What is PLUR and why does it matter?

PLUR is an acronym for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect and you will come across it several more times if you continue to read my blog.This acronym stems from the EDM/rave culture and is often cited as the raver's mantra. Each person has their own idea of PLUR and this is mine:

Peace: Peace is a state of existing in the same place as another simultaneously and without conflict or adverse reactions. Peace is a calmness you find within yourself and with those around you. Peace is a state of being that requires effort and reflection.

Love: Love is a feeling of great affection for another being. Love is an offering of friendship based on a shared humanity. Love is unreserved and available to others and to ourselves.

Unity: Unity is a creation of a community, no matter how large or small, where all beings can feel acceptance and come together as one. Unity is a state of mind that persists even when you are physically alone

Respect: Respect is twofold. Respect for yourself is knowing your mind and body and allowing your needs to be met. Respect for others is seeking to understand the the boundaries that they have set and consciously choosing not to cross them. Respect is allowing yourself to exist as you are and allowing others to do the same. Respect is distancing yourself from things that you may not like without trying to destroy the joy that it brings to others.

It is when these four elements come together that true joy and humanity exists. I believe that Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect are the keys to creating a just and beautiful world where all beings are accepted and loved as they are.  This is the world I hope for and my hope for this world. I believe that I have been called to teach in order to bring more PLUR into this world. My commitment to teaching is my commitment to a world defined by and for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect