Here we are!
For many months I had been hearing a chorus of calls for the end of the dreadful year 2020. After enduring the most severe pandemic many of us have experienced in our lifetimes, dealing with a summer of sometimes deadly social unrest, and witnessing the most polarized and contentious political climate I personally have ever seen, by year’s end most folks were quite simply–emotionally drained.
Welcome to 2021!
One-week in, has brought us an attack on the US Capitol Building by a disgruntled mass of “Rioters,” “Patriots” or “Insurrectionist” depending on your persuasion. In the very same day, the state of Georgia, a former bastion of Republican values, flips the US Senate into Democratic Party control. Meanwhile the pandemic rages on with a daily death rate nearing 4,000 per day in the U.S. alone, and oh, by the way our president is about to be impeached for the second time with less than 10 days left in his term of office. YIKES!!!
Inner Peace you ask?
Yes! Inner peace… Deep inhale in hold for a second, deep exhale, and release all of that tension and anxiety that has been building since the start of the new year. Go ahead try it again. Deep inhale in, hold it for a second, deep exhale, and release…
Sure, that peace lasted all of, what, 30 seconds? Now what?
I’m so glad you asked. Now is your time to make a commitment to yourself that your inner peace takes priority over any other aspect of life. That no matter what seems to be occurring you will acknowledge that part of yourself that cannot be affected by outer circumstances. At the end of 2020 I published my third book. 29 Degrees – How to Live a Life of Inner Peace, Joy and Purpose Regardless of Circumstances. I wrote this book to try and help others realize that no matter what is occurring in your life, within you are all of the tools you need for peace. The first step as I mentioned earlier is to first realize that within you and you alone lies the power for you to attain this peace. The second step and just as important is to make a commitment to make inner peace a priority. Third, is practice, practice, practice. Like any challenging endeavor you undertake, your ability and will are going to be tested, possibly more often that you’d like. And in these challenges ultimately lies the substance of you attaining a level of contentment, joy and ultimately inner peace. Because without the challenges we experience the depth and richness of our experience is meaningless.
“The deeper sorrow carves into your experience the more joy you can contain.”
Kahlil Gibran
If you haven’t already blessed yourself with this year’s resolutions, try this one on. To commit yourself to achieving inner peace, joy and a sense of purpose regardless of circumstances and once you do to share this experience with everyone you encounter. Our society needs this from all of us more than ever. This means that when you encounter an adversarial situation, before engaging, go to the exercise at the beginning of this blog and take a couple of deep breaths. At the end of your breaths remind yourself what it is you are committed to–inner peace. Then as you feel yourself coming back to your peaceful center you can offer a sense of peace to whoever you are engaged with. If they decline your offering of peace so be it. Just be mindful that you also have the power to decline any rage, dis-ease, anxiety or stress they consciously or unconsciously are offering you. If needed, as kindly as you can muster, de-escalate the situation and remove yourself until you are in a safe and secure place both physically and emotionally.
I recently had the opportunity to practice this exercise with one of my fitness training clients. When I checked in with him and asked how he was doing. He expressed that he was in emotional distress because of the political events we have recently experienced. As I listened, I noticed that what he was expressing to me were views that were diametrically opposed to my own and his perspective was quite different from the reality that I myself was experiencing. In the past I have gotten sucked into a rousing debate about the merits of our current administration (or lack thereof), liberal vs conservative points of view or any number of other differing opinions about that day’s events. This time I choose a new path. A peaceful path.
I immediately edified him by stating how intelligent he was and asked him how he felt he could make this (his) situation better. I then gave him an example of how I took a past social situation that aggrieved me and turned it into an opportunity to contribute to the greater good of society by volunteering for a worthy cause that supported my interests and concerns. He seemed somewhat impacted by my story and began to settle down a bit. Though he still was emotionally affected by this situation, instead of escalating it into another contentious interaction with someone from “the other side,” I first created an inner calm within myself. I then offered my peace to him. In that moment I did not care who was right or wrong, my only concern became how can I share a modicum of my peace with another human to take yet another step in making this a more peaceful planet for all.
This template is available to anyone who wants it. All it takes is the desire to have it and make it so and the relentless commitment to the attainment of inner peace. In this relentless pursuit of peace and its daily practice lies the salvation for us, not only as individuals but for us collectively as a society. Let this mission enter your consciousness and be your guide in 2021. So that the emotional trials, stressors and anxiety of our past no longer haunt us for years to come.
Namaste
Eric
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