Our generation has been bombarded with scientific facts, new technology, politics, wars, rumors of wars, debts and all other sorts of problems developed from society. People are constantly shifting and changing the world around us without our consent. We will inherit the world eventually, but for now we face the consequences of our parent's decisions.
In the book A Separate Peace, John Knowles writes about two fictional teenage boys living during the time of World War II. As classmates disappear into the war crisis either by enlisting or drafting, Phineas and Gene's bond of friendship is strengthened. Though the world falls down around them, they find separate peace in sports and hosting a Winter Festival.
The novel clearly demonstrates that two teenage boys during times of war, constantly threatened by the idea of being sent off to the war front, could still find peace and solace in sports activities and hosting social events for their fellow classmates.
Today we live in times very different from the era of World War II. Now there are not many wars that effect us drastically in the United States, because we send our troops to be policemen instead of warriors in battle. We learn that we can find shalom in any situation from the example of Gene and Phineas; who could find peace while the threat of being bombed hung over their heads.
The example of Phineas and Gene is flawed, however, because we can find peace much more easily than they could; partly due to the fact that our lives are much more luxurious then a person in the mid-1900's. Today we have iPods, iPads, internet, facebook, television, news channels and other media devices that are constantly entertaining us. Things like books and movies allow us to escape into a different world for a while, leaving the worries of Earth behind; just as Phineas and Gene were able to do through sports and social events.
Escaping the world through media is not the only solution. There are multiple places we can find shalom. I find peace the most while I am hiking without any media devices. The feeling of being able to unplug, overcome the frivolous things in life and get higher and farther above the messed up contortion I have of my own reality gives me a sense of peace that I can't find in a book or movie. Once I reach the top of the mountain, I reach my goal and I gain a sense of independence and confidence in myself. I know if I've climbed a mountain, I can do anything I set my mind to. Having confidence in myself gives me shalom. Unfortunately, the world takes that confidence away from me.
As if it wasn't enough to just change our environment and circumstances, society has now infiltrated our minds and told us what determines a teenager's self worth. We are often told that we are not smart enough, not popular enough, not skinny enough, not muscular enough and that we will never achieve the perfect self-image. Escaping to a secret place no longer allows us to completely separate ourselves from the world. Even in the confines of my room I feel self-conscious and that I cannot accept myself because society has told me I am not good enough to find shalom.
The biggest lie we can ever be told is that we are not good enough to find peace. In A Separate Peace, Gene describes Phineas “...[with his broken leg,] recaptur[ing] that magic gift for existing primarily in space, one foot conceding briefly to gravity its right before spinning him off again into the air. It was his wildest demonstration of himself, of himself in the world he loved; it was his choreography of peace.” Even with a broken leg Phineas was able to dance to find his own peace. We do not need to wait to earn the privilege of peace until society tells us we are good enough. We can gain peace by having confidence in ourselves and knowing we may not be society's perfect image, but we can still learn and progress despite our weaknesses. Finding shalom pushes us to become better. Gene relates after winning a sports competition, “It wasn't the cider that made me surpass myself, it was this liberation we had torn from the gray encroachments of 1943, the escape we had concocted, this afternoon of momentary, illusory, special and separate peace.” Feeling peaceful does not mean we have to be completely passive in our lives. We can still learn and grow while at peace.
Despite the insanity of the world, a teenager can find shalom, no matter what or where they are. Whether in a big city, farming town or the suburbs, a person can always find peace. The environment that encompasses us does not determine our ability to find shalom.
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