July 8, 2026

Dear Friends,

We began a one-year observance of our twenty-fifth anniversary on September 8, 2025. It will conclude on September 8, 2026. 

As part of our observance, we began, on September 21, 2025, a year of reflections on the heart of the Interfaith Peace Project – the Interpath Principles. The reflections are being sent to you on the eighth and twenty-first of each month. If you would like to view the previous reflections, you can find them on our blog at: interfaithpeaceproject.org.

If you have anything that you would like to share, please contact:

Thomas P. Bonacci, C.P.
peace@thomaspbonacci.net
925-787-9279

 

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THE INTERFAITH PEACE PROJECT
A Legacy of Peace-Making for Twenty-Five Years
September 8, 2001 – September 8, 2026
CARE OF SELF
THE NINTH INTERPATH PRINCIPLE

We understand that our work requires each of us to practice self-care
in all the affairs of our lives.

Above all, we realize no one of us can do this work alone. We strive to remember we need one another. As we recognize our limits, we understand that they are not faults but rather opportunities to respect others through self-care and self-respect. We continue to discern these principles from our work and life experience. The Principles are not our burden but our stated insights. We seek to be our true selves. The greatest gift we will ever give is the gift of ourselves; for this, we give thanks.

REFLECTION

Our final Principle takes us to the care of self. We realize various Traditions and Philosophies have diverse understandings concerning the nature of the self, the purpose of existence, and the meaning of life in general. Without prejudice to this rich diversity of thought and practice, we can discern several aspects of self-care that might help individuals cope with life and self in ways supportive and constructive.

First, the self is not an isolated entity. People forced into isolation will find it difficult, if not impossible, to flourish. The self is vital to our connection to the world around us. In fact, some Traditions teach the core of the self is a radical openness to the world and others. The self, in other words, is dynamic and always being formed or conditioned.

Second, in any endeavor, we reach our limits. This can be a source of frustration. We often desire to do more than we can. If we isolate ourselves from others, this sense of limitation can be an obstacle to achieving what needs to be done.  Self-care invites us to remember we can do together what no one of us can do alone.

Third, what we seek for others, we also seek for ourselves. This is a matter of justice. The Golden Rule teaches us to love others as ourselves. Therefore, self-care is essential in the pursuit of loving and caring for others. Justice, in this sense, means repair, restoration, and reinvigoration. The social implications of self-care become necessary and obvious.

Fourth, we have come to realize a sense of “collective self-care.” A community or dedicated group of people can take on the persona of self. While our individuality remains intact, it is not isolated or aloof but interdependent and interrelated with the other members of the collective. As such, “we” learn from experience. “We” grow in wisdom as the result of our cooperative work and dedication. “We” need to care for “us” if our dedication and work would truly be beneficial to others.

Finally, the greatest gift we will ever give is the gift of ourselves. The care and outreach to others demands and invites love, respect, and care of self.

The radical self-centeredness by which we discover the uniqueness of self as a dynamic process invites us to realize our essential freedom. In the deep encounter with self, we realize the self as interconnected, interrelated, and interdependent with all else. This realization invites us to live in harmony with every aspect and manifestation of reality, both perceived and unperceived. I / we stand in the light of the mystery of it all as a being who freely decides to love for the benefit of all else.   

Blessings and gratitude to you, Beloved Community, for journeying with us as we walked along the pathways of the Interpath Principles. May your continuing journeys take you to the heart of yourself and others where you will find someone to treasure and love. Do not be afraid to discover your own Principles and generously share your wisdom with others in every thought, word, and deed of your lives.