importance of inner peace essay

How to Find Inner Peace and Happiness (Incl. Mantras)

“The pursuit of inner peace is more important than the search for happiness or success .”

If you want to find inner peace and happiness, you have come to the right place. In this article, we explain the concept of peace (as well as inner peace), its relationship to happiness, and strategies to engage in which may result in an increase of one’s inner peace and happiness. Additionally, some practical mantras and useful quotes are noted as well.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Happiness & Subjective Wellbeing Exercises for free . These detailed, science-based exercises will help you or your clients identify sources of authentic happiness and strategies to boost wellbeing.

This Article Contains:

What is peace and happiness in life, peace vs. happiness: is one more important, how to find inner peace and happiness, 3 mantras to cultivate inner peace and happiness, guided meditations to help foster inner peace and happiness, 10 quotes on inner peace and happiness, a take-home message.

Peace is a word, which has multiple meanings. It is a word with several dimensions used in varying contexts. For instance, Anderson (2014) posited that peace can be used in macro as well as micro contexts.

Global peace (e.g., peace treaties between countries; the harmonious relationship between societies) is an example of macro context usage.

On the other hand, personal peace (e.g., interpersonal peace and inner peace) is an example of micro-context usages. In this article, we focus on the micro context of peace. More specifically, inner peace in particular.

The dominant meaning of “peace” in Western civilization is the absence of violence (Anderson, 2004). However, the concept of associating inner peace within an individual is rooted in non-Western languages, cultures, and religions (Anderson, 2004). Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, and Sanskrit have several words for peace.

In Sanskrit, words for peace also include Shanti and Chaina , which refers to an individual’s spiritual or inner peace and mental calmness (Anderson, 2004). Apart from a linguistic inquiry into peace, in some religions (e.g., Buddhism, Jainism, etc.), peace is used to underscore inner dimension (i.e., the person) more than the outer dimension (i.e., the environment) (Barua, 2014).

In general, peace of mind or inner peace refers to a deliberate state of either psychological or spiritual calmness despite the potential presence of stressors. It is a homeostatic psychological state, which results in the optimal functioning of the mind.

It has to be noted that given the complexity of the word – peace or inner peace, there is no general consensus with regards to its precise definition. Therefore, for the sake of clarity with regards to this article, we prescribe to the inner peace definition proposed by Ward (2010), Barua (2014) and Gogava, Poghosyan, and Aslanov (2018), which has also been employed in several works (e.g., Day, Casey, Ward, Howells, & Vess, 2013).

“Inner peace refers to a state of being mentally and spiritually at peace, with enough knowledge and understanding to keep oneself strong in the face of stress”

(Barua, 2014, p. 24).

Inner peace refers to

“a state of calm, serenity and tranquility of mind that arise due to having no sufferings or mental disturbances such as worry, anxiety, greed, desire, hatred, ill-will, delusion and/or other defilements”

(Gogava et al., 2018, p. 4).

“Inner peace refers to emotional self-regulation and the ability to achieve a state of dynamic emotional equilibrium and competence”

(Ward, 2010, p. 48).

Like peace, the word happiness is complex and subjective (for various definitions on happiness, see Kim-Prieto, Diener, Tamir, Scollon, & Diener, 2005 and Delle Fave et al., 2016). In fact, some scholars have even questioned the usefulness of happiness definition, equating it as a qualia concept (Wierzbicka, 2009).

For the sake of this article, we prescribe to the most popular definition that has been used by researchers from various fields (e.g., psychology and economists) (Delle Fave et al., 2016).

Happiness is typically associated with the concepts of life satisfaction and subjective wellbeing , which are a total score of cognitive and affective components of one’s mental state. Therefore, the following definition – happiness – refers to “to people’s evaluations of their lives – evaluations that are both affective and cognitive” (Diener, 2000, p. 34).

Peace and happiness are associated concepts (Cohrs, Christie, White, & Das, 2013). For instance, at the macro level, peaceful countries report a higher level of happiness in general. Likewise, a perusal of the definitions related to peace and happiness above makes their association quite clear. Some commonalities between these concepts include (Cohrs et al., 2013):

Peace and happiness concepts are related to positive psychology, which includes peace psychology as well.
Peace and happiness have been described as a positive human experience.
Peace is associated with terms such as serenity, harmony, happiness, and well-being.

That is, does peace lead to happiness? Or, conversely, does happiness lead to peace?

In other words, the causality is not clear. Perhaps, the best way to describe their relationship for the time being, lest empirical studies prove it otherwise is – there is a symbiotic relationship between these two concepts. To elucidate, both inner peace and happiness are associated with positive emotions (e.g., Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener 2005).

Therefore, experiencing positive emotions can lead to increment in one’s inner peace as well as happiness levels.

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There are several ways of enhancing one’s inner peace and happiness. Below, we list three simple ways to achieve inner peace and happiness goals. Please be advised that the following ways are by no means an exhaustive list.

Several experts and philosophical treatise have alluded to human’s interaction with nature in increasing one’s inner peace. For instance, Robert Puff, a contributor to Psychology Today noted two types of human-nature interactions that can lead to increment in one’s inner peace and happiness levels.

Nature in the short-term: Taking short walks outside on an everyday basis while abstaining from using one’s electronic devices.
Nature in the long-term: Taking nature retreats for a few days. These retreats give us an opportunity to avoid day-to-day stress (e.g., work commute, workplace pressure, etc.) and focus on our bodies and minds. Retreats come in several forms and shapes such as visiting national parks, religious and non-religious retreat centers, among others.

The above proposition has been corroborated by several research studies (for an overview, see Capaldi, Dopko, & Zelenski, 2014). For instance, in their meta-analytic study, Capaldi et al. found that the human-nature relationship is connected such that being connected to nature can potentially lead to happiness.

2. Meditation

The health benefits of meditation have been well documented (e.g., Holzel et al., 2011). Examples of benefits include decrement in anxiety (Hofman, Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2010), reduction in cortisol levels (Carlson et al., 2007) and depression (Hofmann et al., 2010), among others.

In particular mindfulness meditation has been proposed to be a great way to enhance one’s wellbeing. Mindfulness refers to “ nonjudgmental attention to experiences in the present moment” (Holzel et al., 2011, p. 538), which can be cultivated by meditation practices such as sitting meditation, walking meditation, or mindful movements.

Meditation enhances an individual’s attention regulation (i.e., decrease in being distracted), emotion regulation (e.g., accepting one’s emotional state), and change in one’s self-perception (i.e., detachment from identification with a static sense of self) (Holzel et al., 2011) that leads to experiencing more positive emotions associated with happiness and inner peace.

