There was a time when
I thought peace was a destination and there is nothing to it more. But, later realised that to achieve peace it costs our whole life in searching for it and still many don't reach that destination.It seemed like
something I needed to chase or find but definitely not something I could experience
without dramatically changing my life.Despite seeing peace as an endpoint, I also saw it as something
passive and that's the reason why I was so stressed, thinking, I have much to do.
Now I can say that, peace is always available, and like any desirable state of mind, it
requires effort, even if that effort entails consciously choosing to be still.
So, What is peace of mind?
It is a state of inner calmness together with a sense of freedom and it can be called as the time when
thoughts and worries cease, and there are no stress, strain or fears. Such moments are not so rare. You have experienced them in the past, at
times when you were engaged in some kind of an absorbing or interesting
activity, say for instances like: watching an entertaining movie or TV program,when being in the company of someone you love, while being absorbed in reading a book and the best time is when you are deeply asleep, you are not aware of your thoughts, and
therefore, you are in a state of inner peace.Such activities, and
similar ones, take away the mind from its usual thoughts and worries, replacing
them with an experience of inner peace.
What
has usually disturbed these moments are memories of guilt and shame, carried by
the ego and which resurfaces every now and then, causing discomfort. These
feelings could be because of one's own (mis) deeds or another's.
You might also ask,
whether it is possible to turn the living in a peace way into a habit, and enjoy it always and under
all circumstances??
Yes!
First, you need to learn
to bring more moments of inner peace into your daily life. Later, you will be
able to experience these moments in times of trouble or difficulties too, when
you really need inner calmness and tranquility.
- You can turn peace of mind into a natural habit, but to do so, some inner work is required. This work includes changing a few mental habits, improving your concentration, certain forms of meditation.
- Next, stay away from negative conversations and from negative people, but identifying negative and positive needs understanding of the circumstances.
- Don't hold grudges. Learn to forget and forgive.
- Don't be jealous of others. Being jealous means that you have low self-esteem and consider yourself inferior to others. Jealousy and low self esteem, often lead to lack of inner peace.This is so often happening in this competitive world.
- Accept what cannot be changed. This saves a lot of time, energy and worries
- Learn to be more patient and tolerant with people and events.
- Don't take everything personally, a certain degree of emotional and mental detachment is desirable.
- Try to view your life and other people with a little detachment and less involvement. Detachment is not indifference, lack of interest or coldness. It is the ability to think and judge impartially and logically.
There have been moments in
almost everyone's day-to-day living when one has experienced the true joy of
living, with calm, peace and tranquility. Achieving all these doesn't make one reach the destination which i mentioned earlier..but may be moving towards the same.
