I hope everyone enjoyed a very merry and peaceful Christmas.
When Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the words to his immortal poem, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” peace was sorely lacking in the nation and in his personal life. The country was engulfed in the bloody Civil War, and Longfellow had lost his wife, Frances, in a tragic fire. His son had been severely wounded in the war.
So when he heard the bells on Christmas Day — bells signifying peace on earth, good will to men — he bowed his head in despair: “ ‘There is no peace on earth,’ I said, ‘For hate is strong and mocks the song of peace on earth, good will to men.’ ”
But upon deeper reflection, hearing the bells peal “more loud and deep,” Longfellow wrote hopefully, even amid tragedy and war: “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”
Today, the news headlines report a lot more of turmoil and tragedy than of peace on earth. War, terrorism, crime and greed seem to abound. Much suffering occurs around the world. As we contemplate the meaning of Christmas, peace is a worthwhile, though elusive, goal for each of us as individuals and for all of us together as neighborhoods, communities and as a state and nation.
How do we obtain peace in our personal lives and in our communities? It requires a mix of individual and communal effort. We must follow the simple, but profound, principles taught by Jesus and other religious leaders that are the hallmarks of honorable lives — integrity, morality, charity and devotion.
Good government is also essential to a peaceful world. Social services, law enforcement, good laws and regulations and military forces provide a safety net and are needed in a well-functioning society.
But while government programs get most of the headlines, they are not as important as individual integrity and honor. In reality, peace on earth will only come when individual hearts are changed. If citizens don’t live principled lives, government will never make up the deficiency.
That’s because government programs are designed mostly to deal with failings of human behavior. Government doesn’t do as well at changing hearts. By contrast, the principles we learn in churches and synagogues focus on the root causes of problems and would prevent bad conduct from occurring in the first place.
So the real heroes of a peaceful society are the Scoutmasters, teachers, missionaries, pastors and charitable organizations — and especially good mothers and fathers. The old saying is true that government provides ambulances (police, welfare services, prisons, food stamps) at the bottom of the cliff. The principles taught by Jesus (love, honesty, service) prevent people from going over the cliff.
So while legislation, court decrees, presidential proclamations and local ordinances are important, real peace will only occur person by person, as hearts are changed and the teachings of religious leaders are followed.
Is this an impossible quest?
Well, none of us can change the whole world. But we can change our own hearts. We can live with more love, integrity and service. And a lot of people changing themselves will change our neighborhoods. And a lot of honorable neighborhoods will produce honorable communities. And honorable communities produce honorable states. And honorable states produce honorable nations. That’s how we change the world.
Longfellow was right. If we change our hearts — starting with me and you — we will show that “God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”
A. Scott Anderson is CEO and president of Zions Bank.