Inner Peace

637 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Inner peace and security

Anyone who is asked the question, “What is inner peace?” will usually respond by saying, “Happiness.” Is this true? Is the only way to establish inner peace through happiness? Many philosophers and monks have contemplated what inner peace means, and from their efforts we have developed a ‘dictionary’ definition. Inner peace is a considered noun. But the question remains, is inner peace a thing or is it an idea? The connotation of inner peace is–just like beauty—in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I believe inner peace means stepping away from the doubts and misconceptions of modern day society and looking situations that evoke fear in the eye, with no fear in one’s heart.
The misconception that happiness is the only way to establish inner peace is made commonly. In fact, it is the other way around, happiness is only discovered after inner peace has been recognized. Think about it this way, you can’t frost a cake without having a cake to frost. Happiness is the frosting on the cake of life. As people grow, they are given the ingredients to make their cake. Inner peace acts as the timer. The only way to know your cake is just right is when the timer goes off. Many people try to apply the frosting without the cake being fully cooked and end up with a goopy mess. Inner peace is essential to happiness. And the sooner one realizes this, the sooner they can begin being happy and enjoying the sweet delights that life has to offer. But this doesn’t answer the question of “What is inner peace?” To begin we must dissect the definition of inner peace that we have accepted into our society’s vocabulary.
As Merriam-Webster eloquently puts it: “Inner peace refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge...

... middle of paper ...

... Or a person may be plagued mentally by the ideas or images of a past. In either situation, inner peace is not established. The key is to establish mental AND spiritual peace. This means letting go of the memories that plague us, the doubts that bring us to our knees, and the fears that mercilessly betray us. Inner peace is accepting the past and moving on with your life. This is the real definition of inner peace.
Inner peace is the belief that no matter what may come, a person will have the strength to overcome whatever the situation at hand deals them. Inner peace is knowing that however the situation turns out, a person will be okay. Until a person has reached this level of enlightenment, inner peace cannot be achieved. Although inner peace’s definition can vary from person to person, one fact remains true: Happiness and inner peace are two different entities.

Show More
Related

  • Uniting Mind, Body, and Spirit in Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha

    764 Words  | 2 Pages

    When the experiences of mind, body, and spirit are united inner direction is found and meaning is given to life.  Herman Hesse documents specifically the Buddhist inner journey but this path is applicable to all faiths.  He implies that we must all acknowledge the unity of everything and understand how we belong to it.  Our inner journey is very personal but our goals to achieve complete love and compassion are one and the same.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: Into the Wild

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many live attempting to decipher the riddle of life. What is life? What is the purpose? What makes? Even though we only seek happiness why can’t we ever seem to achieve it? When we do reach happiness why can’t we seem to grasp it and hold it for more than the few short hours that pass like seconds? The question we must answer first is “What makes happiness, true?”

    Read More

  • Analysis Of 'Where Peace Comes From'

    1412 Words  | 3 Pages

    Christian faith adamantly states that the belief in one God will set you on the path to inner peace and true happiness. Christians, Ancius Boethius and Susan C. Stark, agree that the acceptance of God and his teachings is the only way to achieve peace and happiness. Boethius writes about his own wavering path to happiness in The Consolations of Philosophy. Lady philosophy, like Jesus, teaches Boethius what the true “goods” of the world are, that God has complete control and knowledge, evil has no real substance and ultimately, that through God, he can attain true happiness. Susan C. stark parallels these teachings in her article, Where peace comes from. The many interrelating ideas of Boethius and Stark’s works shed light on the Christian values, teaching and essentially, the path to happiness.

    Read More

  • Darkest Obstacles are a Gift and not a Curse

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    The irony connected with the obstacle in achieving happiness is the pursuit of happiness. Those who pursue happiness with deliberate effort find themselves having to work harder and harder over time to achieve their ends. By trying to pursue happiness, we look for obvious, insubstantial objectives to achieve the happy life. Existentialism, however, may provide both the antidote to this vicious cycle, and give direction on how to find happiness-- by filling our lives with what T.S. Eliot calls real substance. Purpose is not easily found and comes with a costly price tag; we must look into ourselves, find the hollowness that exists in each of us, and dive into the abyss of our inner self. Most people are easily discouraged by the idea of shining a light into the shadowy realm of our mind and heart. We do not want to discover what may lie in the shadows, but if we have the courage to grope in the dark, we may discover our truest self. The darkness is a gift and not a curse.

    Read More

  • Transcendentalism

    808 Words  | 2 Pages

    With the realization of the ultimate truth comes lasting happiness. This is the kind of happiness that every person searches for and works toward but often gets thrown off course by the evil influences of society. This is where self-reliance comes in. In the path to realizing the truth and attaining true happiness, one first has to realize that it is within, and cannot be attained from outside the self (or soul). With this knowledge they must go through a process of introspection. When going through this introspective path, one develops his or her intuitive mind, and begins to believe in (have faith in) it. When one really begins to trust in their intuitive abilities they are able to become self-reliant. That is, they are able to form their own ideas and opinions based on their new found intuition, and not conform to societal norm. When self-reliant, one is really believing in the self and has that enormous confidence that allows one to be a ...

