Its time for…yet another post on existence and being! A more reflective/philosophical post (ugh love these sort of things over drinks).
What is the meaning of life? perhaps not meaning per se - but something more deliberate. I recall one of my earlier posts, focused on survivalism and the like. But after some light brushes with religion, I had started thinking again around this topic.
I first feel that there is an innate struggle of man to overcome our animalistic survival instincts in favour of peace and acceptance. But what do we accept? Are what we accept objective truths or subjective perceptions? We, do afterall, live in a rather gray, asymmetric world. There are inumberable things to do and not do, and things unanswerable that a mortal lifespan will struggle to answer. But are some of these questions right or necessary?
And so I think peace or harmony as an outcome, to me, captures the essence of spirituality. “Harmony”, I do like, as it also considers change, and dynamism.
Peace
It is a child’s innocuous hand grasping something soft for the first time; it is the agreement to disagree ; it is the clarity of belief and engagement of our inner confidence ; it is our thoughts matching our actions ; it is the stones unturned, and the stones left unturned ; it is the freedom to be, and wholly embrace ourselves and others; it is the quest for the inner quiet, when the world is but a cacophony of noise.
A noble and beautiful thing to work towards. Surely.
But, as with many things, there are many paths, and ways to get there.
Peace in People
I think there is a great peace to be found in others, who are able to wholly embrace you. Some call it love. Some call it unconditional love. I romanticise a fearless sense of acceptance of one self if the right people and right environment can enable this.
Peace in Routine
I think habits help terribly well. There is peace in consistency and familiarity, of which habits/routines are the tools to maintain these. Things change, and many times they are out of our control, but to have a routine that we are able to freely choose, a ritual to remind ourselves of our being I think is a brilliant tool.
Peace in Religion
Religion of course, is what I now view to be one of the most universal paths (and the inspiration for this post). It, in my view, is an amalgamation of man kind’s wisdom on achieving peace. It provide people, routine, rules, harmony and much more. Some ancient dude must have said that this stuff is good/works. And so, it stuck.
I can see that the structures of religion can greatly accelerate the path to peace.
I have reflected and remarked that freethinkers may very well be the most tortured of souls, fighting an individual war to define and win the battle for the ultimate peace. It leaves the soul swimming in a sea of emotions and feelings, without the bedrock of a community, without the lighthouse of doctrine, without the anchor to start with - all of which I feel are things that religion can offer.
As someone brought up a freethinker and believer in the scientific theory, I must disagree with the absolute laws and uncompromising conditions that religions bear, though I can agree with the “salvation” that it brings. I would still be far more disposed towards religious pluralism over religious exclusivity.
Peace in Belief
But can too much peace be a good thing? Does it make living less dramatic, more diminished? There could be a fiery spiciness to the unpeaceful curiosities - some relish the thrill, gossip on benign misfortune, mystery and adventure, wanderlust and more.
More broadly, a question that came to mind - is peace an opposer to productive change? Surely revolutions have been rather unpeaceful approaches to obtaining peace.
But I think this theory holds…for revolutionary action for many, is, in someways one man/woman’s ultimate fight for inner peace. Fighting for one’s passions and beliefs as opposed to not - is the very spark that ignites human ingenuity, sates curiosity, and the preparedness for conflict that we have all evolved to have.
Perhaps this would be a clear example of finding peace in action, rather than inaction.
Peace in Death
…Nuff said.
The Gift of Peace
And so I conclude and reflect that there is a great gift to be found in helping ourselves and our loved ones get a headstart to find, or a nudge closer towards the attainement of peace.
As an extension to this thought - to achieve peace quicker/earlier is a probably one of the greatest priveleges one can bear. In the context of family/children - I suppose there are ways material and immaterial that can be bestowed to generations below to attain this. It could be the provision to build a head with good-enough sense to:
- Afford a good life (ie minimum needs met), without infringing / sacrificing on values;
- To discover and achieve their calling and beliefs;
- To find their “tribe” of people;
- and the freedom to choose their rituals.
Perhaps that is a way to express and love that I can understand. It ain’t just hugs and kisses.
There is more space for freethinkers (such as I) to find peace. Equally so, more uncertainty.
I can afford it now, in times of relative peace and harmony (in the physical sense of non-conflict. A rarity, in the annals of history)
And so I must maintain an awareness that the constant hunt for survival, or war, disaster and death would beget a need to find a quicker path to peace. And one’s mind must be open to the necessary path, at the right momemnt. Crises of Faith are triggered perhaps, by the constant definition and re-definition of the most suitable pathway to sorely needed peace.
There are no right or wrong paths. We are all wayward pilgrims on the journey to figure out whatever needs to be figured out.
What is your Peace?