What you desire, to be
undisturbed, is a great thing, no, the greatest thing of all, and one that
raises a man almost to the level of a god. The Greeks call this calm steadiness
of mind euthymia, and Democritus' treatise upon
it is excellently written.
I call it peace of mind, for there is no
necessity for translating so exactly as to copy the words of the Greek idiom. The
essential point is to mark the matter under discussion by a name that ought to
have the same meaning as its Greek name, though perhaps not the same form.
What we are seeking, then, is how
the mind may always pursue a steady, unruffled course, may be pleased with itself,
and look with pleasure upon its surroundings, and experience no interruption of
this joy, but abide in a peaceful condition without being ever either elated or
depressed: this will be "peace of mind”.
We are
convinced that we must always be busy, frantically running about here and
there, occupied with not only one task after another, but with as many tasks at
the same time as possible. Then, we actually go around bragging about how
hectic our lives are, as if this were somehow a badge of success. Look at all that
we are sacrificing in order to be happy! How noble our suffering!
This
would seem, however, quite an odd way to become happy. Happiness will not come
from making ourselves more miserable. There is no rest for the restless. We
will hardly find peace if we are always at war.
What
Seneca here calls euthymia, peace of
mind, is a way to describe that goal we are all seeking. It is what Serenus
longs for in the midst of his dreariness and doubt. It is what I have always
desired, though I have not clearly known how to find it, or even precisely what
it is. It is what any man occupied with all the petty diversions of life hopes
to discover, somewhere beyond or behind all of those diversions. It is what
even the most wicked man, wrapped up in his own selfishness and spite, truly
craves.
“Sure,”
someone might say, “you mean feeling good?”
Yes, it
may include a feeling of pleasure, but it is far more than that, and the fact
that we reduce it only to feeling is a part of our problem. The sorts of
pleasures we usually pursue are often about gratification, about continually
consuming and possessing, and this is more about a deeper contentment and
satisfaction with all things. It is feeling at peace, not longing for more.
Furthermore,
the value of that feeling must itself be an effect of a certain state of mind,
of how we live and act, of the whole of our own self in relationship to the
world around us. It includes the body, the passions, the mind and the will, and
it means that I can, at any time or in any circumstance, look within myself,
and look outside of myself, and say with all conviction, “Yes, this is good!”
It will
not be hindered by unexpected obstacles, and it will not be interrupted by
extreme highs and lows. I won’t be laughing out loud at one moment, and crying
uncontrollably the next. There will no need for furiously working to acquire
more, because I will already have within me everything I need.
I can’t
improve on how Seneca describes it, but I can point to further aspects or
images that help me to personally understand it. I think of this peace of mind
as building a balance, where no one part outweighs the other, and where all the
pieces are working together as a whole. That balance is in my own soul, and in
my soul's place in Nature.
I remember
that sudden moment when I could ride my bicycle with no conscious effort, with
no falling down, with no wobbling, with no frustrations. I remember that time I
built my first house of cards, and it stayed standing. I remember when I
finally sat next to another person on a park bench, and there was absolutely no
need for anxiety or words. There is the balance, there is the harmony, there is
the peace, there is the contentment.
Written in 5/2011
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