Restoring Peace from Within
Each day we fill our lives with schedules and to-do lists, encounter emergencies and face moments of unpredictability. In the momentum of change, life asks us to produce at an ever increasing speed, yet never allows us to adjust at the rate it increases. As you “hurry to get things done” (sing it Alabama), how much peace do you experience? I don’t mean high/low cycles of satisfaction, but actual peace? Do you live within balance?
Einstein said that our world is a product of our thinking, so let’s look at some of our thoughts. Stripped of its content …
A desirous thought says: My source of peace lies somewhere in the future
A fearful thought says: I’m losing or might lose my source of peace
An angry thought says: Someone or something has disturbed my source of peace
A guilty/shameful thought says: My source of peace lies somewhere in the past
A depressing/ hopeless thought says: I’ve lost it forever
A prideful thought says: I am my own source of peace / I created my peace
A general thought says: Give me your attention. Peace is not available now.
Much of our thinking suggests that the source of peace is out there! It is hidden in that relationship, that sports car, that amazing job, that special award, that prestige. When we project our source of peace outside ourselves, we set ourselves up for suffering (not peace). You don’t have to be spiritual to realize the impermanence of everything around you.
Restoring Peace from Within
Focused on content, most thoughts say “wait for peace” in some way. But by doing so, you separate yourself from the only time it can be experienced: The present moment. Think about it. You don’t experience the future directly. It will happen in the present moment. You didn’t experience the past. It happened in the present moment. If something happens, it happens now.
Peace is always here in the present moment. The only thing that is blocking your access to it is you. So if you want peace, stop waiting for it. Instead of projecting peace externally, realize that peace is already within you. It is right here, right now, just waiting to be experienced. Just let go and be you. Enjoy your existence. 
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