The Inner calm

Every day brings it’s own unique joys and challenges. In the midst of the daily hustle and bustle, there is a great need for the virtue of peacefulness if we hope to maintain both our physical and emotional health and well being, and co-exist well with those around us.

Peacefulness is possessing inner calm and tranquility. It is not allowing ourselves to be weighed down or rushed. Peace in the world starts with you as an individual. When you are peaceful, you deal with others graciously and also accept and appreciate their differences. It helps you to give up prejudices and viewing others as enemies. Others are able to feel calm and safe when around you. You are also able to accept and better deal with difficult situations. The virtue of peacefulness allows you to be fair with others and yourself.

Cultivating peacefulness, like any other virtue, has to be done deliberately. There are several ways to do this:

Focus on the present. Quit worrying about the past or obsessing over the future. The past is gone and there is nothing you can do to change or fix past happenings. While it is always good to plan for the future, we should also not be fixated on the future to a point that we cannot enjoy the ‘now’.

Simplify your life. You best know what you can do to make your life simpler, whether it’s getting up earlier or spending less or just laughing more. The simpler you make your life, the less anxiety and stress you’ll experience.

Accept what you can’t change. You cannot change some realities in life. Accepting things as they are enables you to be more at peace with yourself and the world.

Embrace positivity and avoid negativity. As much as you can, choose to think the best of yourself and others. Look for the silver lining and the glass that’s half-full. Also surround yourself with people who have a positive attitude towards life.

Solve problems peacefully. Problems do not have to be solved aggressively or with violence. There are many creative ways of solving different problems. Purpose to talk things out and also listen to people who you differ with.

Peacefulness is not an easy virtue to master but once achieved, it enables you to live a relatively stress-free life. When you embrace peace within yourself, you are able to spread it to others who can also spread it to others, creating a ripple effect.