    Read More

  • The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

    729 Words  | 2 Pages

    Overall, The Meditations is in accordance to stoic thought. Marcus Aurelius wrote a lot about how to not let people, and of course externals affect your happiness. That we must, “take nothing in hand without purpose and nothing falsely or with dissimulation, depend not on another’s actions or inactions, accept each and every dispensation as coming from the same Source as itself.” If we live in accordance with stoic belief and what Aurelius wrote then we can achieve happiness.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Mindfulness

    945 Words  | 2 Pages

    Mindfulness involves accepting our thoughts and emotions without judgment, and without believing that there is a right or wrong way to feel in a given situation. Our thoughts and emotions are not labeled as good or bad. They are observed as simply happening until they pass. While practicing mindfulness one does not rehash the past or imagine the future. Attention is focused on what is being sensed in the present moment. There is a sense of self apart from things. Mindfulness is moment to moment awareness and purposefully placing attention on things that we wouldn’t normally give a second thought to. Mindfulness can be thought of as a way of being, rather than an activity. It is the awareness of wondering thoughts and purposefully directing them back, rather than letting them

    Read More

  • Yog Yoga And The Practice Of Yoga

    741 Words  | 2 Pages

    The way we think can also highly affect our way of life. By practicing keeping a positive outlook on life, this will help enable having a peaceful mind. Positive thinking and meditation also help to you remove negative thoughts and put your mind at ease.

    Read More

  • Aquinas Definition Of Happiness

    1464 Words  | 3 Pages

    After deep thought happiness is a feeling that has nothing to do with the truth but truth is an essential element to real

    Read More

  • Fraternization

    594 Words  | 2 Pages

    else you are now filled with an inner peace. Not a peace where you can't

    Read More

  • Buddhism and Western Psychology

    2137 Words  | 5 Pages

    Wallace, B. L., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). Mental balance and well-being. Building bridges between buddhism and western psychology, 61(7), 690-699.

    Read More

  • Happiness Is A Choice

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Happiness is an inner state of well-being and fulfilment, and therefore it has to come from inside. Every individual has his or her own emotions and way of thinking and as a result of this no one can really say what happiness is and what happiness is not. However, universally, happiness is a by-product of a healthy attitude and viewpoint. Happiness exists in everyone whether they choose to acknowledge and believe it or not. It is not rare nor is it something only the elite have: everyone has it but not everyone recognizes it. Contentment is finding a light at the end of every dark tunnel and in order to experience this we must ignore the pessimism surrounding us and remind ourselves that happiness is not a materialistic object but a choice and frame of mind.

    Read More

  • The Pursuit of Happiness

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Happiness is a feeling that humans naturally desire. Without it, one feels incomplete. In this generation, happiness has taken on a definition by how we are presented to one another. It is measured by how much money we have, how famous we are, or the things we possess. When in reality, none of these things guarantee a happy life. Happiness is something that cannot be bought with money, but rather, it must be found, earned, sought after. Each and every one of us has our own list of things that we consider to make us happy. However, happiness shines brightest through the relationships we create, and the goals we make for ourselves to strive after. Along with these two essential sources, we then can mix and match those things in life that we enjoy to create our own unique formula for happiness.

    Read More

  • Peace and Security

    1910 Words  | 4 Pages

    Collective security is one type of coalition building strategy whether global or regional in which a group of nations agree not to attack each other and to defend each other against an attack from one of the others, if such an attack is made. The principal is that "an attack against one is an attack against all." It differs from "collective defense" which is a coalition of nations which agree to defend its own group against outside attacks. It can also be described as a system where states attempt with its use to prevent or stop wars. Examples of Collective defense are NATO and the Warsaw Pact .The United Nations (UN) is the best example at an attempt at collective security. Many nations enter into such an agreement in an effort to maintain the status quo and to secure their best interests. Collective security is achieved when states come to an agreement on the need for same. As a result an international organization is formed under the rules of international law. The collective security organization then becomes an arena for diplomacy, balance of power and exercise of soft power. The use of hard power by states, unless legitimized by the Collective Security organization, is considered illegitimate, reprehensible and needing remediation of some kind. This idea of collective security was posited by people such as Immanuel Kant and Woodrow Wilson. There are a few basic assumptions as it relates to collective security, including , In an armed conflict, member nation-states will be able to agree on which nation is the aggressor another basic assumption is that each member state has freedom of action and ability to join in proceedings against the aggressor. Also of great importance is the fact that all member nation-states are e...

    Read More

  • Personal Essay On Inner Self

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    Inwardness is thought to be something within the self that is more meaningful and authentic than can be found in the outer world. The search for inwardness is a complex and private journey that is very ambiguous, but it is a path everyone should follow at some point in their life. It is not an easy thing to do, but if more people took up the task and found their inner self and their inner peace, not only would they be made better from it but the world around them would benefit too. When someone develops inwardness, they are surer of themselves, their own abilities, and their purpose on this Earth making our world a better place.

    Read More

More about Inner Peace

Open Document