In short, dedicating some time every day to practice mindfulness meditation is a definite route to increased inner peace and happiness. Here is further information related to meditation and practice .

3. Gratefulness

Being grateful for all that you have in life is one way to achieve inner peace and happiness.

Some scholars have even noted that happiness and gratefulness are one and the same. For example, the schematic hypothesis maintains that grateful individuals are more likely to notice positivity in life, and this influences their perception towards life events (Wood, Froh, & Geraghty, 2010).

It has been found that grateful people are well aware of life-challenges but choose not to focus on it. Instead, they underscore on the interconnectedness of life and are less propelled to materialistic goals than the general population (Easterbrook, 2003).

How to practice gratitude or being grateful? One approach to boost an individual’s gratefulness is the deliberate practice of counting one’s blessings and another means is to keep gratitude journals (Lai & O’Carroll, 2012).

In Sanskrit, the word “mantra” translates to mind tools or instruments. Considered to be sacred and to have a powerful impact on reprogramming our subconscious mind. When repeated frequently, it purifies one’s mind and soul.

Typically, mantras are in Sanskrit, an ancient language, considered by several linguistic scholars as a language that reverberates with a microcosm of our bodies and the macrocosm of the universe based on the science of sound.

Below we list 3 powerful mantras, which can be practiced every day that will enhance one’s inner peace and happiness.

Mantra 1: Om Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu (i.e., universal peace prayer)

Meaning: May there be happiness in all, May there be peace in all, May there be completeness in all, May there be a success in all.

Mantra 2: Om Namah Shivaya (i.e., I bow to Shiva), which when practiced in the form of meditation results in calmness and self-confidence.

Mantra 3: Om or Aum (i.e., the sound of the universe and the sound of creation), which when chanted during meditation leads individuals to self-realization, freedom, and enlightenment.

Happiness is all in your mind – Gen Kelsang Nyema

There are several guided meditations to help an individual foster inner peace and happiness. Below we list four such guided meditations, which are either via audio CD, MP3 music, and Amazon videos.

Mindfulness Meditations: Finding Peace & Perspective in the Present Moment

This guided mindful meditation is by Traci Stein, a Columbia trained psychologist and hypnotherapist. This guided meditation is psychologically informed, which has documented evidence to show that it improved sleep, greater self-acceptance, and achieving a healthier weight.

This guided meditation is an amalgam of the best of classic contemplative meditation practice, state-of-the-art guided imagery and potent hypnotic suggestion. Formats: CD and MP3.

Guided Meditation for Deep Relaxation

This guided meditation is by Claudia Prana, a certified professional coach and hypnosis practitioner. This guided meditation is good for anyone, be it a beginner or an advanced meditation practitioner.

Guided Meditation is touted to help an individual to successfully achieve deep states of relaxation, stress relief and to help to fall asleep. Format: Video (available for free for Amazon Prime members).

Finding Tranquility – Guided Mindfulness Meditations for Stressful Times

This guided meditation titled “ Finding Tranquility ” encompasses several tracks, which include mindful meditation introduction, integrating mindfulness in everyday life, and four guided meditations for different purposes.

Available as MP3, audio CD, and live streaming via Amazon Music.

Guided Meditations: Fill What is Empty; Empty What is Full

This guided meditation encompasses several tracks. Several different types of meditations such as peace meditation, emotional healing meditation, and gratitude meditation.

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If you aim for inner peace and happiness, you might find the following useful. Also, quotes are easy to share one’s knowledge with others, with regards to complex topics and ideas.

I hope that you have a better grasp of inner peace and happiness. The route to inner peace and happiness is not difficult. Instead, it comes from simple lifestyle changes and persistence. From meditating a few minutes a day to taking a walk in nature, to maintaining a gratitude journal .

What are your thoughts on inner peace and happiness? Do you have any recommendations to find inner peace and happiness? Please let us know in the comments section below.

Thanks for taking the time to read our post!

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Happiness Exercises for free .

Anderson, R. (2004). A definition of peace. Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology, 10 (2), 101-116.
Barua, B. T. (2014). World peace and the goals of Buddhists . Accessed at: scholar.google.com.
Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014). The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 5 , 976.
Carlson, L. E., Speca, M., Faris, P., & Patel, K. D. (2007). One year pre–post intervention follow-up of psychological, immune, endocrine and blood pressure outcomes of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in breast and prostate cancer outpatients. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, 21 (8), 1038-1049.
Casey, S., Day, A., Vess, J., & Ward, T. (2012). Foundations of offender rehabilitation . NY: Routledge.
Cohrs, J. C., Christie, D. J., White, M. P., & Das, C. (2013). Contributions of positive psychology to peace: Toward global well-being and resilience. American Psychologist, 68 (7), 590.
Delle Fave, A., Brdar, I., Wissing, M. P., Araujo, U., Castro Solano, A., Freire, T., … & Nakamura, J. (2016). Lay definitions of happiness across nations: The primacy of inner harmony and relational connectedness. Frontiers in Psychology, 7 , 30.
Diener, E. (2000). Subjective well-being: The science of happiness and a proposal for a national index. American Psychologist, 55 (1), 34.
Easterbrook, G. (2003). The progress paradox . Books on Tape.
Gogava, I., Poghosyan, L., & Aslanov, B. Manual for educators . Accessed at: scholar.google.com.
Hofmann, S. G., Sawyer, A. T., Witt, A. A., & Oh, D. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 78 (2), 169.
Hölzel, B. K., Lazar, S. W., Gard, T., Schuman-Olivier, Z., Vago, D. R., & Ott, U. (2011). How does mindfulness meditation work? Proposing mechanisms of action from a conceptual and neural perspective. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6 (6), 537-559.
Kim-Prieto, C., Diener, E., Tamir, M., Scollon, C., & Diener, M. (2005). Integrating the diverse definitions of happiness: A time-sequential framework of subjective well-being. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6 (3), 261-300.
Lai, S. T., & O’Carroll, R. E. (2017). ‘The Three Good Things’-the effects of gratitude practice on wellbeing: a randomized controlled trial. Health Psychology Update, 26 , 10-18.
Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success? Psychological Bulletin, 131 (6), 803.
Ward, T. (2010). The good lives model of offender rehabilitation: Basic assumptions, etiological commitments, and practice implications. Offender supervision: New directions in theory, research and practice , 41-64.
Wierzbicka, A. (2004). ‘Happiness’ in cross-linguistic & cross-cultural perspective. Daedalus , 133(2), 34-43.
Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration. Clinical Psychology Review, 30 (7), 890-905.

