Dear LPG readers, 

I think the philosopher in me wants to make an appearance in my writing today, because there is a life‑fundamental that has had me doing quite a bit of soul‑searching during the years since retirement. Although I have only recently reached a point in my life where I’ve begun to consider the most basic aspects of contentment, it has taken all these years—right into retirement—for me to even realise its importance. I suspect that many of us spend much of our lives striving for it without recognising what we’re really seeking, until we suddenly find ourselves with time on our hands. 

I am talking about inner peace and contentment: a state of mind we so often forget to include in our plans and aspirations while we are still young enough to be caught up in work, family life, and ambition. 
The irony is that I believe most of us are born with it, but learning to live the Western way leaves us chasing so many other goals—some of which we don’t even realise we have. By the time we understand how significant inner peace truly is, we have often spent so long pursuing other aims that we no longer know how to reclaim it. 

When I try to understand the meaning of anything these days, I tend to ask the people around me, but I also place a little value on what Google has to say. When I asked what “peace” really means, the internet offered some interesting answers. The synonyms included tranquillity, calm, noiselessness, and harmony, among many others. It is interesting that in English, the word peace is so often associated with quietness. 

The quiet aspect of peaceful living is something that is increasingly hard to find in most Western cities these days, although our Asian cousins have always seemed to spend a little more time acknowledging its importance. They appear to make more room for celebrating quiet and calm—both within themselves and in the world around them—through practices such as meditation. 

Most religions place a strong emphasis on peace in their teachings, although it is ironic that so many political leaders throughout history have attempted to spread those teachings through violence and war. 

The good news is that we all possess some degree of inner peace. The challenge lies in finding ways to build on it—but the big question is how. 

When I turned to Google for answers, I found plenty of suggestions, although none that I hadn’t heard before. The problem is that we often know what would help, yet struggle to find the time to fit it in. As retired people, we still have plenty to do, but for the first time in our lives, our choices are not dictated by the expectations of others. Perhaps setting aside a little of that time to focus on our own inner peace might be a step in the right direction. 

Now that I’ve found a few basic ways to get started, I thought leaving some links might serve as a reminder to my fellow readers of a few simple ways they might nurture their own inner peace… 


WJ. Plumstead  

 

WJ shares a few starting points when it comes to attaining inner peace…

 

 

 

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