More Peace

Almost everybody wants more peace in their lives, but the paradox remains: to gain more peace we must live, think and strive less. Less is more.

We must covet less, dilute our focus less, and worry less, for example.

Covet Less

In a world absorbed with temptations toward pleasure there is voluminous opportunity to partake—the world’s our oyster, but there are too many oysters! There’s a classic irony involved in the acquisition of nice things to have and do. More, in this way, is less. More choice leads to less innate satisfaction.

This formula for understanding life—that having more choice lessens our peace, because we tend to covet more than one choice, producing indecisiveness and buyer’s remorse—is a boon for us if we will humble ourselves to the causes of self-discipline.

The less we want, the more peace we’ll achieve.

Dilute Our Focus Less

Building on the previous point, we can see that many options tend to dilute our focus; not only is that producing indecisiveness, but our more focused goals—those engendering us toward our purpose—will not be achieved as we had originally intended. This will end in our frustration. Frustration leads us along the road to torment, farther from peace.

When there is clarity of purpose, and a real sense of focus, there is peace enough to both function and enjoy. Functioning is essential; enjoyment is desirable. When our purpose is scattered, a focus indiscernible, we enjoy less and less and functioning becomes a challenge. Peace warrants us the ability to function, first, then to enjoy.

Worry Less

We know that worrying less gets us more peace. But that is easier said than done in this complex life. There can seem no end for things to worry about.

Worrying might be less about having faith and hope than it is about steadying the mind in preference for the moment; not allowing it to swim off into the uncontrollable future, or fret for past regrets.

Worrying less is the disciplined application of not caring about uncontrollable matters. In some ways, it rewards the courage to leave the imagination as it is, not focusing on it, for lack of evidence. Why worry about non-truths; those things that may never happen? Again, it’s easier said than done. But we must at least attempt to try worrying less. The more we try the better we get at it.

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Making solid choices, advancing our goals, and focusing on the moment all engender peace. Enjoying more peace is about coveting less, diluting our focus less, and worrying less.

Less is more in the field of peace. More peace is found in enjoying less, thinking less, and striving less. Peace is found in the quiet comfort of little want and abundant situational acceptance.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.