It is a deliberate choice, an ordering of priorities.
~
Sister Wendy Beckett
.
I've been pondering the subject of peace lately. Sister Wendy
Beckett says true peace and inner tranquility do not depend on
anything external, but wholly come from an inner balance between
desire and potential. Hmm. But, isn't it a healthy thing to continue
to strive for personal growth and development?
.
Here's the amazing point she makes. "Our spirit is too great for
small and specific happinesses: our potential is infinite. The secret
of peace is determining where this infinitude is, and here is where
the need for balance becomes paramount."
.
Now, I need to find my particular little mysterious spot of balanced
infinitude. How do you harmonize desire and potential?
artwork: Vilhelm Hammershoi
My father always said that peace is found inside a clear conscience. I think there's something to that.
ReplyDeleteYour father was a wise man. I love that.
ReplyDeletePeace is where you find it. I like it when found beside a tree tucked away in the middle of a forest with the sounds of civilization drowned out by the whispering winds and grinding limbs. Looking around and realizing how peaceful it is.
ReplyDeletegreat post willow. true peace is slippery and elusive at times. especially in a holisitc sense. sometimes i find peace in some areas, while others... that balance point you talk about though...i find peace in working hard toward the outcome but knowing it is not entirely up to me.
ReplyDeletepeace for me is in my studio working - an oasis where time can stop :)
ReplyDeleteI find that where there is striving, wanting, clinging, desire, there can be no peace. If we look for peace within the concepts offered in that quote, we will miss so many levels of consciousness where true peace lies.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the only peace she ever knew was that which her ego-mind could attain. Ego is always caught in desire and striving (seeking potential). True peace comes by transcending (rising above) ego.
In psychological terms the ego is called "personal" identity; when seaking peace you have to transcend the personal and then you arrive at the transpersonal realm - where desire and potential are irrelevant.
She offered what she could and spoke from what she knew - but there is so much more.
Simple my dear....with age.
ReplyDeleteReally interesting post & discussion. For me, peace=guitar or banjo, just playing old songs, alone or with a few others.
ReplyDeleteJust in case you misunderstand, peace we attain when we learn to accept ourselves. That does not exclude bettering oneself, only growing from a centre of strength and security in the knowledge that we only ever need to live up to our own standards not to please another. We set the benchmark and if the souffle des not rise, hey, the soup is perfect.
ReplyDeletePeace is in the making when I am involved with art. Peace is in the knowing of who I am.
ReplyDeletePeace is being in wilderness and open to it.
Sister Wendy! Oh, how I miss her brilliant programmes.
ReplyDeleteNothing profound to offer tonight I'm afraid: peace is my very noisy home.
Arija, yes, setting our benchmark and living up to our own standards is the key here. You hit the nail on the head, my wise bloggy friend.
ReplyDeleteI look at the words of Joseph Campbell for guidance:
ReplyDelete"Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy."
This I think is a way to inner peace, though it is a struggle.
Great post...
ReplyDeleteExplore, think, feel and create...that's what helps me revel in the details and feel most at peace. Balancing life's endless possibilities with time is the real trick.
Willow and Arija, thank you!
ReplyDeleteThen, having achieved inner peace,
comes that moment at the beach, looking out at sea. Perfect inner and outer peace.
I agree with Bonnie - striving cannot bring peace. Often, when I am peaceful - and this can be while physically relaxing or labouring hard - I try and fathom why I feel peaceful at that particular time. It is almost always at a time when my own loved ones are happy and content, as this fact truly frees my mind from anxiety and annoyances. Like everything in life, though, my personal peace comes and goes, because circumstances and people change. I find it's a matter of basking in the peace when present and remembering it when there is a void that brings joy.
ReplyDeleteThe soul is always at peace..the ego, the self, maya, the dream, drives onward in search of what is always there.
ReplyDeleteClose your eyes..Peace is the space between two breaths.
I (heart) sister wendy!!!
ReplyDeleteah, your question
peace is always a choice.
for me it comes when I listen and act on what my heart says....angst and anxiety come when I'm not paying attention or turn a 'deaf ear'
infinitude....now that's too much!!
I have Hammershoi's book of paintings! I love his paintings--- there is such a quiet, solitary, peaceful quality to his work-- beautiful post on peace.
ReplyDeleteGreat exploration of a not-so-simple concept. I believe age helps us recognize peace in all its manifestations.
