“There is no path to peace. Peace is the path.” – Ghandi
Despite evidence to the contrary, I am often struck by the notion that peace comes from within.
I think so many of us, including myself, get caught searching for peace. We strive to find the right formula to get there, as if peace is a destination to be reached.. something exterior and ultimately, beyond ourselves.
What if, however, Ghandi is right? What if peace is the path itself, not the destination? What if the call is to bring peace with us wherever we go?
I hope, I suspect, that if we were each to take a few moments to go inside of ourselves, we could remember what peace feels like. For me, peace is that quiet, still place within that is free from worry and second-guessing. Peace is the absence of knots in my stomach or tightening in my chest. Peace is being centered, a sense that all is and will be well… even when I don’t know how or why. Peace entails a settling, an opening, a trust. Begin with recalling what peace feels like to you.
Certainly, there are people, places, and experiences that reacquaint us with our own inner peace. A kayak ride over clear water, a mesmerizing sunset, a captivating solo, a moment of prayer: these things and many more can stop us in our tracks and remind us of peace. Even then, however, the peace still comes from within; it is our own capacity to hold peace and recognize it that is ignited from without.
We might also believe that our inner peace is in fact from God; which is to say that the God which exists within all things also exists within us… that when we touch the peace within us, we touch the part of ourselves that is truly and beautifully Divine.
From the Christian perspective, Jesus says “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you (John 14:27)”.
Jesus’ peace, God’s peace, has already been given. It exists. It need not be found as a destination merely remembered as the path, the way, that is always within you.
Maybe there is a formula after all.
If so, I gather that it is akin to this: pause, take a breath, locate peace and practice carrying it with you. As with all good things, repeat as needed.
Many Blessings,
Nikki Holm, MA
