Wherever you go, there you are.
If there is one thing I have learned that I cannot get from the outside world, it’s peace of mind. I guess that’s why it’s called inner peace.
When external events are going well or are neutral, but there’s still negative thought streams with strong, negative emotions attached to them…there is one’s spiritual practice.
Can we learn to dance in the rain?
It’s hard right? Certainly not a default setting for the average human. Even someone who had a good upbringing in a two parent house hold is likely to be a slave to their moods. Mental and emotional well being is rarely if ever directly taught, one must seek it out on their own.
Is it common for people to seek inner peace when things are going well?
External things going well is the most common thing that is confused for inner peace. They’re called good times for a reason. But it is preferable to build the arc before the rain comes.
That wasn’t me. I had to suffer at great length and depth before I even thought to take action to change my mental and emotional state(s) by addressing my mental and emotional health. It was probably around the same time I started physically exercising to improve my physical appearance as well. Correlation is not causation, but there’s something more than just coincidence there.
Does one ever actually achieve a permanent state of inner peace? Boy would I love to be able to give a definitive answer on that. Unfortunately though, I am just a human being. Made up of flaws, stitched together with good intentions. But we all need goals to chase.
Meditation and mindfulness have helped me stay on something resembling the right path during dark times. Studying philosophy has helped me guide my ship through troubled waters. The combination of the two help the good times last longer, and help me savor them more.
Awareness is the way out. Meditation helps cultivate that awareness. Gratitude helps one stay on firm footing and I’ve found that philosophy helps one to move with more confidence in a beneficial direction. At the very least, the combination helps a person not make things worse when times get tough.
Peace really does have to come from and be cultivated within. I lived many years in a state of inner chaos. It’s hard to describe. Like 10% of a concussion, for an extended period of time. Some people live their entire lives in that state. It eventually drives anyone crazy who is in that state long enough.
Seeking inner peace is a quest worth undertaking. The juice is worth the squeeze. It’s both not easy and not a cure all. Because the external world will still impose it’s will on you whenever it wants, as hard and as fast as it wants. But having that inner calm, that state of inner peace, even just a little of it, even for just a little bit, is worth it’s weight in gold.
Anarchy Journal Constitutional 