The perception of peace coupled with passivity seems as natural as peanut better going with jelly and peas with carrots. I find that the balance I am looking for internally and externally is a combination of peace and proactivity.
To be in a peaceful state, in my experience, lends itself to being laid back, chill, and just letting things happen. But that’s a trap. It’s better than the combination of inner and outer turmoil. That combination is a one way ticket to a medical facility.
Aspiring for pragmatic balance between inner peace and external proactivity is a personal development example of why our life’s work is never done until we’re dead. For years and years I would over correct from one end of the extreme to the other. Too busy to too lazy, to hectic to too peaceful, too aggressive to too passive.
Is it ever just right or is that for fairy tales and Hollywood movies?
We all need goals to chase after all.
To find balance between inner peace and external proactivity is a goal pursuit worthy of a life’s work. To be peaceful enough to not sweat the small stuff yet assertive enough to not be taken advantage of while being able to take advantage of win-win opportunities.
In a clean, quiet, stressless, anxiety free, vacuum sealed environment a balance of inner peace and external proactivity sounds simple enough. A few minutes in the chaos prone real world will put a goal like that on the long term goal list real fast.
But it is when the world is challenging us that we need the peace without passivity the most. That is why it is so rare and can be even hard to comprehend and put into words. Because it just isn’t natural.
A trip to any populated public place will show anyone this. Any crowded store, street, park, concert, sporting event, bar, nightclub, or coffee shop drive thru will show how humans naturally act is not synonymous with a balance of peace without passivity. It’s usually a lot of one and little to none of the other.
Don’t want to go out to a public place? That’s fine, just look at your own behavior when you’re hungry and/or haven’t had your morning coffee. Two states of human behavior so common they’ve been a point of cultural parody for almost a century. Snickers has been running an ad campaign on the concept of hangry for what seems like two decades now.
Internally peaceful, externally proactive. What a thought. What a concept. What a goal. What an ideal. Possible? Of course. Practical? Well that depends.
Nature and nurture as per usual loom heavy over how we think, perceive, feel, and act internally and externally. What can we do for ourselves here and now to move towards this ideal?
I’ve found that my path towards this goal, my very long, winding, obstacle ridden path on my way towards this goal involves a combination of yoga/meditation practice(s), weight training, studying philosophy, journaling and taking supplements.
Nothing innovative or unique about that list. Certainly nothing to copyright there. No magic wand or alchemy like combination. But my life before all of those practices and protocols was nothing resembling peaceful or proactive. I find all of my idols regardless of age, gender, or field of expertise have a similar list of hobbies.
I know that I think of that list when I feel the internal anxiety of the external challenges presented by life pressing against me in moments of choice. I know that without the years I’ve put into meditation, journaling, exercise, and my supplement regimen that my ability to cope with the challenges of life would be drastically inferior to my ability now.
So I do recommend them. Not in specific form but in generic form to be tailored to the lifestyle and life experience of each individual who would incorporate yoga/meditation, weight lifting, journaling, philosophy, and nutritional supplements into their life.
Aides, helpers, boosts, a nudge, a push, support…that what meditation/yoga, weight lifting, philosophy, journaling, and supplements provide. Nothing more, nothing less. No magic wand. No cure all. No shortcut. No doing the work for me.
I just know I can use all the help I can get. And I hope those things can help you too.
Anarchy Journal Constitutional 