The Peace That Passes Understanding

By Jim Young

Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.  ~ Baruch Spinoza

Recent polls show that if you ask people what they want most, "peace" is the first response.

When we consider the events in the world today and couple them with the responsibilities of raising a family, caring for a home, and holding down a job, how could peace not be at the top of the list?

But what do we mean by peace?  Does our experience of peace depend upon the circumstances around us, or does it depend upon something within us?  Is peace something that we can create, or is it something that must be discovered?

If we examine the history of man, it is not too hard to imagine that peace is something people of all times have wanted.  There have always been wars, famines, plagues, and other stressful events.  However, our history shows us that–as a race–we have not been too successful in experiencing peace. Perhaps the problem lies in our understanding of what peace is?  If we don't know what it really is, how can we ever experience it?

The dictionary defines peace as "the cessation of hostilities” more commonly referred to as, the absence of war, but is this really peace?  Even in those periods between conflicts tensions build again.  Nations predict who the next enemy might be, set up departments to watch them, draw up plans to counter their anticipated moves, and eventually, almost as a self-fulfilling prophecy, hostilities erupt once again.

It is relatively easy for us to see how this pattern plays out in the history of nations, particularly those that existed long ago in distant places, but it is not so easy to look around us and recognize those same patterns at work in our own lives.  Every one of us knows people who have gone from one job to the next, or one relationship to the next, and experienced the same drama as they did before. Do you think that it is just a coincidence that these people have these patterns in their lives, or is there something inside of them that is creating these experiences? 

I believe if we reflect on this, we will realize that if people aren’t experiencing peace within, they will never experience peace without; no matter what the circumstances might be.  For example, suppose one of these people won an all expense paid "Peace For A Day" prize.  For this one day, their salary would be paid, competent persons would do their job, care for their family, and take care of the household chores. We can imagine such a person arising for the day delighted that he or she would experience total peace.  Perhaps a massage would help him or her to release tension and experience the peace that is so eagerly desired.  It is not hard for us to imagine that at first the experience would be quite peaceful, but eventually this individual would begin to realize this is only for one day.  What about tomorrow?  In the morning it will be back to the usual chores, getting the kids ready for school, getting ready for work, listening to the news on the car radio, attending meetings, managing deadlines, and all the rest.  And right there on the massage table, with the soft music playing in the background, in a perfectly peaceful environment, we would have an individual who is not experiencing peace.  Why?  Because peace is not something that happens to us from the outside, it is something that proceeds from within us to the world around us.   A person who has not discovered his or her inner peace will not be peaceful in even the most peaceful of settings.  On the other hand, a person who has found a way to discover his or her inner peace can and will be peaceful in all situations, and will shine the light of peace into the darkness. 

At this point, you may be asking if this means that as you find your way to experience inner peace, you will no longer experience stressful conditions in your life.  The answer to that question is both "yes" and "no."  It is “ no,” because life happens and the things we once considered to be stressful will continue to happen.  Loved ones will get sick, cars will bump into one another, companies will lay off employees, financial markets will fluctuate, fortunes will be lost, and there will be wars and rumors of wars. Yes, the world will continue on.  But, when we find inner peace, these events will no longer be as stressful to us as they once were.  Like Shadrach, we may find ourselves in the furnace, but the flames will not affect our sense of inner peace.  Right here is where this new definition of peace, a peace that moves from within to without, passes understanding.  Since our race has largely come to define peace as something that is dependent upon external events, it does not, and will not make sense (understanding) to those who don’t agree that peace is an inside job.  If you know someone who falls into that category, invite him or her to read Victor Frankyl’s Man’s Search For Meaning.  It is an inspiring story of how one man lost his loved ones, his possessions, endured the inhumanity of concentration camps, and came to the realization that he alone was responsible for his thoughts.  Victor Frankyl chose not to hate, even in the midst of Auschwitz.  If this man could live in those circumstances and choose his emotions, then there is hope for all of us to choose peace.

The answer to the question of whether or not we will no longer experience stressful conditions is also "yes," because as we change, we stop attracting ourselves to the drama that we have been playing out.  For example, I was working as a middle manager in Corporate America when my Spiritual Awakening began in earnest.  At that time, I enjoyed a good argument, and if there was one around, I would find it.  If there wasn't, I would start it.  However, as I grew, my desire to participate in such events diminished.  One of my friends, who loved to argue with me, finally told me that I was just no fun anymore.  He said it used to be that he could always depend on me for a good argument, and now he couldn't "get my goat."  Fortunately for my friend, there was no shortage of people who loved to argue.  The arguments continued, without my participation, and they did not disturb my experience of peace.  In fact, it was quite amusing for me to finally realize that what was going on was some sort of a game, or a play that was unfolding before my eyes.  It was even more amusing to realize that I used to participate in the game and thought it was real. 

It seems, then, that the peace that we are crying out for isn’t the worldly definition of peace, which is dependent upon the creation of the right set of external circumstances, but rather it is the peace that passes understanding. That is, the peace that is discovered within and flows from within to without, eventually displaying itself as peace in our lives, in our communities, and in our world. 

The question then arises as to how to discover this peace?  That answer really depends upon the individual.  The approaches vary from the secular and psychological, through the religious, and on to the spiritual and mystical.  For each person there is an approach that is perfectly suited to him or her, and each one must find it and exercise the discipline to follow it.  The shelves of the bookstores have many titles with many techniques for discovering inner peace; the Internet is full of resources to help one discover inner peace; and our community is blessed with self-help, support, religious, spiritual, mystical, educational, and meditation groups to help an individual on the path of peace.  If you will commit yourself to finding the way that is right for you, you will find it.  When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.

Besides showing that people want peace, the polls also show they want "me time."  By now, it should be obvious that without making the time to go within to discover the peace that passes understanding, we will never have peace in our lives or our world.  I invite you to make the time to do so, even if it seems like a struggle at first.  As you develop your own sense of inner peace, your world of circumstances will begin to change, and the time that you need to do your inner work will make itself available to you. 

We all want peace.  Now that we know that it is an inside job, we must ask if we are willing to let it begin with us, and if so we must begin.  Together, let’s make 2007 a year of peace – inner peace.

Namasté

©2006 by Jim Young.  All rights reserved. Jim Young is the co-pastor of the Coastal Carolina Religious Science Center in Wilmington, NC.  Jim leads a Peace Meditation on the last Sunday of every month at 10:30 AM.  All are welcome.  www.ccrsc.org

Online Exclusive at Innerchangemag.com August 2007.