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Hightest people + precious thoughts! I found this site really wonderful. I ‘m totally inspired & impressed by your great work. Have good luck forever.

If you can’t find peace within, you will never find it. True that.

I agree with you to a large extent that we mostly do not pay attention to all these things and basically this is also the reason for our sorrow. Thank you…

When you mentioned mantras you could have given credits to the source.

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5 Reasons Why Inner Peace Is Important

So many of us are seeking inner peace that the question of why inner peace is important comes to the forefront. Inner peace is a concept which I speak and write about quite frequently. For me, the pursuit of inner peace is more important and vital then the search for happiness or success. Happiness is nothing more but a fleeting emotion, and success can be taken from us just as easily as it can be gained. But true inner peace is permanent.

Inner peace is not just for those who dedicate their lives to prayer or spirituality. Inner peace is attainable regardless of our lifestyle or occupation. As I have previously written, inner peace can be found as we learn to mindfully view ourselves and the world around us.

I define inner peace as a state of emotional and mental peace without disturbing thoughts, and recognizing our control over our moods and reactions. It is essential for inner peace that we believe it’s possible and that we believe we are in control of our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Once we truly believe and acknowledge this, the foundation for inner peace has been built.

When one attains inner peace you find that you are able to cope, in a healthy way, with any event or situation happening around you. inner peace does not take away or eliminate our anxieties or fears, rather inner peace allows us to cope with those anxieties and fears, through which we learn and move beyond those anxieties. Neither anxieties or fears are possible to be eliminated, but anxieties and fears can be utilized as a means for further growth.

In my private practice and in speaking with people in general, I find that most people do not believe that inner peace is possible. I can understand why this feeling exists since many of us don’t have inner peace. But just because we don’t have it does not mean that it’s not attainable. Please refer to some of my previous writings to learn how to attain inner peace as this article is not focused on the how but on the why. It’s my hope that if we understand why inner peace is important we may be encouraged to strive to attain inner peace.

Here are but a few of the reasons that I feel inner peace is important. I’ve reflected on these in my own experience along with the experiences of my clients. This in no way is an exhaustive list but rather a start for you to add on to.

It improves our ability to focus our mind. In today’s world there are many distractions which cause us anxiety and worry. The anxiety and worry which we feel is not productive and causes us to lose focus on ourselves and our families. Inner peace teaches us the proper coping methods so that we can turn our anxiety and worry into action steps while maintaining the focus of our mind on what is truly important in our lives.
It helps us to show patience and tolerance. If you have any dealings with social media you are fully aware of the lack of tolerance and patience people seem to have these days. Inner peace allows us to be patient and tolerant of the views of others without the need for anger reactions or responses. Inner peace teaches us that through patience we can better understand the situation and therefore better understand solutions to the problems.
It provides us the ability to sleep better. Many of us do not get the proper amount of sleep either because we are overworked or our minds are overworked. Since inner peace helps us to cope with our stresses and anxieties it allows our minds to not only focus but to slow down thus enabling us to gain a good night sleep.
It enables us to enjoy happiness. Happiness is but a fleeting emotion although an emotion which does not happen easily these days. Having an inner peace and therefore less stress and anxiety allows us to more deeply feel our happy moments. As we practice mindful living and a sense of inner peace those moments of happiness feel greater and seem to last longer.
It improves our relationships with others. How we feel about ourselves is how we perceive the world around us. That perception of the world guides our responses and actions. If I am feeling an inner peace my view of myself will be improved, therefore the world around me will seem better and brighter which will lead to more positive reactions and actions on my part. The more positive that I can be in my relationships the more positivity I will receive from the other.

I know from experience that finding and living with inner peace is possible. I’m not speaking academically or theoretically, but personally. Once you can believe that inner peace is attainable for you then you too can work toward gaining inner peace. The reasons why inner peace is important are many! It’s my hope that as you work on your own inner peace you will add to my list.

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Why Is Inner Peace Important to Happiness

By: Author Valerie Forgeard

Posted on Published: May 25, 2022 - Last updated: September 13, 2022

Categories Self Improvement , Inspiration

Inner peace is an important aspect of the path to happiness. That’s why it’s important to get to the root of your problems, frustrations, and suffering. We all have problems and things that cause stress. Our inner happiness goes down the drain when we give in to these problems.

One reason we let the little things in life bother us is that we don’t enjoy the quiet. A peaceful environment has a calming effect and contributes to a happy life.

The Value of Happiness

Happiness is priceless. It’s the one thing you can’t put a price on. And yet, we’re constantly trying to achieve it. As we grow up, we learn to value things, people, and money, but happiness isn’t on the curriculum.

The Value of Happiness Is Immeasurable Because It Cannot Be Measured in Money

It’s subjective and depends on how you look at it. I’ve met people who live modest lives and are satisfied with what they’ve because they don’t compare themselves to others and don’t expect much from life. They accept what life gives them and are grateful for what nature has given them.

On the other hand, some people have everything in life and still feel unfulfilled because they don’t have enough money or status or social recognition or whatever it may be that makes them unhappy and dissatisfied with their lives – even if they live in luxury!

The Same Is True the Other Way Around

Being happy is considered by many to be the ultimate goal in life. We all want to be happy. The only problem is that it’s not always easy. Sometimes it seems like we’ve to work too hard to achieve it.

Happiness can be defined as a state of well-being characterized by feelings ranging from contentment to intense joy. It’s a combination of mental, emotional, and physical states. In positive psychology, happiness is described as the pursuit of inner values such as spiritual growth, health, and interpersonal relationships combined with a personal perception that one’s life is meaningful, purposeful, and worthwhile.

What True Happiness Means

Many people think one can be happy with wealth, others with high social status. There are many definitions and many different interpretations. But happiness is much simpler than that, and when I say simple, I don’t mean easy to achieve, but simple in description. Happiness is an emotion. It’s an emotion that’s triggered by positive emotions, positive thinking, or a pleasant experience.

There’s no precise definition of happiness, and it’s not something you can measure objectively. You can try to describe it in words, but there will always be some gray areas where your interpretation comes into play.

Happiness doesn’t mean being in love; it doesn’t mean having lots of money; it doesn’t mean being successful, and it doesn’t mean having children or living in a nice house (although those things can make us happier). It’s about your internal peace and your current life situation.

It doesn’t come from the outside but from yourself and your actions. It’s not something you get from the outside world, but something you create for yourself by behaving towards others and treating yourself.

Yes, external factors can affect how happy we’re at any given time: our health, our relationships, our careers, etc., but these things can only affect our happiness if we let them. To be happy, we must learn to control our thoughts and feelings, so they don’t control us!

