After Many Storms I Finally Found Peace

I finally found peace, but I had to endure many storms to achieve this goal. Because sometimes it is not enough to turn a page or start a new book. The real wisdom lies in a new interpretation of what has already been written. And it is also important to understand that if you have inner peace, an adverse fate is only a fraction of the scenery.

We have all gone through chaotic times, complicated days, and really difficult existential crises. Although the mind demands peace and quiet, the brain is engrossed in a different type of discourse. The neurochemical activation that causes stress and anxiety disrupts this subtle balance. It keeps us from finding the harmony we need to rise despite the pressures caused by environmental factors.

“Faced with injustices and the adversities of life … peace of mind.”

Mahatma Gandhi

It is important to make it clear when we speak of “peace of mind” that we do not mean that we should “surrender”. Choosing a calm and peaceful attitude towards life’s difficulties is not the same as giving up. On the contrary, it is about finding an inner harmony for yourself in which your own thoughts, desires and abilities are combined with wisdom.

Finding inner peace is an art. We invite you to learn more about how to learn them here.

Finding peace in a constantly noisy world

Finding peace in an incessantly noisy world is not a matter that you achieve overnight. Especially if you let the noise overwhelm you. We live in a chaotic world in which our surroundings are constantly demanding something from us. We are to be good citizens, productive workers, good children, excellent parents, and exceptionally good friends.

“That’s how you have to be!”  Is what society imposes on us, and that can contribute to our true selves disappearing. Jules Evans, Director of the Center for the History of the Emotions at the University of London (England, UK), explains in his essays on anxiety and depression that we are in our fast-paced world would often limit ourselves to improvising and lose control of our emotions. We would lose the sense of our inner balance. We moved away from the roots that nourished us.

Inner peace and balance are very precious states. We’re not talking about spirituality here, we’re talking about health and wellbeing. People who do not feel inner peace are interned on an island of incessant noise, where they are unable to make the right decisions. A restless mind can become the worst enemy until one feels really helpless and finds oneself with a lack of control and maybe even depression.

We have to take control again.

Find peace of mind with the philosophy of the samurai

A book that is both interesting and rewarding, entitled Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook  (in German as: The Samurai awareness training: A Sourcebook of Bushido ) . It was written by the historian Thomas Cleary. He explains in a vivid way the techniques that the warriors used to calm the mind and better understand their opponents.

“Tomorrow’s battle will be won during today’s practice session.”

Maxim of the samurai

Obviously, we don’t fight each other in battles that are fought with the sword in everyday life. We don’t have to kill opponents, but there are adversaries we have to face, control and even overthrow. These opponents are called fear, stress, worry and – to put it bluntly – the presence or attitude of certain people.

We will now explain some Buddhist strategies in this context. They can help us find our inner peace.

We will find peace in a fast-paced world

It is important to understand that our best ally on the path to inner peace and balance is our consciousness. However, sometimes our thoughts cross a drawn line and become counterproductive. We must change course and place ourselves above our absenteeism, never below it. Otherwise she’s holding us hostage.

To do that, think about the following points:

• Be loyal to yourself. You have a value system that gives you your identity. Defend your values.
• Your feelings don’t make you a pushover. On the contrary, they are a weapon that will encourage you and breathe life into your core. Likewise your virtues and your resilient soul, which has survived several battles in the past.
• Accept an adverse fate. Just as the samurai assumed their fate that sooner or later they would have to lose their lives – as Bushido, the ethos of the samurai, demands it – you must assume that there will be an adverse fate. This does not mean that one should always start from the fatality of things, but rather that one accepts everything without fear. Then you can simultaneously accept the positive that life has to offer. And just when you least expect it.

• You can practice being calm. You have to work on your inner peace every day. There is nothing better than reserving an hour or two each day to be in silence and to bring yourself into inner balance. If you want, meditate. Or go for a walk if that’s what you prefer. Whatever you do, take time for yourself. Your health will thank you.
• Work on your sense of control every day. You should be able to focus and control what is in your power. You can and should make your own decisions, set limits and, above all, expressly state what you want and what you don’t want.

These ideas lead you to your psychological strategies. You need them to step through your daily battlefield with greater courage. Because peace is not just found, it can only be achieved.