Peace Keepin’
Window Into Inner Peace // Art by Asokan Nanniyode
Everyone has the responsibility to figure out for themselves what it is they want, what they really want — or at the very least, whether they’ve figured it out or not, they’re expected to decide.
Peace of mind is something that we all want, sure, but what about joy, excitement, enthusiasm, elation? Well of course we want those too! But they remain fleeting without the inner peace within ourselves that prime & sustain such glorious states.
With that, I believe, and I’ll argue that we cannot have clarity of what we want without the sense of inner peace about who we are, or at least, who we’ve chosen to be.
Young adults are notorious for their lack of compassion, (self) awareness, and foresight. Throw them the internet with virtual carp launch on Information with extra-instant gratification — and you get some really naïve, impatient, touchy, hard-headed, hyper-stimulated kids who still don’t know what they really want.
This I understand, I’ve been one of those kids! Still restraining myself from behaving like the same ole kid.. — So who am I to talk about peace??
I’m not making any attempt to teach inner peace here, but I can share a few things I know about being peaceful. I know it helps to be open, and curious, and humble. And I would argue that the basic necessities for sustaining inner peace (that humans will naturally fallback to) are our health, our sense of freedom, & creative contribution to a greater cause (participation).
Jus’ my opinion - and there are plenty of other much more popular “formulas” to a Life of Inner Peace, but in my experience, I think it works pretty well as a fair template. — It’s not like whenever you capture those three things, you bounce into this bliss state with tenured peace, like no, this is Life. Things change! All the time, and they have to and so do we, and sometimes it gets real hard to change, and the change be slow.. Yet we know that it’s in moments of transition where we’re most likely to drop the ball, to ‘lose our peace’, and most vulnerable when we do.
The passage from school to Life is a huge and rich developmental period. With so many inner & outer landscapes changing, and new responsibilities being introduced, it’s easy to feel out of place and overwhelmed about the future.
This is why I care to express this so much; now is the time to pay close attention to the things that fascinate you, and to really tune in to the lines of work & services that you can’t help but support. Invest yourself in those interests however much you can and generate some momentum for when the time comes where you’ve got to decide what to do with yourself. With this, you develop that self-trust, that faith within yourself that you are doing what’s needed and supporting what’s good, and you are in touch with who you are, and you are where you mean to be. If that doesn’t bring you a sense of peace, I honestly don’t know what would.
Make the f***** effort to get a little closer to the things that truly move you.
— anonymously me
I had the slightest idea about who I was when I finished high school, and I was so incredibly indecisive about who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do because I was legitimately interested in so many career fields and saw so much potential in two dozen different directions, but I never took the initiative to immerse myself in any of them. On top of chronic indecision, I was so damn sensitive to the opinions of others, so any passion or enthusiasm I had about any specific field or direction could be so easily discouraged by a simple doubt.
I care too much what people think, I let other people’s judgment affect my own. Perhaps too much or too often, but I allow it because in a way it helps me relate & share with others. I know this makes me more prone to group-think and people-pleasing, but I’ll always find it charming when I come across other people who do it too, because I see their will to cooperate and that they care to adopt, or at least just listen to perspectives other than their own.
I’ve realized that well yeah, nods & approval from others means a lot and it’s encouraging, but what I really want from my education and my work is to be enthused & passionate about my craft and its contribution to the lives of others — to know that my work lifts moods within my network, and inspires forward progress in my community.
Now of course I did not think in these terms at all when I was 17, 18, 19; it wasn’t until I got deeper into my studies of anthropology, philosophy & spirituality, plus a handful of real bittersweet drug experiences when I really took an interest in this whole “self-actualization for the sake of the greater good” ideal.
However! It does not take a bachelor’s in a social science nor any stimulant or psychedelic to think in these terms or care in this way. All it takes is an open mind and a little bit of curiosity about what being human is all about.
So I ask, what is it that you’re about?
What are the things that enthuse you most?
What blows your mind & warms your heart?
I can’t stress enough how significant it is to really dig into and explore your answers to these questions. And please, for the love of what’s good, when you come to a realization about them, make the f****** effort to integrate it. Don’t just go about your days basking in your “new” self-discovery; do right by feeding that connection, cultivate it, do what you can to embrace it. Who knows where it’ll take you.
In conclusion, the assumption that I’m making here is that that long-lasting, heart-warming, ultra-durable kind of peace that we all want comes from our own effort. This isn’t about getting anywhere, or attaining anything; it’s about being full of what you love and putting it to good use. Please hear me out on this, the point here is how much of you is given to your work - because the only thing that can sustain your peace is your own effort.
Better believe it.
Peace,
— T