Happiness is something that comes from within you. It’s an emotion that external events can trigger, but it’s not dependent on them. Happiness comes from within you, your attitude, and the way you perceive things around you.

You Can Have Inner Peace Without Being Happy

Inner peace is being relaxed and calm even in stressful situations. It’s a state of mind that can help us cope with life’s difficult situations and other stressors and be happy despite setbacks.

You can have inner peace without feeling particularly happy. Inner peace helps to cope with unhappiness, but it doesn’t always promise happiness; it’s the first step that helps to develop lasting happiness.

The key to inner peace lies in acceptance. When we accept ourselves and others as they’re, we can stop fighting reality and start enjoying life as it’s. This doesn’t mean we’ve to give up trying to improve ourselves or help others improve; it just means we shouldn’t expect immediate results or blame ourselves when things don’t go according to plan.

Being at peace isn’t about always being happy or having a smile. It’s about accepting life and finding joy amid all its challenges. When we find calmness in every moment, even if it seems difficult at first, we can enjoy life more and be more successful in achieving our goals.

Inner peace means that no matter what happens around you – good or bad – you stay calm and relaxed and don’t let anything affect you too much (even if something bad happens). Even if something terrible happens, your mind remains calm and peaceful instead of letting the situation stress you out or cause you panic.

It’s a state of mind where you feel balanced and calm most of the time, despite any difficulties or challenges in your life. Inner peace allows us to be at peace with ourselves and others, even when faced with difficult situations or negative feelings such as anger, hatred, or jealousy.

Without Inner Peace, You Cannot Have Happiness

Without inner peace, you can’t have happiness. Otherwise, it’s not happiness, it’s excitement. And excitement is a temporary effect that fizzles out very quickly.

It’s said that those who’re peaceful in their minds are always happy and have no worries or anxieties. They live in harmony with their surroundings and with themselves. They don’t suffer from mental stress or tension because they’re always at peace with themselves and their surroundings.

They don’t worry about things that don’t concern them personally, so they don’t worry about others. They know how to enjoy life and live peacefully in it without worrying about tomorrow or regretting yesterday.

Inner peace enables one to be happy even when everything around him seems bad. Those who have inner peace aren’t affected by external situations and remain happy even when they’re alone in the world.

Happiness Is Internal Before It’s External

Happiness is a state of mind. It’s not about the things you’ve or don’t have in your life but how you perceive and react to them. It’s not about external circumstances but about the choices we make in our minds.

Happiness can be developed over time by practicing first being content and appreciating what you’ve within and around you.

The good news is that happiness isn’t just for other people – it’s for everyone! You can learn to be happy by making small changes in your life, one step at a time.

How to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

Inner peace is a feeling of calm and contentment. It’s a state of mind free from stress, anxiety, worry, and fear. It’s also a state of mind free from anger and frustration. You can achieve inner peace by following these simple steps:

Be grateful for what you’ve now and in the past . Don’t focus on what could’ve been or what might be.
Don’t compare yourself to others because there will always be someone more than you, money, looks, or something else.
Don’t compare yourself to others either – that will only make you unhappy because no one compares themselves to anyone else when they’re happy! Instead of focusing on what should be better in your life, focus on what already makes it great!
Have compassion. Sometimes having compassion for another human being isn’t only a spiritual practice to give us mental peace. Still, it helps us develop positive thinking about the world instead of producing one more negative emotion. If everyone did that, we wouldn’t only be at peace with our person, but we’d also have world peace.
Take time to meditate or take a walk in nature. Listen to music that triggers positive thoughts and clears your mind of the stressors of everyday life.
Take the time to listen to others and be genuinely interested in what they say. This builds trust and encourages open communication with those around you.
Stop focusing on the negative aspects of life and instead focus on what makes you happy . It may take some effort, but try to find joy in things that aren’t always enjoyable, like reading a book to help you work on your inner self (e.g.: The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle).
Be aware of what triggers your stress or anxiety , take a deep breath and focus on the present moment.
Do something for someone else without expecting to get anything back , even a positive affirmation.
Be mindful of each thought and feeling, but don’t judge them as good or bad – just observe them without attaching to them (this is called “mindfulness”).
Practice meditation regularly , even if it’s just five minutes a day (meditation has been shown to help reduce stress and anxiety). If you’ve never done it before, try mindfulness meditation mobile apps (Calm, Plum Village, etc.), and you’ll find plenty of guided meditation options.

How to Make Inner Peace and Happiness a Priority

Inner peace and happiness are something we all want to achieve. But often, we put it on the back burner until other things get done. However, you can achieve inner calm and happiness by setting a goal and working towards it. Here are some tips on how to make inner peace and happiness a priority:

Make a list of things you want to accomplish.
Prioritize your goals and make a plan to achieve them.
Make sure you have the right attitude and do the right things to achieve them!
Write a journal . It helps you work on yourself; when you read it you can see where you’ve made progress and keep getting stuck.
The power of giving can bring you happiness and peace of mind
The ability to give is a powerful tool that can help you find inner peace and happiness . When you give without expectations, you can feel the joy of giving without worrying about getting anything back. Here are some tips on how to give without expecting anything in return:
Give more to yourself – The most important thing you can give is your time and attention, so pay attention to how much time you spend on each activity throughout the day. If it’s something that doesn’t require your full attention or doesn’t bring you joy, you should limit that activity until it no longer feels like work but like an opportunity to give back.
Be open to what others need from you – sometimes, people just want someone who’ll listen! Don’t assume that just because someone wants something from you, they don’t appreciate what else they get out of knowing you or being with you (even if it’s just having their needs met).
Give without expectations – Giving without expectations always makes you happier than expecting something in return. It’s so easy to think that if we do something nice for someone else, they should give something nice back. But when we give without expecting anything in return, it feels great.

Giving is a fundamental part of being human and an important part of many religions. Giving doesn’t have to be about religion or spirituality; it can just be about helping people who need a hand.

Try Meditation

Meditation is a great way to calm your mind and get back to your inner self if you’re struggling with emotional distress and anxiety. It can help you focus and control your emotions, making it easier to manage everyday life stress. Meditation also teaches us to be more mindful of our thoughts and feelings, so we’re less likely to hold onto negative thoughts and feelings beyond our control.

When we meditate regularly, we learn to be kinder to ourselves and others by focusing on positive experiences rather than dwelling on things that don’t (and won’t) go perfectly.

Harmony Between Words and Actions

When you’re in harmony, your words, actions, and thoughts are aligned. Your behavior will reflect your beliefs and values. You may even guess what a person is thinking or feeling by watching them – because their actions match their words and thoughts.

