About Peaceful Planet

“World peace starts in the home,” is how a bumper sticker I once wanted would have read. So much violence surrounds us in our homes, our schools, and our communities and between nations as we war with one another.

Why isn’t the world more peaceful? Why do we have wars?

It’s because most of us are violent–in one way or another–in our day-to-day lives. We haven’t yet learned how to resolve differences peacefully.

We argue with our parents, our children, our partners, and our friends. We degrade and discriminate against others who are different from us. We lash out in anger at drivers who offend us, at our employees, at our managers. We abuse children and animals and deface the earth with pollution and garbage. We punch, we stab, we shoot, we maim, we kill. We even pay to watch and applaud people who fight one another and dogs who are trained not only to fight but to kill.

We’re even violent toward ourselves. How many of us nurture and care lovingly for our bodies, our souls, our minds? We smoke, drink, and take unnecessary legal drugs as well as the illegal kind. We stuff ourselves with unhealthy food, we don’t exercise, and we get fat. We blame others for our problems instead of taking responsibility or getting help. We kill ourselves, and we kill others.

Why would the world be peaceful if nobody actually is peaceful?

It doesn’t seem logical. If we are violent–even if only our words are hurtful or demeaning–how can we expect world peace? Why would world leaders do anything differently than what they’ve been taught and what we all practice?

No matter how peaceful someone generally is, we all have a capacity for violence as long as we practice anything other than peace, love, and compassion and teach it to our children.

It’s a choice. Mahatma Ghandi said that we should “be the change you want to see in the world.” And it starts with the ways we treat ourselves and one another.

Let’s learn a better way!

At Peaceful Planet, you’ll get tips and information you can use right away to make your life more peaceful. You’ll get ideas and insights for new ways of looking at or doing things in your personal life, in your relationships, in your family, and beyond.

I’m Leah McClellan, and I’ve been fascinated with how we live and philosophies of life since I was a very young child.

I had a rough childhood. There was abuse, alcoholism, and drugs mixed in with blue skies and unusual opportunities and advantages. I left home young, skipped high school, worked, traveled, read a lot, saw a lot, and learned a lot. It wasn’t easy. I made it back to school, though, and aced my way through a BA and MA in English with a history minor and social science concentration.

All I’ve ever wanted in life is peace. With inner peace, everything is possible. Without it, life is like a rollercoaster.

I’m a freelance writer and editor, and I’m also a gardener, a vegetarian, and an animal lover. I’ve cared for three dogs and three cats over the years–my animal family is two dogs and one cat now–and I love them dearly. I practice and study Zen Buddhism in a casual way, but I’m very receptive to wisdom no matter the source.

And just in case you’re wondering, I’m not the patron saint of patience, nonviolence, and compassion. I’m on a journey like everyone else.

But I’m always learning, always finding ways to let my naturally peaceful nature shine through. I work toward becoming more kind, more compassionate, more clear, more direct, more understanding, more honest, and less reactive, and I believe experience is the best teacher. Once in awhile, I’ll even use my own experience for the “case study” in a post. Want to stop road rage? is a good example of how I’ll pass my learning on to you.

If you’d like to subscribe to Peaceful Planet, look over to your right and get to it. I post weekly or at least 3-4 times a month. I love sharing my ideas and reading your take on things, so please feel free to comment, even when you disagree.

If you have any questions, include them in a comment or email me any time from the form below or at mcclellan dot leah at gmail dot com.

Peace,