World peace is an issue affecting each of us in all corners of the earth. What happens on a tiny island in the Caribbean can be of as much interest to the Asian as it is to the North American. When superpowers move their forces freely around the globe, when sophisticated arms are sold to countries unprepared to safeguard their use, when national or tribal anger boils over, the world catches its breath.

With so much naked aggression and not-so-latent hostilities on the international scene, it is tempting for the good citizen to become mentally embroiled. National pride, self-righteousness, anger, racial and religious prejudice, mental rigidity, and hatred can draw us into warlike attitudes if these remain unhealed. It then seems natural to lob hate-filled thoughts toward a perceived enemy, and to stockpile arsenals of fear and wrath. What can you and I do to keep these destructive forces from detonating?

We can pray, you and I. Prayer as understood in Christian Science includes the affirmation of the all-power and omnipresence of God, good. It denies power and real substance to evil, devil, error, destruction, all that cries death! sin! disease!

Your prayer and my prayer are effective on a world scale because each of us is, in demonstration of Christ, a majority with God. The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, explains it this way: "Is not a man metaphysically and mathematically number one, a unit, and therefore whole number, governed and protected by his divine Principle, God? You have simply to preserve a scientific, positive sense of unity with your divine source, and daily demonstrate this. Then you will find that one is as important a factor as duodecillions in being and doing right, and thus demonstrating deific Principle. A dewdrop reflects the sun. Each of Christ's little ones reflects the infinite One, and therefore is the seer's declaration true, that 'one on God's side is a majority.' " ^{Pulpit and Press, p. 4.}

Understanding this, the alert Christian thinker can then do much to bring healing to a frightened and angry world. His love of God and his spiritual understanding of man as the image and likeness of God keep him out of mental embroilment and make him a peace-keeper. Prayer, knowing the allness and goodness of God ("Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else" ^{Deut. 4:39.} ), and discernment of the consequent nothingness and nowhereness of evil ("Thou [God] art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity" ^{Hab. 1:13.} ) recognize no man or nation outside of God's love, care, and direction.

The metaphysical peacemaker does not neglect prayer that embraces the heads of state of the various nations. He affirms the jurisdiction of divine Principle, God. He resolutely seeks "not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ," ^{I Cor. 2:2.} and to know that man is, in spiritual actuality, the expression of God, having the Mind of Christ (see Phil. 2:5). He realizes that this Mind—God—is in intelligent and loving control. He is convinced that in truth there are not many minds in perpetual conflict, because there is one Mind, God, and His reflection, man, the individual, harmonious expression of intelligence. Prayer which acknowledges God's power, ability, and presence is beneficial. It ultimately brings peace.

The prophet Elisha evidently knew this during a conflict between the Syrians and the king of Israel. His spiritual insight as to the whereabouts of the Syrians had saved the king of Israel several times. The Syrian king then decided to take Elisha captive because of the prophet's help to the army of Israel. He sent a great troop of men, horses, and chariots to surround the city of Dothan, where the prophet was camped. In the midst of this dangerous situation Elisha was able to comfort his frightened servant, who did not see how they could escape. Elisha prayed to God, asking Him to open the eyes of the young man "that he may see." What did the servant then see? He saw that "the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." He saw Elisha's God-derived safety and protection in the midst of a scene of war. But this wasn't all. The Syrians were taken captive by Elisha and brought into Samaria, where the king of Israel asked him if they should be killed. Elisha reminded the king that he would not kill prisoners taken in more ordinary circumstances of war, so these should not be killed but given food and water and allowed to return to their king. This was done, and the Biblical account ends by telling us that the Syrians "came no more into the land of Israel." ^{See II Kings 6:8—23.}

Elisha was a prophet, a spiritual seer. At that time and in that circumstance, his understanding of the power and presence of God led to a cessation of hostilities between the Syrians and Israelites. In our time and whatever our circumstance, you and I can do the same: use our spiritual understanding and perception to help bring about peace on the domestic, local, national, and even international level. We can become prophets also. As a spiritual seer, a prophet demonstrates the "disappearance of material sense before the conscious facts of spiritual Truth," ^{Science and Health, p. 593.} to use Mrs. Eddy's definition of "prophet" given in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. We are a prophet to the degree our consciousness knows God, good, and nothing else—whenever we discern what is spiritually true. Recognition of the spiritual fact in a given situation brings peace, harmony, and healing to our present experience. And to that of others.

One afternoon on a plaza in a major city in the United States a couple was suddenly confronted by a drunken man who aggressively snarled at them, "There's gonna be war between you and me." Not only were he and the couple of different races, but the city itself had many unsolved racial problems. It appeared to be a potentially ugly situation. What in fact happened? The wife of the couple, a student of Christian Science, became a spiritual seer by looking beyond what her eyes were telling her she was seeing to the spiritual identity of the stranger. She saw him as the beloved son of God, expressing all His goodness, purity, and perfection. Then she smiled at him, and the three began to talk. At the end of five minutes or so the stranger shook hands with the couple and gave them his blessing. In an atmosphere radiant with good will he went on his way, giving every indication of being absolutely sober. The spiritual recognition of the nature of man brought peace and healing to an unpromising encounter.

No matter where we live, we can uphold peace in our daily round by cherishing it. Recognizing that peace is a natural quality of God and inheres in Him, and is therefore the condition of man in His likeness, we will not fear for peace, but will take the steps necessary to express it. These might include daily prayer to enlarge our concept and expression of peace; facing up to temper, dislike, superiority, aggression, false pride, and disrespect in our character or in that of others. We can conscientiously object to all that is unholy in our thought. This voluntary enlistment and adherence of consciousness to that which is holy makes us a soldier of sorts; but a Christian soldier can only be a peacemaker, because he is engaged in combat with ungodlike thought, not with persons. The battlefield is individual consciousness, wherein truth confronts error, spirituality triumphs over material mindedness, and the Christ subdues self-love.

Joining forces with the hosts of heaven in this way brings us legions of angels—bright, fresh, and vigorous thoughts from God, thoughts of brotherly love and harmony that are broad enough to reach beyond national borders, thoughts winged with that divine Love which ensures peace.