Those at peace with themselves don’t have to tell others how they feel because they show their feelings through their behavior in every situation.

Living in the Present Moment

When we’re in the present moment, we don’t worry about what’s happened or what might happen. We simply enjoy what’s happening at this moment. When you’re mindful of your surroundings and know how things feel, you can be at peace with yourself and others.

This means that deep peace can be achieved through meditation or other forms of mindfulness and by living in the present moment.

By focusing on what’s happening around us, rather than worrying about the past or the future (which doesn’t exist), we feel less stressed and more connected to ourselves and our surroundings.

Live a Healthy and Balanced Life

It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind, but there are some things you can do to feel happier. A balanced life allows you to enjoy the good things in your daily life while avoiding the bad.

Exercise . Exercise is important for your physical and mental health. It can help you feel strong, healthy, and happy.
Eat well. Eating a healthy diet is another way to improve your health and happiness by ensuring you get enough vitamins and minerals to function properly (e.g., iron, calcium, and zinc).
Getting enough sleep. Getting the right amount of sleep each night allows our bodies to rest properly and makes us feel refreshed when we wake up in the morning, ready to take on the day. This is important not only for our physical health but also for our overall well-being!

Make Sure the Happiness You Create Is Your Own

You’re the only one who can decide what makes you happy. What makes you happy may be different from what makes someone else happy.

You may have friends or family members who tell you what they think would make you happy, but their ideas may not be right for you. Maybe other people in your life want to tell you what’ll make you happy, but that’s not their decision.

Only you know yourself well enough to know what’ll make you happy. That’s why it’s important to find out for yourself what’ll make you happy and not rely on the opinions of others.

If someone tells you something will make him or her happy, ask yourself if he or she believes that statement or if he or she’s just saying it because someone else wants to hear it from him or her. If he or she doesn’t believe it themselves, they probably won’t get much out of what they’re talking about anyway!

Inner Peace Means That You’re at Least Going in the Right Direction

You probably know that inner peace means that you’re at least going in the right direction to be happy with yourself and life. This doesn’t happen overnight; it takes time and effort! Many people think they’ve to meditate or do yoga daily to find inner peace, but that’s not true.

Inner peace is about learning how to balance all aspects of your life, so you don’t ignore or neglect anything for too long. This includes taking care of:

your physical health (eating healthy and exercising)
your emotional health (feeling loved by others)
your mental health (having a purpose)
your financial health (having enough money to live well)

It can be a benefit to your health and happiness. It can help you feel connected to others through empathy and compassion. You may find more meaning in life, a big step toward discovering and pursuing your purpose (or mission) on Earth.

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A Guide to Cultivating Inner Peace and Happiness

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Last Updated on March 27, 2023 by Mike Robinson

In a world full of chaos and distractions, finding inner peace and happiness can seem like an impossible task. We often get lost in the clutter of our daily lives, leaving us feeling overwhelmed, stressed, and disconnected from our true selves.

However, cultivating inner peace and happiness is not a distant dream. It is a journey that starts with the willingness to change, the determination to let go of negative thoughts and emotions, and the commitment to prioritize our mental and emotional well-being.

In this guide, we will explore practical steps that you can take to cultivate inner peace and happiness in your life. From mindfulness practices to self-care rituals, from gratitude exercises to positive affirmations, you will discover a plethora of powerful tools that will help you tap into your inner wisdom, experience more joy, and live a more fulfilling life.

So, are you ready to embark on this transformative journey? Let’s dive in!

Understanding Inner Peace and Happiness

Inner peace and happiness are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Inner peace is the state of being calm, centered, and balanced, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. It is the ability to remain grounded and present, regardless of external circumstances.

Happiness, on the other hand, is a positive emotional state that arises from experiencing pleasure, joy, or contentment. It is a fleeting feeling that comes and goes depending on our external circumstances.

While happiness is important, it is not sustainable without inner peace. Inner peace is the foundation upon which happiness can thrive. When we cultivate inner peace, we create a sense of stability and resilience that allows us to weather the ups and downs of life with greater ease and grace.

Inner peace also enables us to cultivate deeper connections with others, as it allows us to approach relationships from a place of calm and compassion.

The Importance of Cultivating Inner Peace and Happiness

A Guide to Cultivating Inner Peace and Happiness

Cultivating inner peace and happiness is essential for our overall health and well-being. When we are stressed, anxious, or overwhelmed, our bodies release stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, which can have negative effects on our physical and mental health.

Chronic stress has been linked to a range of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and depression. On the other hand, when we cultivate inner peace and happiness, our bodies release endorphins and other feel-good hormones, which can boost our immune system, reduce inflammation, and enhance our overall sense of well-being.

Inner peace and happiness also have a positive impact on our relationships, as they enable us to communicate more effectively, empathize with others, and create deeper connections.

The Benefits of Inner Peace and Happiness

The benefits of cultivating inner peace and happiness are numerous and far-reaching. Here are just a few of the many ways that inner peace and happiness can transform your life:

Reduced stress and anxiety: When we cultivate inner peace, we are better able to manage stress and anxiety. We can approach challenging situations with greater calm and clarity, and we are less likely to be triggered by external circumstances.
Improved mental and emotional health: Inner peace and happiness have been shown to improve mood, reduce symptoms of depression, and enhance overall mental and emotional well-being.
Better physical health: Inner peace and happiness have been linked to a range of physical health benefits, including reduced inflammation, improved immune function, and a lower risk of chronic disease.
Enhanced relationships: When we approach relationships from a place of inner peace and happiness, we are better able to communicate, empathize, and connect with others.
Increased creativity and productivity: Inner peace and happiness can enhance our creativity and productivity, as they enable us to approach tasks with greater focus and clarity.

The Science Behind Inner Peace and Happiness

The benefits of cultivating inner peace and happiness are not just anecdotal. There is a growing body of scientific research that supports the positive effects of mindfulness, gratitude, and other practices on our mental and physical well-being.

For example, a study published in the Journal of Health Psychology found that participants who practiced mindfulness meditation for eight weeks experienced a significant reduction in stress and anxiety compared to a control group.

Another study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that participants who engaged in a daily gratitude exercise for two weeks reported higher levels of happiness and well-being.

These are just a few examples of the many studies that have demonstrated the positive effects of cultivating inner peace and happiness. By incorporating these practices into our daily lives, we can experience profound shifts in our mental and emotional well-being.

The Role of Mindfulness

women in practicing mindfulness while siting

Mindfulness is a powerful tool for cultivating inner peace and happiness. It involves paying attention to the present moment without judgment or distraction. Mindfulness enables us to become more aware of our thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations, so that we can respond to them with greater clarity and compassion.

