User:Subramanian1956

IN SEARCH OF PEACE

What are we finally searching in our life? If you ask anybody, the answer would be ‘Freedom and Peace’. All the diverse roads that man takes in are only in the hope of this final attainment. We work with various systems and concepts like science, economy, religion, philosophy etc with an attempt to free ourselves. With more freedom, we naturally envisage more peace. In this material world we are bound by people, places, time and distance and so try to redefine them, restructure them for our freedom and peace. In other words, we attempt a reorientation, a redefinition of this objective, material world for our convenience, prosperity, freedom and peace.

But we don’t often get to the target. We miss our goals. We remain peaceless and pinned to situations. The bondage continues despite our technological advancement. Wars remain in place of peace. Peace Treaties become a continuous failure. Neither reorientation nor any redefinition of life in the material plane of existence gives us the desired amount of freedom and peace. Even after centuries of struggle we remain within a sphere of frustration, disappointment, unhappiness and ego, thus continuing to remain in square one. The backdrop might have changed from stone-age to the age of computer but human nature hasn’t changed much. Human struggle hasn’t changed much. Nevertheless, man is in long struggle for freedom and peace but he is unable to unknot his Gordian knot.

The solution is simple but man has not paid much attention in this direction. The aim of all religions is the same- freedom and peace. Perhaps, Hinduism has given us the best solution. Let us try to have a bird’s view of the situation.

The fundamental thing about peace is that it cannot be searched and obtained objectively. Peace is not an object to be possessed. So, the objectification of life can never bring in the desired result. So long as our mind is hooked on to this material world, peace can only be a product of a given situation. It means that if the equilibrium of the situation is lost, our peace is also lost. Here, our reaction to the situation counts a lot. Equilibrium is defined by the individual nature and hence it can vary from person to person. This clearly tells us that my level of peace is different from your level of peace. Peace is an individual experience. It has no universal definition. The threshold level of disturbance has no universal mark from individual point of view. From which point my disturbance starts is my own problem and not the problem of the world. Everybody has a view about life and if life offers a different view, people get disturbed and become peaceless.

How can we overcome the situation? When life can always offer a different view from our personalized view, how can we remain undisturbed and peaceful?

Life is a question of individual experience. My life has my definitions only. My life has my views only. Views can certainly change over a period of time. My views can be my death trap. If we can properly understand these aspects, if we can view our life from broad angles, we can see that we can still redefine life. It requires an awareness of situations and solutions from a higher level of perception. Acceptance of life is fundamentally required. We are to be convinced that happiness and sadness don’t lie in the things, people, places and situations of the world. It is only our mental angle that finally decides whether we are happy or unhappy at any given moment. For a teenager, a cockroach in the bathroom can create a very unhappy situation but for somebody else, the situation need not stir him at all. Here, cockroach is not the backbone of the problem but our response to the situation is the main problem. We can view it differently but often, we are not prepared. If a situation can offer a problem, the same situation can offer a solution too. Problem and solution, happiness and unhappiness, peace and disturbance – these are all two sides of the same coin. Which side is being looked upon and which side is being overlooked is the deciding factor.

If happiness or unhappiness is a question of relativity, then, peace is also a question of relativity in the material plane of existence. This is why our approach to peace becomes a process of permutation and combination. It can offer a temporary solution for a situation. We need not hope for a permanent solution by this approach. Peace cannot be expected out of Ceasefire, Peace Treaties or by signing Peace Pacts. We are really seeing this truth. Everything is relativistic and conditional. Space, time, people and places all fall within the sphere of this relativity and conditional clauses. For perfect peace, conditional approach is never sufficient. Why do the attempts for a peaceful co-existence with Pakistan fail? When both countries are negotiating peace through a Peace Treaty, it becomes a conditional clause for either country. Peace can never be conditional. Love can never be conditional. All the values and virtues cannot be conditional. Wherever any concept of life becomes one of condition, life will offer resistance at one point. When peace becomes part of a conditional clause, conditions apply. Human mind will offer resistance to conditions and peace cannot be expected out of such a situation. In fact, the entire human struggle for freedom is a struggle to overcome all man made conditions as well. We need a second thought on the issue of peace.

What is actually peace? We often refer to the term ‘peace of mind’. This means that when our mind is disturbed, our level of peace is also affected. Mind is always of a dual nature and the seat of thoughts. Thoughts will press our mind. Dual nature can toss the mind hither and thither. The net result is a disturbed mind. We can see that as our mind becomes calmer and calmer, to that degree peace will be growing within. So, the state of mind is the key factor behind the degree of peace. With enough mental poise, enough peace is assured. Actually speaking, peace is the undisturbed level of mind. Our attitude towards life counts a lot. Our response to a situation counts a lot. We need an introspection and retrospection here. Our mind is in our hands. We can bring down our crowded thoughts to a zero level by practicing mental concentration. We can spend our time in solitude. We can go to quiet retreats and be in the company of this vast and beautiful Nature. Every element of this Nature has a message for us. Nature has its own living voice. We should not miss to listen it. Actually, this voice is our own inner voice, our own inner recesses, our own vast resources since we are very much part of this Nature. Silence has a voice. A falling leaf has a long whisper unto our ears. We should lend our ears. If we start listening to the voices of Nature, we can see that at one point we become the embodiment of that voice. At this point mind will be totally absent. Thoughts will be totally absent. Peace will be our own very existence. This is an indescribable feeling. Peace cannot be reasoned out. Mind will be fully recharged. We will get totally refreshed. This points out to the fact that true peace is a state beyond our mind and thoughts. ‘Peace of mind’ is only an approximation when mind is almost absent. Here, our language becomes a barrier to express the true nature of peace. Until we are aware of this, we would be vainly searching peace in things, places, people and situations. The very state is within us. The very state is easily reachable and achievable. Only thing is that we have to mind our mind!

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By Subramanian A, State Bank of India, Kanjikode, Palakkad, Kerala, India. 13/06/2010