Your boyfriend forgot to call. Your feelings are hurt. Your husband didn't load the dishwasher correctly. He left his dirty clothes on the floor. He left the toilet seat up. He never calls when he's late. He always interrupts you. It's so annoying. You have to talk. You have to go to therapy. You want to be heard. You might break up.

There's a bigger war out there.

There are babies starving, fathers dying, mothers crying. There are prisons overflowing, boys joining gangs, doctors pushing drugs, plastic filling the oceans. Mustangs are slaughtered for dog food. Dogs are killing people. Whales are becoming extinct. Nobody knows what to do. Go buy a new BMW, have an affair 'cause good sex will make it all right. But it's not all right. It's not all right.

There's a bigger war out there.

There are criminals running the show, parents telling their kids to "just say no," hypocrites in politics, big business killing the little guys, leaders telling lies, GMOs and pesticides. Little girls are cutting themselves while America is busy watching its weight, watching the news, watching Dancing with the Stars.

Your mother-in-law is a witch. Your sister is a drama queen. Your tween wants a piercing. Your boss is a jerk. Your jeans are too tight. Some idiot cut you off in traffic. Your rage monster surfaces. You ordered your steak well done. It was pink.

There's a bigger war out there.

Women are being stoned. Tibet is not free. Speech is not free. Racism is rampant. People think an eye for an eye is a viable solution.

Rain forests are cleared for cattle. Oil is saturating the ocean. The sky is filled with chem trails. Children are being stolen, sold and raped. And you can't handle commitment to a woman who adores you.

You want her. You need space. You love her. You're afraid of abandonment. You trust her. You're afraid of divorce. Afraid of being a statistic. Afraid of being like your parents.

Put it in perspective. All your battles are elective. I'm not willing to fight your wannabe war.

There's a bigger war out there.

And where does this gigantic war start? Right inside each and every one of us. That's right. In each and every one of us. I know what you're thinking. Oh no, not me. I believe in peace and love and freedom. I buy organic food. I ride my bike to work. It's so much easier to point the finger, isn't it? It's so much easier to look outside ourselves and blame someone out there: the Republicans, the red necks, the racists; the hippies, the hookers, the hobos. If you judge them, you judge yourself. If you hate them, you hate yourself. If you resent them, you resent yourself.

How can the world be at peace if we are against ourselves?

There's a bigger war out there.

And it's an inside job. I only know because I have this war in myself. I have the fear, the judgment, the petty arguments, the haunted past. Help me. Heal yourself. Heal your family. Which will heal your community, your country, the world. Stop the war within to end the war out there. Break down your walls. Open your heart. Bust your ego. Be vulnerable. Be grateful. Be still. Say thank you. Say I love you, even if you may not hear it back. Keep your word. Lay down your weapons. Lay it on the line for peace. Lay it on the line for me.

There's a bigger war out there.

Cheyenne Chefé is on the path to becoming a peaceful warrior (this is sometimes challenging, sometimes inspiring and always worth it). She can be found advocating organics, health, horses and other local peace warriors at www.ccsfortheenvironment.com.

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