There are many ways to practice mindfulness, including meditation, yoga, and mindful breathing. One simple mindfulness exercise that you can try is the “body scan.” To do this exercise, simply lie down in a comfortable position and focus on each part of your body, starting with your toes and working your way up to the top of your head.

As you focus on each part of your body, notice any sensations or feelings that arise, without judgment or distraction.

By incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine, you can cultivate a greater sense of inner peace and happiness. Mindfulness allows us to let go of negative thoughts and emotions and approach life with greater clarity and compassion.

Cultivating positive habits

In addition to mindfulness, there are many other positive habits that you can cultivate to promote inner peace and happiness. Here are just a few examples:

Letting go of negative thoughts and emotions: Negative thoughts and emotions can be a major source of stress and anxiety. By letting go of these negative patterns, we can create space for more positive and peaceful experiences.
Practicing self-care: self-care is essential for our mental and emotional well-being. This can include anything from taking a relaxing bath to going for a walk in nature.
Engaging in activities that bring you joy: Doing things that you enjoy can boost your mood and enhance your overall sense of well-being. This might include listening to music, reading a book, or spending time with loved ones.
Setting healthy boundaries is essential for our mental and emotional well-being. This might mean saying “no” to things that drain your energy or creating space for solitude and reflection.

The Power of Gratitude and Positive Affirmations

Gratitude and positive affirmations are two powerful tools for cultivating inner peace and happiness. Gratitude involves focusing on the positive aspects of our lives and expressing appreciation for the people and experiences that bring us joy. Positive affirmations involve repeating positive statements to ourselves, such as “I am worthy” or “I am loved.”

Research has shown that both gratitude and positive affirmations can have a significant impact on our mental and emotional well-being. A study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that participants who practiced gratitude for three weeks reported higher levels of happiness and well-being.

Another study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that participants who repeated positive affirmations experienced a boost in self-esteem and confidence.

Engaging in Activities That Bring Inner Peace and Happiness

In addition to cultivating positive habits and practicing mindfulness, there are many activities that can bring us inner peace and happiness. Here are just a few examples:

Spending time in nature can reduce stress and anxiety and enhance our overall sense of well-being.
Listening to music: Listening to music can have a powerful effect on our mood and emotions. It can help us to relax, feel more energized, or tap into our creativity.
Practicing yoga or tai chi: Yoga and tai chi are both practices that can promote relaxation, mindfulness, and physical well-being.
Engaging in creative activities: creative activities, such as painting, writing, or dancing, can be a powerful way to express ourselves and tap into our inner wisdom.

Conclusion: Taking the First Step Towards Cultivating Inner Peace and Happiness

Cultivating inner peace and happiness is a journey that requires patience, commitment, and self-compassion. By incorporating mindfulness, positive habits, and gratitude into your daily routine, you can create a foundation for greater well-being and fulfillment.

Remember, you are worthy of happiness and inner peace, and you have the power to create a life that reflects your truest desires and aspirations. So take the first step today and embark on this transformative journey towards greater inner peace and happiness.

Related article: Your Recipe for Happiness and a Joyful Life

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20 Reasons Why You Need Inner Peace and Tranquility

Inner peace means equanimity, inner harmony, and the absence of disturbing or distracting thoughts. It means a peaceful mind that can stay calm and recollected in every situation.

Inner peace is not reserved only for yogis, hermits or monks, living in some far away place, praying or meditating all day long.

This state can also be attained by people living an ordinary life, who have a job, are married, and have kids.

True inner peace is independent of external conditions and circumstances.

This state of mind confers tranquility and peace, inner harmony and balance, and the ability to remain calm, undisturbed, and in control of yourself, even in difficult and unpleasant situations.

Inner peace is important not only while things move smoothly, but especially, in times of trouble, difficulties or danger. Then, it counts most.

A state of inner peace eliminates anxieties, fears and worries.

It also removes negative thoughts, stress, lack of satisfaction and unhappiness.

It is a state of emotional and mental poise, happiness, confidence and inner strength.

Everyone desires inner peace, even if he or she is not aware of this desire. Few realize the importance and benefits of inner peace, and still fewer know that it is a skill that can be learned.

You can continue living where you are, without making external changes in your life, and yet, attain a state inner peace .

Some might progress fast, and others at a slower pace. Some might reach far, and others not so far. However, everyone can gain, at least a certain measure of inner peace, enough to transform their lives.

Release stress and enjoy inner peace in daily life

It improves your ability to focus your mind, since there will be fewer distracting thoughts.
Calmness enables you to handle more efficiently the daily affairs of life.
It increases your inner strength and ability to handle difficult situations.
Its possession eliminates impatience, anger, nervousness and restlessness.
It helps you show more patience, tolerance and tact.
It makes you feel centered, grounded and stable.
Being mentally and emotionally calm, helps you fall asleep easily and have a better sleep.
You gain the ability to be emotionally and mentally unaffected by what people think or say about you.
This state of mind confers you the ability to eliminate stress, anxieties and worries.
You enjoy happiness and a sense of bliss.
You gain self mastery and self discipline .
It helps you relax your body and nerves.
The healing energies of the body work unhindered.
Being peaceful enables you not to be swayed by events, hardships and difficulties, and to maintain inner poise, clear judgment and common sense in such situations.
Inner peace eliminates negative, futile and restless thinking.
Peace and tranquility improve your relationships with other people.
It makes life look brighter and brings forward a positive attitude toward life.
It increases creativity the ability to solve problems.
A peaceful mind improves the ability to meditate.
Possessing this ability opens the gateway to enlightenment and spiritual awakening.

How to Attain Peace and Tranquility

There are various ways to attain inner peace, such as psychological means, affirmations , visualization, yoga and meditation.

Others ways, which this websites focuses on, are meditation , calming the chatter of the mind and emotional detachment .

Strive to be aware of the thoughts that pass through your mind, and strive not to follow every thought that pops up into your mind.

Do not underestimate the importance of inner peace and tranquility. It is of the utmost importance for everyone.

Some, associate it with passivity and sitting on the fence, of being inactive and being not taking action. This is a wrong concept.

Who delivers better work, someone who focuses on his work, or someone whose mind keeps wandering?

Ask yourself the Following Questions

Who gets better grades, a person who stays calm during the examinations, or someone who gets stressed.

Who dares and to embrace new opportunities, a person who is worried and stressed, or someone who thinks clearly and uses common sense.

What person is a better problem solver, someone who is full of fears and doubts, or someone who has a clear and tranquil mind?

