PARADISE AND PEACE – Part 2

We asked – and you responded. Our thoughtful readers penned their reflections about “ PEACE”.
I hope you continue to share your thoughts: Here is part 2 about paradise and peace.
• Email your sharings to info@rlhassociates.com

Amy Barret shared that peace is “ a feeling of completeness, satisfaction and lack of anxiety and fear”.
Worthy of further discussion, this is an interesting combination .
Completeness and satisfaction are what Abraham Maslow and others have referred to as self-actualization.
Value driven, completeness is living ones life in total concert with what is important to the individual. . A healthy condition, completeness/fulfillment implies a mixture of components which reflect what the individual wants and needs from life. For example, if completeness reflects agreement with the individual’s values of society, family, and relationship with a higher being then inner fulfillment is attainable. Peace and fulfillment are present in every aspect of their life.
Question – Is completeness individually defined?
Can someone whose behavioral patterns are outside the parameters of societal norms have a feeling of completeness and satisfaction? Their individual values are synchronized with activities not generally accepted by others. For example, Bernie Madolf was the master of deceit and cheating others of their fortunes. During his years of deception did he have a sense of completeness and inner peace?
What if the picture we see is inaccurate – does it matter? For example, there are individuals business who see themselves as outstanding leaders. This evaluation is based on their self evaluation: the reflection they see in the mirror. What if others do not see them in the same light? They are seen as manipulative, or passive or generally ineffective. Their counterparts view them as being a dysfunctional leader interested in promoting their own self interests. Completeness and peace are not descriptors which others attach to them. Does it make a difference if we feel complete-at peace- when others have a differing opinion of us?
Another question on the table therefore is: can an individual with an inaccurate self image be complete and satisfied? Some individuals underestimate their talents and abilities. Does it matter? Hardly – if they are satisfied, feel complete, and fulfilled then peace exists from within.

The 2nd part of Amy’s observation is also very telling. She cites “ lack of anxiety and fear”. According to a discussion in Wikipedia, anxiety can create feelings of fear, worry, uneasiness and dread.[3I
Sometimes anxiety is referred to as nervousness. When in a situation about which we are unsure – meeting a stranger for example, we become nervous, hesitant, reluctant. This tears at the coattails which we have stitched together to make a garment called “ peace”.
An interesting sidebar to anxiety. We don’t want much of it. However, it is one of those two edged swords which we need . Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to a stressor.. It may help a person to deal with a difficult situation by prompting one to cope with it. In a strange sort of way, anxiety helps us become more peaceful. Anxiety occurs without any external threat
Obviously what Amy refers to are the anxious conditions which control and overwhelm us. As it is with fear. Fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, Worth noting is that fear almost always relates to future events, such as worsening of a situation, or continuation of a situation that is unacceptable. Fear could also be an instant reaction to something presently happening. Fear is a reaction to “ what might happen”.
A question worth considering * What are you afraid of?
o What might happen if the fear becomes reality?

o How can you overcome this fear?
The identification and elimination of anxiety of fear can contribute significantly to your Paradise and Peace:

Paradise and Peace- Part 1

 

Paradise and Peace

                                                                PARADISE AND PEACE – PART 1

The following is an introduction to a discussion about Paradise and its 3 components:

peace, prosperity and happiness.

 I hope you share your thoughts about what is “ peace” in your life.

  Email your sharings to info@rlhassociates.com .

 

Paradise  is sometimes described as a place where peace, prosperity (not luxury) and

happiness exist.

How do we arrive at this place (or is it a condition) that we label “paradise”?  Is

paradise some oasis as pictured in some paintings? Or a place with opulence?

Is it : inherited, / acquired through religion or meditation or ….?  Can we buy it? Or

build it? Or Invent It?

Does it really exist or is this a creation of our mind/imagination? 

For discussion purposes,  an interesting beginning is giving reflective consideration 

 to “ what is peace”?  Are there metrics, measurements, standards by which we

measure peace?  Those with a religious bent might say it is being one with their God.  

 calmness, a unity, the turning over of their lives to a supreme being. In the book “ Eat 

  Pray Love”  Elizabeth Gilbert  describes her trek  through the meditational journey of

Yoga and  a Bali wise man.  A process that sweeps her away into another  mystical

place.

 What about those who do not believe in a religious sense.? There is an absence of

 standards and values which relate to an after life.  Peace is about practicality –

getting and doing those things which are necessary for happiness. Others 

compliment/or subjugate  their peace by gaining satisfaction through being

conducting themselves as  “servant leaders”.   Giving their lives and talents to

enhance the lives and well beings of others.  We see this in the remarkable spirit of

volunteerism  which embraces the United States ( this is not true in many countries

and cultures where the government is the universal care give).  The

ravages of floods, tornadoes, fires are  solved  by neighbors and strangers who are

committed to assisting others in times of need. You get more than you give – a common

refrain from rain soaked, muddy volunteers who have spent back breaking hours

filling sandbags along the surging rivers of the Mississippi River.

 A cohort tells me his version of peace Is the absence of emotional conflict.  Meaning 

 having an uncommon bond and a sense of  comradeship with others.  This is an

important value in his life.  That being,the capacity to sincerely, deep down in his

souls, have the capacity to engage all types of people in business and personal

relationships to the degree that he is at total peace with them.  Talking to the

truth is his philosophy so therefore there is an absence of hypocrisy, the taint of little

white lies, and deception.  Winning is not important —  it is more about building and

maintaining honest relationships.

Another “peace’ is that of security.  Security may be in the context of financial health.

 Or perhaps it is physical security – the avoidance of physical harm or being in good

 health.   Money can’t buy you happiness but it sure helps goes the saying.  For

security needy individuals, accumulating wealth is more necessary than

relationships, or peace of mind, or their relationship with a deity. 

For others who have illnesses, or lived in areas of high crime or conflict, peace is

good health and safety.Knowing your child will come home safely from school

everyday or being able to go to the grocery store without fear of being attacked are

very real concerns.  Indeed, they are a priority.  Luxurious houses, a 

stress free life as regards relationships, these are important – but living In fear for

one’s life prohibits one from being at peace.