Rightly said by Dalai Lama “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”
The whole human race aspires to create various treaties and laws to coerce a peaceful environment forgetting the fundamental of the fact of being free. Ironically the same people wouldn’t be at peace with their selves. Wandering places looking for peace in materialism and capitalism, looking for peace in the world external to them rather than their internal universe. Yet inner peace is not something that can be found but something to be created. 21st September is celebrated as International Day of Peace, but are we aware of it?
Inner peace is not a state of passivity and certainly does not make life dull. On the contrary, it makes you more conscious, alive and happy. It helps you live life more fully. Our mind is like a room clustered with various things, some of which might not even be necessary. Similarly, our mind is cluttered with thoughts, eradicating the unnecessary thoughts we need to make space for ourselves and our priorities. Such a process of detoxification and cleaning might involve removing or distancing yourself from people who are toxic to your mental and emotional health. There might be people dear to you yet they do not respect your individuality and personal space, this is where one needs to prioritise their inner peace than the forceful relationships. Peace is not just the absence of conflict or absence of violence, it is a positive phenomenon inside of us. When our mind is quiet, far from our conflicting thoughts and external pressures our intellect becomes sharper, our emotions become positive and lighter, our body becomes healthy, and our behaviour becomes much more palatable.
Inner peace can also be interpreted as a person being aware of her emotions. Being mindful of one’s actions. However, it takes patience and a lot of efforts for creating inner peace. It’s a journey to find your true self and be at peace with it. It’s a process where one needs to keep themselves as a priority but without causing any harm to others. Values like respect, sensitivity and gratitude are associated with one’s external environment rather than applying it to ourselves too. Inner peace is a state where we respect ourselves just as we are taught to other human beings. Being sensitive to the choices and emotions of one’s truest self and acknowledging them rather than escaping it. Being oblivious to your problems is not inner peace too. Inner peace is when you acknowledge the reality, your truest emotions yet keep yourself detached from all the humanistic approaches, Adding to it, human beings tend to find peace in things like cars or jobs or sometimes a relationship, however, such things can never give you peace until you’re happy with yourself.
Pointing out as to how one can create it, it is believed that detaching from any external desires, leaving everything and living like a monk can bring you peace. On the other hand, it is something you do it for yourself. A person can be her truest self when she’s dancing or cooking. While some may find peace through writing, others may just like to sit quietly in nature. It is the essence of ‘Me time’ or ‘alone time’ without any influence of external forces that helps in the realization of the inner self. We all are in a phase of constant hustle-bustle, struggling our way through life, however that one moment of peace sitting alone, being our friends is the time of realization in the huge journey.
Our inner environment decides our external change. Looking at our external being from the perspective environment is what defines to be mindful and aware. This is a cause that has to be nurtured by the youth themselves. To create awareness about the same and inculcate such values within, Shining Network, The youth empowering and value-creating society of Kamala Nehru College conducted a discussion on the occasion of ‘International Day of Peace’ based on UN’s theme of ‘Climate Action For Peace’. Students along with Faculty convenor discussed the various effects of the environment on one’s internal peace. Likewise focusing on the effects of one’s internal conflict with her external environment. Meanwhile, during the discussion, it was discovered how social media to basic road jam can affect one’s mental peace. Moreover steps to curb the same were also talked about. The discussion also included a session of mindfulness where all the people meditated while connecting with their truest selves.
To conclude in this enormous world, the person most important to you is you. From being the best thing in your life to being critical you are the one creating yourself. If you aim to have a world of tranquillity and harmony, you have to start with a world that resides within you. Acknowledge your emotions, do what makes you happy. For if you don’t love the world within you, how will you love the one that is outside?