Of course, the answer is the person with the tranquil and peaceful mind, and this can be you, if you care to train your mind to calm down.

“When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities.” – The Dalai Lama

If you wish to learn more, and find a practical guidance on this topic, written in a language everyone can understand and follow, it would be a good idea to read the books:

Inner Peace in the Busy Daily Life . Calm Down the Nonstop Chatter of Your Mind

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Join him on a fabulous journey to self-improvement, success, positivity, inner peace, and meditation through his website, articles, and books .

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Achieving Peace through Inner Peace

Physical and Mental Discomfort

Peace is everyone’s concern, whether living in the East, the West, the North, or the South. Whether rich or poor, everybody needs to be genuinely concerned with peace. We are all human beings and so we all have the same concern in general: to be happy, to have a happy life. And we all deserve a happy life. We are speaking here on that level. Everyone has a feeling of “me” or “the self,” but we don’t fully understand what the “me” or “the self” is. Nevertheless, still we have a strong feeling of “me.” With that feeling comes the desire to have happiness and not to have suffering. This automatically arises or appears. On that basis, we all have the right to be happy.

Meanwhile, in our lives lots of unpleasant things and obstacles are bound to happen. There are two categories of these. One category of pain is due to physical causes, for instance sickness and growing older. Like myself, already I have some experience about this – it’s difficult for me to hear, to see, to walk. These things are bound to happen. The other category is mainly the mental level. If, on the physical level, everything is comfortable and luxurious and everything is there, but still if we have some stress and self-doubts, we feel lonely. We have jealousy, fear and hatred, and then we’re unhappy. So, despite the physical level, on the mental level we could have much suffering.

For physical comfort, then with money, yes, we can reduce some suffering and bring physical satisfaction. That physical level, including power, name, and fame, however, can’t bring us inner peace. Sometimes, in fact, having a lot of money and wealth just generates more worry in us. We are too much concerned about our name and fame, and that leads to some hypocrisy, some discomfort, some stress. So, mental happiness is not so dependent on external means, but on the internal way of our thinking.

We can see that there are some poor people who are still, on the inner level, very strong and happy. In fact, if we have inner satisfaction, we can bear any type of difficult physical suffering and can transform it. So, between physical and mental pain, I think mental pain is more severe. This is because physical discomfort can be subdued by mental comfort, but mental discomfort can’t be eliminated by physical comfort.

The mental troubles and problems of people are stronger and more severe than those of animals. On the physical level, perhaps the suffering of both is the same, but, concerning human beings, because of our intelligence we have doubts, insecurity, and stress. These lead to depression; and all of that comes about because of our superior intelligence. To counter this, we must also use our human intelligence. On an emotional level, some emotions, as soon as they arise, cause us to lose our peace of mind. Certain emotions, on the other hand, even bring us more strength. They are the basis of strength and confidence and lead us to have a more tranquil and calmer state of mind.

Two Categories of Emotions

Therefore, there are two categories of emotions. One is very harmful for peace of mind and these are the destructive emotions such as anger and hatred. They not only destroy our peace of mind at this moment, but they also are very destructive for our speech and our bodies. In other words, they affect the way that we act. They lead us to act in harmful ways and therefore they’re destructive. Other emotions, however, give us inner strength and peace such as compassion. They bring us the strength of forgiveness, for example. Even if we have some troubles at a certain time with some person, forgiveness eventually will lead us to be tranquil, to have peace of mind. The person that we were so angry with could even become our best friend.

External Peace

When we speak of peace, we must talk of these emotions and inner peace. Therefore, we have to find out which emotions lead to inner peace. But first I want to say something about external peace.

External peace is not just the mere absence of violence. Perhaps during the Cold War we apparently had peace; but that peace was based on fear, fear of a nuclear holocaust. Both sides had fear of the other bombing them, so this wasn’t genuine peace. Genuine peace must come from inner peace. Whenever there is conflict, I feel that we must find a peaceful solution and that means through dialogue. So peace has much to do with warm-heartedness and respect for the lives of others, resisting causing harm to others, and having the attitude that the lives of others are as sacred as our own. We need to respect that and, on that basis, if we can also help the others, then we try to do so.

When we face difficulties and someone comes to help us, of course we appreciate that. If someone else is suffering, then even if we just extend human understanding, that person appreciates this and feels very happy. So, from inner compassion and peace of mind, all actions become peaceful. If we can establish inner peace, then we can bring about external peace as well.

As humans, we always have different points of view in our interactions with each other. But based on strong concepts of “me” and “they,” then in addition we get the concepts of “my interest” and “your interest.” On that basis, we can even get war. We think that the destruction of my enemy will bring about my victory. But now, there is a new reality. We are heavily interdependent on each other from the economic point of view and from the ecological point of view. So the concepts of “we” and “they” are no longer relevant. Those that we considered “they” now have become part of “we.” So the key factor to developing peace of mind is compassion, based on the recognition that we are six billion people on this planet and all of us people have the same right to happiness. Based on that, we take everybody seriously and, on that basis, we should be able to establish external peace.

Starting on a Small Level

So for peace, we need to start developing peace in ourselves, then in our families, and then in our communities. In Mexico, for example, one friend developed a “Zone of Peace” in his own community. He established this through everyone in his community making an agreement. Everyone in the community agreed to try deliberately to avoid violence within this Zone of Peace. If they had to fight or disagree, they all agreed they would go outside the boundaries of that zone. This is very good.

It’s hard to ask for world peace, though eventually on a world level that would be best. But what’s more realistic is to start now on a small level with self, family, community, district, and so on, by establishing things like zones of peace. So inner peace, then, is very much connected with compassion.

Things right now are really changing very much in the world. I remember some years ago one German friend, the late Friedrich von Weizsäcker, whom I consider a teacher of mine, was telling me that when he was young, from the point of view of the eye of every German person, the French were considered the enemy and, from the point of view of every French eye, the Germans were the enemy. But now things are different. Now we have a unified force, the European Union. This is very good. Previously, every state, from their point of view, regarded their own sovereignty as so precious. But now there’s a new reality in Europe; there’s a common interest more important than individual interests. If the economy improves, every member state benefits. So now it’s important to extend this thought to all six billion people of the planet. We need to think of everybody as being members of one large human family.

Compassion as a Biological Factor

Now as for compassion, all those mammals that are born from mothers – humans, mammals, birds, and so on – their development depends on receiving affection and care. This is the case except for just a few species, such as the sea tortoise, butterflies, salmons that lay their eggs and die – these beings are a bit of an exception. For instance, take the sea turtle. The mothers lay their eggs on the shore and then leave; so the survival of the young tortoises depends solely on their own effort. They don’t need the affection of the mother and yet they survive. So I tell some audiences it would be a very interesting scientific experiment when a turtle egg hatches to put the young turtle baby and the mother together and see if they have affection toward each other. I don’t think they would. Nature creates them like that, so there’s no need for affection. But as for mammals and especially humans, without motherly care we would all die.

