शमथ। Samatha
“I just want to live peacefully like everyone else”, a voice of the hopeful or a voice of the disheartened? It is difficult to say as it looks entwined. On one side it looks as though the person is craving for peace, but on the other side, it looks like the person has no hope in the peace they crave for.
What message are you giving to yourself and to the world around you?
Mind is a very interesting mechanism; it can say one thing while feeling something else and be distracted from both at the same time. Change does not take place like this. It needs concentrated effort of the mind and the intellect. In other words, the mind and intellect should work together. Before anything else, your intellect should examine the words of your mind. On the periphery, your statement may appear coherent. But only on close examination you will understand that you are constantly contradicting yourself.
Contradictory thoughts often confuse your system. It is like a sleeping student hearing the school bell; they cannot figure out whether it rang for recess or for a session. As a result, you are unable to decide upon the course of action. These bells of confusion would not stop ringing in your ears unless you consciously decide to turn it off. Set your thoughts right. You want peace; it is a very good decision. Drop the ‘like everyone else’ part; someone else’s quality of life is not what you seek.
Now, ask what is stopping you from having a peaceful life. The unique conditions in your life are often the reasons you find for your discomfort. Examine one by one, and see what are the ones you can influence in the short-term. Pick them up and begin to work on them. Most of the time your exertion will be limited to minimal adjustments. Timely guidance can take you a long way; never say no to it. You will see that your quality of mind becomes more expansive with the minor changes. And the frequency of your lamentation has begun to reduce. Do not fall back into old ways.
Keep attending to where your attention is needed.
Feel Blessed
Swastham Shantam Sampurnam