ReplyDeletePeace is a very elusive thing. It can never be 100% obtained. There will always be some sort of unrest that does not allow for complete peace. The trick is to achieve as much peace as possible.
ReplyDeletePeace is found within. I work like crazy, but I begin and end my day with yoga and a little meditation.
ReplyDeleteDesire? Ah, that can be a peace killer for some people. For me, I only desire to take good photos for the newspaper, though I am a gypsy at heart and sometimes I would like to hit the road on a long photo journey.
It is a fact that the human brain can concentrate on only one thing at a time, so when I am taking photos, my mind in only on my subjects.
When I want to hit the road with my cameras, I go within and know that the Universe has me where it wants me, at least for now.
I sure do love those words from Sister Wendy.
ReplyDeleteI believe peace is a choice. Thanks for this post Willow.
I, like Rosaria, think peace is attained when the wisdom of living through many different stages of life, we learn what really does and does not matter in the journey of life. When you get to a place of contentment that you've done your best to raise your children to be honest,caring and responsiable adults. When you accept that it doesn't matter what others think of you but only what you think about yourself matters, and you're at the place Pamela speaks of where you have a clear conscience about how you've lived your life, peace comes. What a blessing that is too! :) Great post dear friend!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to sleep on this one, for about a hundred years, but I'll get back to you soon after.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say that I found peace in writing but then I realized what I liar I would be...
ReplyDeletePeace is that moment of time in between sleep and dreaming.
Got Peace ? - Rene
they're so round, and little, and green; peas be with you!
ReplyDeleteI think peace is a journey and not a destination. I feel the most peaceful while I am working the problems through and arriving at a solution. There is peace that comes with the work. Then I wonder, if your work was being a soldier, it would be difficult to say your journey was peaceful. This post has some very interesting ideas to consider. Thank you, Willow.
ReplyDeleteI agree that peace is found inside a clear conscience. When I'm true to myself, I'm at peace. I'm definitely at an age where, even though I guess I'm always going to be growing/changing, I'm basically at very much at peace with the life I've created for myself. That's a good feeling. I was a single parent for over 25 years, and during that time, I really learned to know myself. I always thought of me as vulnerable and weak, but I've come to realize I'm actually very strong. If I were to die tonight, I'd feel I've lived a good life, and that brings me a feeling of serenity and peace.
ReplyDeletePeace is quietly tracking, with appreciation, the life lines across the palm of my hand. Peace is accepting forgiveness, and forgiving myself. Peace is moving into tomorrow, feeling angels around me. Peace is just taking time to think about it, a gift you gave me tonight.
ReplyDeleteThanks, bloggy friends. I feel such peace just reading through all your lovely, heartfelt comments.
ReplyDeleteTom, your comment made me laugh out loud! Peas, baby.
ReplyDeleteThis will require considerable thought. It is seemingly simple, but it is not.
ReplyDeleteYes. Thanks for sharing!
Mike
This is one of my favorite quotes of Jesus, "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27)
ReplyDeleteI remember Sister Wendy. Years ago on the BBC she used to present a programme looking at famous paintings and she had the most bawdy sense of humour for a nun. A real character,
ReplyDeleteAs for peace - like you I live in the heart of the country and it is all very peaceful. In fact sometimes I long for the sound of a city
Excellent question. Wow, just reading Pamela and Abraham - I agree with both! I think peace is knowing that there is something more guiding us, that we don't have to struggle so hard. We just have to be open to the possibilities. And to trust.
ReplyDeleteI used to enjoy Sister Wendy's analysis of great paintings on Sunday afternoon TV.
ReplyDeleteWell, the potential is always there but as one ages, the desire wanes and peace is so easy to find.
As long as desire never diminishes then reaching one's potential must ultimately come. Perhaps the state of harmony is an over rated place and it is the journey that is the fun part?? xv
ReplyDeleteI like Abe's comment! And another famous writer once wrote that "human nature can not be legislated"~~guess who? Might be something in that, wot? Cheers to Sister Wendy :)
ReplyDeleteI believe peace is by practice of being fully present in the NOW moment and also by saying 'yes' to the sorrows as Joseph Campbell put it. Some posters said age had bought them peace but I do know plenty of older people not at peace. I find peace in the act of creation. The 'act' not the striving for success. I find some measure of peace in nature. I also find peace in churches and other places of worship or in prayer. I am definitely not a peaceful person and so if you discover any answers, you know where to find me! I want more peace! xx
ReplyDeletePeace for me is when I've done all my jobs and I can sit down with a cup of tea and read a book.
