Peace Part 4
February 21, 2025
Peace Part 4
Emotions such as terror, anxiety, confusion, hatred, dread, and any of the nine major passions are part of life. Such emotions and passions are brought about by life's difficulties, such as abandonment, sickness, illness, loss, injury, death, and the myriad of traumas we experience of mind, body, and heart. To have Peace in the face of these difficult or even terrible experiences, we must have a belief system that provides strength, faith, and hope.
The Peace provided by our beliefs replaces unpeaceful emotions. But what about the nature of belief actually gives us the Peace and calm we so wish for? It is the trust we have in our beliefs. Therefore, trust in our beliefs is the forerunner of Peace.
If we believe in ourselves and trust that belief, we have a certain amount of Peace. If we believe in others and trust that belief, we have a certain amount of Peace. If we believe in a higher power and trust that belief, we have a certain amount of Peace.
The amount of Peace we have is intrinsically related to our trust in our beliefs. The question for each of us is, "What or who do we trust, and how much do we trust them?"
As babies and very young children, one of our first developmental milestones is to achieve a certain level of trust in our environment (see Erik Erikson's classic work, Childhood and Society.) The issue of trust challenges us all through life. We are continually discerning what to trust and what to mistrust. But what about our beliefs have led us to trust them? Do we trust them because they have proven their truth in our experiences, or are our beliefs handed down to us from our families and we trust them because we trust our family? Perhaps we trust them for other reasons.
Spiritual practice: Inquire of yourself how you formulated your beliefs. Inquire of yourself how much you trust your beliefs. How does the trust level in your beliefs affect your peacefulness?
Self-inquiry: What are some reasons you value Peace? Is it possible for you to have peace without trust?
Dear God,
For the Peace you give unto me, I am humbly grateful. I pray for peace for this chaotic world, and all our souls. Amen
