April 23, 2025 —

31 Flavors of Wisdom – Flavor #30: Peace

Flavor #30: Peace (Shalom; Eirene)

(Complete list and links to the 31 Flavors of Wisdom)

Meaning, Essence, and Significance: Peace encompasses more than the absence of conflict. The Hebrew word Shalom points to completeness, wholeness, well-being, and prosperity; a state where all aspects of life are in harmony. Similarly, the Greek term Eirene conveys tranquility and restfulness. Together, these terms illustrate that true peace involves physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being, fostering unity and flourishing among your family, friends and in the communities you interact. ​The gifts and experience of Peace are realized when Thinking (#8), Reason (#12), Intelligence (#13), Creativity (#19), Understanding (#20), Humility (#22) and Gentleness/Emotional Regulation (#29) are used to help you achieve Skilled Behavior (#27) and Skilled Outcomes (#28) in your life and in your interaction with others.  Peace is a crucial ingredient in reconciliation (Katallasso: To lay aside wrath and simultaneously impart peace), and regulating your emotions so you’re able to quickly recall and implement your green zone, healthy adult mode behaviors to cultivate peace, which brings you closer to creating and experiencing this virtue.

Practical Appearance and Nutritional Value: Practically, embodying Peace involves working to experience harmony in your relationships, marked by the presence of understanding, which leads to contributing to the well-being of your “neighbor” (2.0, which is the person who is in closest proximity to you; Plesion). This includes actively reconciling differences, exhibiting empathy, and creating environments where others around you feel safe and valued. The “nutritional value” of Peace lies in your ability to reduce stress, enhance mental and physical health, and build health and resilience in the communities you associate in. By cultivating peace, you enrich your life and positively impact those around you, resulting in a compassionate and cohesive society. ​

Who deserves some of this seasoning?  “My family and my colleagues at work. To produce and maintain peace, I need to make peace with God (“Our hearts are restless, until they can find rest in you” – Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430); make peace within myself (“A heart at peace gives life to the body” – Psalm 14: 30); then make peace with others (“If it is at all possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” – Romans 12: 18). Finally, I will live by the words of St. Francis of Assisi: “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.  Where there is hatred, let me sow love.” 

So thanks again for looking at these 31 Flavors of Wisdom and hopefully, participating in the 31 Day Wisdom Challenge, and for reading this excerpt from Cultivating Love: Wisdom for Life. As time permits, please visit the other blogs written by Dr. Ken McGill: Daily Bread for Life and “3–2- 5–4–24” for additional information that could be helpful.

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About Dr Ken McGill

Dr. Ken McGill is an ordained minister and has been involved in counseling for more than 25 years. Dr. McGill holds a Bachelor's degree in Religion from Pacific Christian College (now Hope International University), a Certificate of Completion in the Alcohol and Drug Studies/Counseling Program from the University of California at Los Angeles and a Masters degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. Dr. McGill received his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Family Psychology from Azusa Pacific University in May, 2003. Dr. McGill's dissertation focused on the development of an integrated treatment program for the sexually addicted homeless population, and Ken was "personally mentored" by dissertation committee member Dr. Patrick Carnes, a pioneer in the field of sex addiction work. Dr. McGill authored a chapter in the text The Clinical Management of Sex Addiction, with his chapter addressing the homeless and sex addiction. Dr. McGill is also a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the States of Texas and California and Mississippi, and is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist, through the International Institute for Trauma and Addictive Professionals (IITAP). Dr. McGill had a private practice in Glendora, CA (Aspen Counseling Center), Inglewood, CA (Faithful Central Bible Church), and Hattiesburg, MS (River of Life Church), specializing in the following areas with individuals, couples, families, groups and psychoeducational training: addictions and recovery, pre-marital, marital and family counseling, issues related to traumatization and abuse, as well as depression, grief, loss, anger management and men's and women's issues. Dr. McGill also provided psychotherapeutic treatment with Student-Athletes on the University of Southern Mississippi Football and Men's Basketball teams. Dr. McGill served as the Director of the Gentle Path Program, which is a seven-week residential program, for people who are challenged with sexual addiction, sexual anorexia, and relationship issues. Dr. McGill also supervised Doctoral students in the Southern Mississippi Psychology Internship Consortium with the University of Southern Mississippi. Dr. McGill was inducted into the Azusa Pacific University Academic Hall of Honor, School of Behavioral and Applied Sciences, in October, 2010. Dr. McGill currently works as a Private practice clinician with an office in Plano, Texas, providing treatment with people who are challenged in the areas mentioned above.

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