Peace of mind is that strange feeling that people chase after, yearn for and yet somehow never seem to find. There are always distractions that get in the way of actually attaining it, though even in a busy world, peace of mind is possible and even plausible. When your peace of mind is shattered by an endless stream of words and retorts, it’s hard to look beyond those things. To gain peace of mind, one has to be familiar with peace, and that’s a hard thing for people today to grasp. Listen to a brook as it makes its way over the stones that lie beneath the surface.
Watch how the color of the hills changes with the closing of a day
Take in those things which are gifts to you if you are willing to receive them. The problem is that distractions get in the way of ever feeling that urge to embrace nature. People ask themselves not whether it’s worth stopping to smell the roses, but if they have time to do so. A soul deprived of the aromas of nature or the colors of spring is a desolate place where there can be little peace of mind. Even the beggar in the desert has more chance of achieving peace of mind if he takes the time to appreciate the rising sun above the dunes of sand and sees that beauty of it, regardless of his lowly state. Contrasting that with people who live in houses with televisions and all the trappings of success in life, these people often miss the point entirely because they are too busy surrounding themselves with things to appreciate the peace of mind attained from nothing at all.
Within the human being, there is a part of the spirit which needs nurturing
Deprive the body of light, colors, sounds, and aromas and it becomes very bland indeed, although there are people who deprive themselves of these naturally occurring elements in favor of commercial hype. How many times did you stop to appreciate the color of a rose or the aroma which emanates from it? How many sunsets did you see in the last year? How many times have you stood on a hill away from people and realized the beauty of the earth, and the splendor of the gifts it gives which have no price tag.
There is a place on Dartmoor in the United Kingdom where you can stand next to an old chapel at the top of a hill and see the whole of Dartmoor spread out in all directions. From this point, viewers can see the wonders of the world lying in front of them and embrace them, though not many do. It takes an effort to climb the hill to the chapel and many prefer to sit in the shaded car park and eat sandwiches. There are places such as this all over the world, and maybe a stone’s throw from where you live. The demonstration given here is that those who do make that effort will become aware of peace of mind, and allow nature to caress their souls. Those in the car park simply sit amid others and chatter, and this chattering takes away the opportunity for the soul to be nurtured.
A sight such as seen upon the hill described can evoke tears in time of pain. It can evoke all kinds of emotions that people stifle. Kahlil Gibran describes this process succinctly in his phrase:
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
That may seem a little obscure for some to grasp, though the meaning is crystal clear. Unless you take the time to feel pain, to grieve, to hurt and to understand that pain, you can never actually find peace of mind. This pain and suffering that he describes as “breaking the shell” are necessary for enlightenment and it is from this enlightenment that the first seeds of hope are sown, leading to a better understanding and thus a more complete self. This more complex and complete self knows not just the problems that surround it, but finds solutions and overcomes those obstacles which get in the way of becoming at one and at peace.
Perhaps your world throws situations at you which are too difficult to handle. Perhaps you see these are unsurmountable. The point is that you need time alone to look and examine all problems and the nearest place you can be with your God is upon that hill or anywhere in the world where thoughts are clear and judgment not clouded. If you find yourself unable to face those demons, then this is a normal feeling since perplexity begins the journey toward self-discovery and peace of mind. Kahlil Gibran tells readers who are suffering from perplexity:
Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge.
There are many kinds of human beings, though those who go beyond perplexity to understanding become strong and find peace of mind quicker than those who see perplexity as too difficult and divert their attention to other things because it’s easier. There is no easy road toward peace of mind.
Matthew 7:7 probably gives one of the best examples from the Bible:
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Peace of mind is found, not by avoidance. It is found by asking yourself or your God for solutions to problems that weigh heavily on the soul. It is found by seeking out nature and finding the simplicity of answers unavailable to those who don’t take the time out to look. It’s there for everyone who knocks at the door, or who tries to break that shell that encloses individual understanding. Once you achieve this, you will find peace of mind and be able to bask in its glory, ready to meet any challenge that life throws your way, content in the knowledge that your God walks beside you watching your progress through life and very content that you have embraced all that He offers.
