I understand the motivation behind the search for happiness. I understand the draw to it. The promise of freedom, of transcendence beyond the ‘conditioned everyday’, of some greater, more meaningful, state of being than that which we’ve come to know. And, the reminders? The reminders for the pursuit of happiness are everywhere. Often, veiled in the shroud of consumerism accompanied by manipulative attempts to find depth in the shallow end of the pool.
But, the real happiness, that happiness is real. It’s the happiness that the all the ‘how to be happy’ books tell you that you find on the inside; separate from anything else except for you. It’s the happiness that the Dalai Lama would say requires nothing more than inner discipline and your mind. (I might add the heart in there, too).
The real happiness, it is as the master guru guides; from within. For all measures of intents and purposes, differences in wealth, class, occupation, personal circumstance or health, have no bearing on one’s ability to attain happiness. It is real. Yet, for many, perhaps for most, it is like trying to capture the clouds with your hands.
Happiness is within everyone. It is a purpose of this existence. Its ethereal nature and reliance upon one’s self make it no easy task to endeavour upon. The mind occupies great power and the mind commands great power. The path toward happiness armed with nothing more than inner monologue and neural synapses is a challenging path, to say the least. Seemingly, a path with no definitive beginning.
It’s why I search for peace. Without looking for it. Peace, I believe, you create; you intentionally cultivate. You bring it to you with categorical certainty rather than chase and contemplate and assess. Peace, you agree to with your self and the universe to choose to be a part of.
How do we choose peace? We choose peace deliberately, both tangibly and otherwise. We see it and we don’t. Peace shows itself with consistency for everyone. The inner workings of the mind are not navigable in a blanket theory. I can no easier tell myself how to think and feel than I can anyone else. But, peace is accessible because of the objective decisions we can make to be a part of it.
Peace translates itself in how we process our world around us. Peace is in the quiet; in taking time for yourself to be in stillness. Peace is in a tidy home and an organized workspace. Peace is in taking steps to feel confident in your physical self; to feel comfortable. To only wear the clothes you feel good in, even if it means wearing the same four outfits over and over. Peace is to feel strong; it is to move your body. Peace is at the top of a short to-do list. Start and finish the tasks and projects you need to that support making your life easier. How our mind processes the calm of organization and order is gravely underestimated. Peace follows when you lead with making choices to exile unproductive drama from your life; in whatever capacity it presents itself and that you can. Peace is removing the negativity of the daily news. It’s choosing to consume media and entertainment that calms and enriches your mind. Or, makes you laugh and smile or even brings tears of emotion, whether sad or happy. It’s not absorbing that which induces fear, terror, anger and anxiety. Peace is reading a book. Peace is eating well. Not all the time, but most of the time. Peace is being with people that make you better, and that you make better. It is being yourself. Peace is being able to make choices of what you want to do and who you want to be.
In a sentence, peace is in the de-cluttering of your physical space, your emotional space, your mental space and your spiritual space. And, you get as far in each as you can for when you can. Individually and harmoniously, as you ascend, those spaces will pull each other up. The evolution of who you are will become more apparent the more you allow yourself to make the choices that support your evolution. Brick by brick, you will pave a path of peace. A path that leads to the uncovered happiness within. And, even further still, to….
….be Love.
