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Two Tacos or Peace on Earth?
Sophia stood alone under the halo of light cast by the neon taco sign, the words “Two Tacos or Peace on Earth?” buzzing overhead like a mantra for the modern age. She chuckled to herself, thinking how the bright colors clashed with the somber thoughts occupying her mind. It was an odd juxtaposition, the triviality of a late-night snack against the backdrop of a world yearning for tranquility.
As she watched the bustling movement within the truck, she considered the hand-drawn corn symbol beside the word “SIMPLE” etched on its side. Life could be simple, she mused, yet it was humanity’s quest for something grander that led to complexities and, too often, conflict.
Sophia's phone vibrated in her hand — another news alert, another crisis somewhere in the world. It was relentless, and she felt the weight of it all pressing down on her. In her heart echoed the words of Virginia Wolf, resonating with a truth she understood all too well.
You cannot find peace by avoiding life.
— Virginia Wolf (1882-1941)
This was her epiphany beneath the neon glow. The world spun on, strife and harmony intertwined in its dance, and to turn away from life’s tapestry was to turn away from the very fabric of peace itself. Sophia realized that peace was not a distant concept to be found in the quietude of avoidance but in the embrace of life’s entirety — the chaos and the calm.
Her gaze drifted to the server inside the truck, who balanced two tacos in one hand as he juggled a phone call with the other. He moved with an effortless grace that seemed to defy the frenzy of his environment. In him, Sophia saw an embodiment of life not avoided but met head-on, and peace not as a distant goal but as a practice in every mindful step and every breath between the rings of the phone.
She stepped forward, drawn by the rhythm of life within the truck, and ordered two tacos. In that moment, she chose not just the tacos, but also to engage with the world, to be part of its tumult and its quest for peace, no matter how grand or unattainable it might seem.
Sophia’s own journey for peace continued beyond that night, beyond the neon sign and the taste of those late-night tacos. It became a series of actions, small and significant, within her community. She learned to find tranquility in participation, in the act of reaching out, in the sharing of a meal, or a conversation. Peace, she discovered, was a dynamic and living thing, cultivated in the gardens of everyday life.
Her nights at the taco truck became a ritual, each visit a reinforcement of her revelation, each bite a reminder of life’s simultaneous simplicity and complexity. Sophia found peace not in the void of inaction but in the embrace of the world’s relentless heartbeat.
As the days turned to weeks, Sophia’s actions inspired others. Her once solitary figure beneath the neon light grew to a small crowd, then a community. The taco truck became more than a place for a late-night snack; it became a beacon, a place where people met not just to sate hunger but to share ideas and forge connections.
In the communion of those gatherings, in the exchange of thoughts and laughter, Sophia saw the seeds of a greater peace being sown. It was not the peace of a silent and still earth, but the peace that thrives amidst the noise and bustle of life embraced. The taco truck, with its unassuming presence, had become a microcosm of the world Sophia wished to see.
If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.
— Inspector Harry Callahan (a.k.a. Dirty Harry)
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Heraclitus
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