We use the word peaceful to refer to people or situations. Thus, an individual is peaceful when he is calm and at peace. The same happens with those situations in which an atmosphere of well-being and without disturbances is breathed.
A peaceful life requires a certain balance between the material and the immaterial
Some personal circumstances generate uneasiness and a not very peaceful existence. Thus, lack of money, emotional problems or unwanted loneliness are clear examples of life experiences that produce restlessness and discomfort. If someone has a lot of money but lacks friends and lives in isolation, it cannot be said that their life is precisely peaceful.
Conversely, someone with good friends and a stable love life but without financial resources will not enjoy the necessary emotional balance either. Thus, material and non-material goods (mainly love and friendship) must be balanced to achieve inner well-being.
The search for serenity
The idea of mildness is equivalent to another, serenity. There are several ways to reach it. In the Eastern tradition, yin and yang and nirvana are the two ways to achieve the desired inner peace or serenity of spirit. In the western tradition, ataraxia is one of the proposals to achieve authentic peace of mind.
The yin and yang of Taoism are two complementary principles that must direct existence to achieve inner peace. The yin symbolizes the feminine part of the individual and the yang the masculine and both forces have to complement each other, otherwise the spirit is in permanent imbalance. In Buddhism, the soul achieves fulfillment and happiness when the individual manages to free himself from desires and worries and this spiritual level is known as nirvana.
The ancient Greeks, especially the Stoics, understood ataraxia as the imperturbability of the mind. In this way, ataraxia is reached when the mood remains calm under any circumstance. According to the Stoic ideal, success or failure should not disturb the serenity of the spirit.
The false mildness
Although we all seek serenity and inner peace, very often the chosen path is the wrong one. In this way, excessive consumerism, addictions or pleasure for pleasure may be seemingly desirable strategies, but all of them provide an inauthentic serenity and a false placidity.
Photos: Fotolia - bokasana / val_iva
