I Want Peace! - Thus Spake Tan!

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A Quote for life!


“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.
Specialization is for Insects

Robert A Heinlein
(American science-fiction writer,1907-1988)

I Want Peace!

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Peace is a state of mutual harmony between people or groups, especially in personal relations. It is true that this definition goes beyond personal relations and holds good for relations between nations, groups, races and sects of people living in this world. It is aptly symbolized by a white dove or pigeon. A flying bird, which is not easy to catch hold of; however, we never stop running after it. Only a clean and saintly mind would be able to catch hold of peace in its true sense. Peace is defined by different people in different ways. Some say if they have lots and lots of money, they will be at peace. Some think if they are famous, they will attain peace. There is another group of people who thinks that peace lay in God. They work towards meeting and unite with God and that is the way they choose to conquer peace. There are still different types of people who have defined peace in still different ways. All of us move in a direction we think will give us peace and we move on until affected by an external force which shatters our faith and we take on a different route – again to arrive at peace! Almost like Newton’s law of motion, is not it? But, this is how it has been. Some search for peace in earthly belongings, some search for it in love and some search for it in their work (Karma)… A few attain peace, by the last breath of their lives. For some, even that is not so – peace elude them throughout!

Happiness and peace are two different states. One may be happy but not in peace; however, one in peace is happy – almost always. Happiness is with you and peace is a mutual state of thought. If you are at peace with yourself, with your soul you ought to be happy. We will talk about it later. Let me tell you a short story here that I heard yesterday which prompted me to write this. You will enjoy this.

One fine day a lady went to a spiritual Guru (a preacher) and told him, “I want peace.” She was confident and very much happy to have zeroed in to this question. For she knew that if she attains peace, she will be happy! The Guru asked her to repeat her question/ask. She reiterated aloud, “I Want Peace.” The Guru smiled at her. He said, “Get rid of the first word and say it again.” She said, “Want Peace.” The Guru told again with a smile in his face, “Get rid of the first letter again and say.” The lady shouted out, “Peace!” “There you are, my lady,” the Guru said with a smirk. “Now you have reached ‘Peace’. Is it not what you wanted to have?” “No!” She said. She told that she just did not want to have the word peace, but wanted absolute peace for herself. She wanted to be at peace with her family and friends. She wanted to be at peace with her husband and children. She wanted to be at peace with herself. The Guru held her hand and told her in the calmest voice, “My lady, if you get rid of the first two words (‘I’ and ‘Want’), as you have done just now, you will attain peace for sure; for, peace is within yourself. When you will stop thinking only about yourself and you will dispose of all materialistic wants, yearnings and desires, you will be at peace! There will be no more dissatisfaction, discontentment or covet in your life and you will be happy with whatever you have and in whatever you do. This is peace, my lady. Go, work on this now.”

I am not sure if the lady understood the notion or how many of us would understand the same; but this is all about attaining peace. This story was told to me yesterday by Rajesh Madhavan, who heard it in his childhood from one of his beloved teachers. I wish, I could meet that teacher of his!

Peace is inside us – inside oneself. We need not go out to look for it. Satisfaction and Self Esteem are two things to reflect on in the route to achieve peace. One thing that is in absolute necessity in today’s world is peace. If all the nations and sects are in perfect synchronization with each other, there will be peace worldwide. Peace can never come riding on the shoulders of terror or atrocity. May you be in peace – may God bless us all with it. May there be peace all around us – making Earth a better place to live in!






Also posted in:
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Portal to the Hindu World

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Peace is something we have withing ourselves and by searching it outside we are committing the same mistake as the man who was searching for the coin in lost in the house outside because there was more light!

Wants and needs, self and others. This distinction is difficult to make but once we make it we reach peace!

I Zaydi said...

:)

loved it.. was feelng low but this made me relaxed a bit.. i wnated peace of body nd dere i go......

Patty said...

What a wonderful post. If only we could have world peace. Do you suppose if everyone at the same time said the word peace it could happen? Thanks for sharing your post.

Sorry I haven't been around too often, have been very busy this past week.

I usually make post ahead and pick a date for them to appear, but I noticed this morning, my post I've done ahead are getting down to just a few.

Have a wonderful week-end, it's just around the corner.

Deepanjan said...

Hi bro! I'm from South Kolkata...somewhere close to Jadavpur Univ.

Anonymous said...

Enlightening post! But it is difficult to eliminate "I" and "want". If there is no "I" then how can "I" experience peace?

Tan said...

@ Rashi/RV

What a wonderful example... truly nice and apt one ...

@ Insiya/Illusion

I'm happy to see you were relaxed after reading this!!! lol ...

@ Patty

Thanks Ma'am for visiting and reading this ... If everyone of us scream out Peace together, there would be more chaos I feel ... kidding! That’s a good thought. I'm not sure if that will bring peace to all, but that would be a good gesture for World Unity!

Do visit and read my posts here - your comments are valuable!!

@ Deepanjan

Thanks for the information ... I was just curious!!

@ Sudipta

A nice question you have asked. I will try to answer this myself!! (Don’t thrash me for this)

Peace, to me is a holistic thing - does not confine to you or me. When I want peace, I want it for myself, for my wife, for my parents, for my friends, for my loved ones and in turn, for everyone else in the World ... So, it’s not just for me ... Well, think it this way mate: If I'm peaceful and my wife is not, then will I actually be in peace? No! So, for me being in peace, everyone around me should be in peace! As Patty said above, it’s more like World Peace which we should preach and think of right now ... for this is how we attain peace ourselves!!

Amias (ljm and liquidplastic) said...

This is a very profound post. I just want you to know I read this .. but will hold my comment until I read it again doing tea time .. This warrants a second read.

Tan said...

Amias ... thanks for that, but did you come back to read it the second time?? Hmmm ... do it in the weekend ... I will be waiting for your comment here ... :)

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