had enough of the opposite.
Rhys