PEACE

The good news is that we have dodged the worst of the snowstorm today, of course, we are suppose to get a bunch more snow tonight. The not so good news is that the internet has been down until a couple minutes ago; I might not have much time to blog. Then I don't know what I am going to say anyway.

I think, often, that peace is the basis of a satisfactory life. Joy and those loving feelings, are transitory in the absence of peace. How do you maintain peace? First: don't expect the outside to be peaceful, so you can be peaceful on the inside. That is a common mistake. Sure, you can either demand or look for quiet when you want to meditate; but, in your everyday life experience, you have peace or you don't. You can learn to have peace on the inside and maintain it by not getting caught up in your thought stream. That is one thing meditation teaches us. If you want peace you must seek it and extend it. People who have reached the level of peace, that the rest of us aspire to, bring peace by their very presence, wherever they go. We can, too. 

Some people have trouble finding peace because of anger that sits quietly in their being waiting for expression. They were folks who were brought up to believe being angry is wrong or dangerous, so they hide it from themselves, and it comes out passively or in a rare explosion.

There is a difference between being angry and getting angry. One can get angry at all kinds of outrageous things, but once it is expressed it is over. Being angry is like a psychological carbuncle that poisons the system.

Anger is a tricky emotion. It can feel good if you feel helpless. Expressing anger can lift you out of mild depression and it can help you feel empowered and in control. However, it is destructive if embraced for any length of time.

When I was a psychotherapist, I spent a great deal of time helping people see who they were angry with {usually parental figures} and once they were able to feel and appreciate the level of their anger, I helped them forgive. The forgiveness part is most essential.

If we accept that we create our own experience, then we must recognize that anger is a way of blaming something or someone for how we feel. That, of course, gets us stuck because only we can be responsible for how we feel.

We are living in an outrageously, painful world. It is natural to be angry at the injustice all around us. Translate the anger into compassion for those in pain and look for the love and peace inside you.

Anger has never worked to bring positive change. The great ones of both ancient and modern times have eschewed it. However, to reiterate, don't think of anger as "sin" and hide it from yourself. That makes matters worse. Accept, that part of the human condition, is that you will get angry. Look at it with honesty and let it go through forgiveness.

If we are going to bring paradise on earth, we are going to do it with love. That means being peaceful.

Love and Peace,  Gregg