Inner peace I: The Problem
Going beyond tips and tricks to inner satisfaction.
It’s a long walk ahead. We can take one step at a time. And hopefully, eventually, we will reach the mountain of our goal. However, what keeps us moving ahead. This difficult path is filled with fighting addictions, ignoring corporal pleasures, fighting the urges, and whatnot. Additionally, on average, there is no help coming. There is a plethora of motivation content: tips, tricks, and techniques. Still, we have to push on our own. Sounds simple. We have to push a nerve signal to the leg, pick it up, push forward and put it down with force. And yet, without spending our energy, it’s impossible. Even if we take a step on someday and in some moment. It’s not enough. Only with consistent effort, can something significant be achieved. We need this energy, this motivation all the time. We can read motivating quotes, watch videos, or “just do it”. However, only self-reliance can free us from this constant need for motivation. But how?
Different religions have different interpretations. A life well-lived is motivated by another eternal life, a meeting with God, or even salvation. Some philosophies ask you to invent your own meaning (Nietzsche). Define your own life. Even if somehow we are able to find that meaning, it doesn’t stay with us all the time.
How do we move beyond them? Even with inspiration, self-motivation is elusive. A constant urge to succeed. A fire within.
It is there, hidden behind walls of weakness. A body that pushes its limits, a mind that tries to accommodate the most profound thoughts, and a soul reaching towards the divine. Fulfilling the purpose of all three. Going beyond the limits of negative thoughts. Complete purity, reaching towards the light. Accepting our purpose in this universe. True bliss, and not just a thought. Feeling its presence in all three of our constituents. Everything is, as it’s supposed to be. A fulfilled moment. Nothing is needed in the current moment. Only an urge to be in this state forever. However, the mind will deplete its resources (blood, and activity), the body will lose its strength, and the soul will slip away (hidden in the thoughts). Refresh it. Push all three once more. Once more try to fill their purpose. Sounds like the right motivation? Could be. But it’s still ephemeral.
It could be the right way for some people. A few motivation lines and they are ready for the world. A constant stream of morning WhatsApp messages: “Good morning! You are awesome. Now win the world.”
For most of us, life is not a movie. There are no quick solutions. One grinding song and we are there, fighting the champions (Rocky). The memory of a loved one, at the right moment, making us perform the ultimate push towards the goal. Life is pain and failure. And repeat.
You will have the best of intentions, you would be among the best out there, and still, you will fall down. In anime (One Piece), every time you are down, you push back, again and again. At some moment the characters succeed. It’s a nice story. Good motivation. But not life.
Real-life doesn’t work like that. You can watch 100 motivation videos at a time. And the next day you will be back to square one. Same depressing sadness, an urge to not move a single muscle. At some point, we have to start accepting failures. There is no shame in losing one or two days. Not all days can be won.
A body hurts from exercise but makes it better. Similarly, exercising our mind hurts, but only that can make it better.
A good mind lives in a good body. And a good soul lives in a good mind.
Life, the universe, or ourselves, love to make us stuck in a deadlock. We woke up and didn’t do anything for the body, the mind hurts. We woke up and didn’t do anything with our minds, the soul hurts. Consequently, our soul (or inner peace) was disturbed and we didn’t do anything for the body. Inner peace had a higher priority, so we tried to fix it with a motivation video or a quote. It worked for a moment, maybe multiple such moments. However, just like building tolerance against the same medicine, the motivation won’t be effective forever. We will constantly need more.
I don’t have a solution — that always works — for this deadlock. Discipline and habit making helps but on some days, nothing works. If many such days come together, all the progress is lost. One has to start again. However, the memory, the nostalgia, the pride of what we had achieved, at some point, becomes a nightmare. Dreams and aspirations become festering wounds. We were almost there, only if we hadn’t fallen at the last second. Is it even possible to do it again? For some dreams, the world doesn’t even give us a second chance.
I may say, go out and fight back. Statistically, if you keep fighting, eventually you will win. Not always. Fighting back is good. But not always.
Break the Deadlock.
Apologies for building the context and the problem for so long. Again the solution is simple but needs a lot of contexts. The true purpose is to connect with ourselves. Start with the soul, then the mind, and finally the body. Irony: An article against tips and tricks, is ending in the same. Can’t help though, a real solution needs its own article.
See you in the next one…