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Star
Hello Willow,
ReplyDeleteI too used to enjoy Sister Wendy's art appreciation; such a worldly understanding.
Peace, I would say, is accepting what is achievable/possible right now. Doesn't have to prevent further attainment but allows us to be satisfied with our lot at every stage.
even though i am a libra, i have never been able to balance anything. life flows along too fast. change is constant. i do believe we can create peace inwardly, and that is it only ourselves who disturb our inner peace with our thoughts and emotions. however when we seek inner peace we also effect the outer world around us and generate peace.
ReplyDeleteSuki, I think a lot of my need for balance and harmony does come from the fact that I am a Libra (the scales). It's something that's always foremost in my being.
ReplyDeleteOh Willow, what a tricky post. I've been thinking about it all day. Sometimes I think for a science nerd I'm not very bright. I honestly can't differentiate between happiness & peace. When I'm happy my heart is at peace & when I'm at peace, my heart is happy. Everyone else's comments were so deep & esoteric & quite lovely. I think my simple thought process needs reprogramming!
ReplyDeleteMillie ^_^
Hi
ReplyDeleteI adore your thought provoking blog .I've only been blogging for a month but find it deeply satisfying but must limit it as it's like ice cream too much of anything makes you feel sick!
Inner peace I find when I am using all my talents to the max luckily my career helps.
I'll pop in now and then Susan
desire and potential are a moveable feast.The secret is to (a) recognise it & (b) move alongside........
ReplyDeleteVery carefully.
ReplyDeleteI'll get back to you when I've figured it out (i.e., probably never). I appreciate the words of those who have, though. Beautiful painting.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post Willow!Yes it's a question about balance.Some days it's harder than others.
ReplyDeletehi willow - i sometimes think that inner peace has a lot to do with narrowing the gap between who you are and who you wish to be. being available to whatever features of the creative flow you can plays a big role in this. have a lovely day at the manor. steven
ReplyDeleteI don't know
ReplyDeleteI think peace is something you have to work towards - you don't just find it - you have to be true to yourself, make sure you do nothing of which you can be ashamed - be satisfied with what you have rather than striving for more - all these things add up over time to give one a sense of peace.
ReplyDelete"finding a balance between desire and potential" makes it sound as if potential is a given fixed quantity and I'm not sure it is. Potential changes throughout life, depending on outside circumstances and therefore if the balance theory were true we would always be chasing a state of balance and therefore never at peace.
ReplyDeletebeautiful! the all of it - image and words! beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI've been pondering Sister Wendy's statement all day. Sorry, I didn't come to any momentous conclusions or enlightening epiphanies. Instead, I decided that I can't agree with this statement of hers "Our spirit is too great for small and specific happinesses." I think that it is the small specific happinesses in life that make everything worthwhile. A baby's laugh, a puppy dog cuddling in your lap, the warm sigh of summer breezes, the feel of the early morning dew in the grass against your bare feet...great peace can be found in these small specific things.
ReplyDeleteWe often take so much time trying to find it, that we forget we already have it, if only we give ourselves the opportunity to realize it.
ReplyDeleteIt is in the enjoyment of every moment, in the respect of our own space and that of others, in honest and hard work, in a conscience free of burden because you know that all that you do respects others and yourself.
How do I harmonize desire and potential? Badly!
ReplyDeleteOne thing I have done is stop reading about how to do it (well, except here on your blog!). I found that the "how to live your best life" books gave me a lot more Shoulds to worry about, when what I really needed was more time to just be. Now I try to do that, instead of reading about doing it . . .
Dear Willow,
ReplyDeleteYou've posted the perfect
quote for me at this time in my life. Peace, does come from within
and an ordering [in all things} is
essential.
Still thinking about this post, I came back to read everyone's comments, knowing there would be a wonderful gathering of thoughts. I had never heard of Sister Wendy - I'm going to try and find out more about her. The painting too, such a joy to visit you Willow, and be inspired.
ReplyDeleteO'Henry calls it 'the tasteless dough of existence'... you prove it is anything but!
Mmmm...good question Willow. do you feel you got some glimmer of insight on that now?
ReplyDeleteI want that peace that passes all understanding I used to have it but its seems to have gone on walkies lately!