Siddhārtha Gautama
The Buddha is just one of many spiritual leaders who have shared this wisdom. It is undeniable. It is also as important in these troubling times as it was in the 4th Century B.C.E. I invite you to consider the importance of inner peace as we move through these perilous times.
Modern life wants us to believe that our happiness and peace depend on what happens beyond ourselves. Advertisers want us to think that by buying their product or service, we will be happy. Politicians offer us happiness through their policies. Societies that we conform to their rules and regulations in return for a peaceful world. The world wants us to believe that our peace and the things that make for peace lay outside of the human spirit. When we buy into this foolishness, we delegate our hope for peace to the world around us.
Billions of people project their inner chaos onto the world. Other people react and respond to those projections. It then reverberates back into our lives, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of continuing turmoil.
Consider this example. A few people in a neighborhood notice a stranger from a different ethnic group walking down the street. One or two of them have had bad experiences or have heard of others having bad experiences with someone in that ethnic group. They project their fears and anxiety on that person. They assume his reason for being on the street is evil. They then share their suspicions with their neighbors. Some of those hearing these suspicions will become angry at their neighbor's racism, projecting their bigotry on the neighbors. They start a new "angry narrative" in the neighborhood. Some, again acting out of their internal needs, will jump to defend the neighbors with whom they agree and condemn others. A stranger walking down the street has inflamed the passions of an entire neighborhood. Where does the responsibility lay for this lack of peace? With the stranger? Or with the individual spirits of those in the neighborhood?
The same happens when we encounter a setback or challenge. It will trigger our fears and anxieties. We may overstate the consequences and turn it into a catastrophe in the making. We may fear the uncertainty of the future and deny that it will have any real impact on us or those we love. Both of these are coping mechanisms that we use to deal with our inherent lack of peace. Once this happens, we respond to this outer challenge with our inner turmoil. Others see and react to our turmoil, adding more chaos to our lives.
This inner turmoil may blind us to the remnants of peace that may still exist around us. The snowball begins to roll. It picks up more snow and speeds away down the hill.
Much of our world is facing a deadly and challenging time. How do we limit the spread of the COVID19 virus? While the science is clear, people are bringing their prejudices to the party. Public figures have offered different opinions based on what is most important to them. The rest of us start choosing-up sides. Chaos follows our inner turmoil, and people are dying because of it. This chaos is not the result of a virus. It grows directly from projecting our fears and anxieties on those around us with whom we disagree, the stranger in the neighborhood of our mind.
What would happen if the neighbors looked out their window and could see that it was just a person walking down the street?
What would happen if we all took a step back and started listening to the facts alone?
What would happen if we opened our eyes and ears to those who understand the facts?
Tip
Imagine being able to recognize the things in our lives that trigger suspicion, anxiety, fear, and shame so that we can loosen their grip on our lives.
Imagine letting our emotions empower us to act in ways that serve the common good without giving them free rein over our choices and actions.
Imagine having the inner strength to resist the lead of those who are engaged in fear-mongering and self-serving manipulation of the situation.
Will people still die from the virus? Yes, people will die. Peace is not the absence of suffering or even death.
There are things we can do to limit the deaths from this virus. There are things we can do to help out those who are losing their jobs because of the pandemic. There are ways that we can mitigate the suffering created by all of this. Hope exists, but only when our hearts still the chaos and know peace.
Peace is possible in the middle of this pandemic. It requires that we find ways to live meaningful lives amid the natural suffering in our world. We can work together, care together, and suffer together. These are meaningful actions that are not dependent on any outcome. Such action will calm the furies blowing in our souls. Once our souls find peace, our minds and bodies can join together and find our way through these times.
There will be days when we "lose it." There will be moments when we cannot see past our feelings of anger, shame, inadequacy, and fear. These feelings remind us that something important is happening around us. However, we can absorb that anger and fear and not "act out" our feelings. Use the energy these feelings create to move us toward meaningful action. Engage our minds to direct our bodies to "act on" our emotions. Then, we will be able to maintain and share our inner peace and make a meaningful difference in the lives of those around us.
How can I learn how to act on, rather than act out my feelings? "Acting on" is the result of developing a healthy spiritual life. By growing our capacity for love, trust, joy, and hope, we will find ourselves better able to withstand the storms in life and troubling people we encounter. Please check out the archives of Self Care Notes for information on how to grow a healthier spirit.
In the meantime, step back and give yourself the time to embrace a quieter, more peaceful inner life. Find something meaningful to do. Obey "Stay at Home" orders. Maintain a safe social distance from the vulnerable in your life. Reach out to friends and family who may be alone. Donate to an organization helping people through this pandemic. There are lots of ways we can take meaningful action. Finally, join your spirit with those around you and write a new ending to these perilous times.
We all have an opportunity to make peace in these dark days. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood what it took to get through dangerous moments in history. He taught us, "Be the peace you wish to see in the world!" He understood that we could re-write the ending of a deeply segregated America. We can also re-write the conclusion of the global pandemic of 2020.
Look within. Discover peace in yourself. Share that peace with others, and that new day will dawn.
“You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one”
(John Lennon)
Blessings,
Bob