To take care of a young baby requires some emotions, which would be compassion, affection, and feelings of concern and care. Scientists say that during the few weeks after birth, the mother’s touch is essential for the development of the infant’s brain. We notice that those children that come from a loving, affectionate, warm family tend to be happier. They’re even healthier on a physical level. But children lacking affection, especially when they’re young, tend to have a lot of difficulty.

Some scientists have conducted experiments in which they have separated young monkeys from their mothers and they observed that those young monkeys were always in bad moods, fighting. They didn’t play very well with each other. But those that were kept with their mothers were happy and played nicely with each other. And especially human children who lack affection as infants – they tend to become cold. They have difficulty showing affection to others and, in some cases, they become violent with others. So affection is a biological factor, a biologically-based factor.

Also, I think because compassion and emotion are related to this biological physical level, then according to some scientists if we constantly are angry and have hatred and fear, this eats away our immune system and it becomes weaker. But a compassionate mind helps and strengthens the immune system.

Take another example. If we look in the medical field, if there is trust between the nurses and the physicians on one side and the patients on the other side, this is important for the patients’ improvement. So what is the basis of trust? If on the doctor’s side and the nurses’ side they show genuine concern and care for the patient to recover, then trust comes. But on the other hand, even if the doctor is an expert, yet if he or she treats the patient like a machine, then there’s very little trust. Well, maybe if the doctor has great experience, there’s some trust, but if the doctor is more compassionate, then there’s even more trust. The patients sleep better and are less disturbed. If they are disturbed on a deeper level, then they become very troubled and this affects their recovery.

But problems are, of course, inevitable in life. Shantideva, the great Indian Buddhist master, advised that when we face problems, we need to analyze them. If they can be overcome by a method, then don’t worry, just apply the method. But if they can’t be helped, there’s no need to worry, it won’t benefit us at all. Thinking about this line is of great help. Even if we have a big problem, we can minimize it if we think like this.

So long as we need the care of others, for instance when we are small babies, we have affection and compassion. But with more independence as we grow older, we tend to feel aggression is more important than compassion in order to get our own ways. But six billion people all come from mothers. Everybody experiences happiness and satisfaction under the care of motherly love, or, if it wasn’t the mother, someone else’s affection when we were babies. Gradually, though, these qualities become thinner as we get older and then we tend to become aggressive, with more bullying, and we create more problems.

The Necessity of Seeing Reality

When the mind becomes angry and the brain is dominated by anger, one scientist in Sweden told me that 90% of the appearance of this terrible person that we’re angry with is a mental projection. In other words, 90% of the negativity is mentally projected. This is similar also when we have attachment and strong desire for someone: we see the person as 100% beautiful and good. But a large percentage of that is also mental projection; we don’t see reality. Therefore, it’s very important to see reality.

There’s another important point: nobody wants trouble, but why does trouble arise? It’s due to our naivety, our ignorance, our approach: we don’t see reality. From our own limited viewpoints, we can’t see the whole picture of reality. We see only two dimensions, but this is not enough. We need to able to see things in three, four, six dimensions. We need to calm our minds first in order to investigate objectively.

Here, too, the difference between constructive and destructive emotions is important to understand for all of these points. When we grow up, gradually the biological factor of compassion eventually diminishes, so we need education and training about compassion to bolster it again. The biological type of compassion, however, is biased: it’s based on receiving the affection of others. But using that as a basis, then by adding reason and scientific factors from our investigation, we not only are able to maintain this biological level of compassion, but we’re able to increase it as well. So, with training and education, limited biased compassion can become infinite impartial compassion extended to six billion people and beyond.

The Importance of Education

The key to all this is education. Modern education pays attention to the development of the brain and the intellect, but this is not enough. We need also to be able to develop warm-heartedness in our educational systems. This we need from kindergarten all the way through university.

In America, some scientists have developed education programs for training children to develop more compassion and mindfulness. And this is not done for the purpose of helping these children to improve their future lives and attain nirvana, but it’s done for the benefit of this life. Even in some universities, there are already some education programs for developing warm-heartedness and compassion. That type of unbiased compassion is not focused on the attitudes of others, but simply on they’re being human beings. We are all part of the population of six billion people on this planet, so everyone deserves our compassion on the basis of that factor of equality.

Inner and Outer Disarmament

So for inner peace and world peace, we need both inner and outer disarmament. This means that on the inner level, we develop compassion and then eventually, on that basis, we are able to disarm everything, all countries, on an external level. It’s like having the unified force of the Franco-German European Army Corps; this is great. If there could be a unified force for the entire European Union, then there would be no armed struggle among the members.

Once in Brussels there was a meeting of foreign ministers and I said that in the future it would be very helpful if the headquarters of the European Union were moved more to the East, in one of the Eastern European countries, for instance Poland. Then eventually it would be good to expand it to include Russia as well, and then eventually move the NATO headquarters to Moscow. If that were to happen, then there really will be peace and no danger of war here in Europe. Now, at present, there are some difficulties between Russia and Georgia, but we need to keep our hope.

On the basis of this greater extension of peace, then the armament industry here in France, for example, could eventually be closed and we could shift the economy to more productive aspects. Instead of tanks, the factories could be converted to build bulldozers, for example!

African nations also need our help very much. The gap between rich and poor is a big problem, not just globally; but on the national level as well, this gap between rich and poor is quite awful. In France, for example, there’s a big discrepancy here between the rich and the poor. Some people are even facing starvation. But we’re all human beings and we all have the same hopes, needs and problems. We need to consider all of these points for developing peace through inner peace.

Vallromanes

Find your inner peace: techniques and benefits

Inner peace has become a fascinating topic that has been covered worldwide by spiritual leaders, doctors, therapists and psychologists. We love to romanticize inner peace as the answer to everything in life, yet do very little to acquire it, because in order to achieve this state, something very scary is required of us and that is change.

What is inner peace

Inner peace is the ability to withstand life’s shortcomings by training the mind to enter into a deliberate spiritual and psychological state of calm. It is commonly linked with happiness, contentment and bliss, but these are temporary states; embarking on the path of inner peace helps us navigate through the turbulent waters of uncertainty, suffering and sadness.

Benefits of inner peace

Inner peace allows us to confront life with an open heart and mind, helps us keep track of what is important to us and eliminate negative influence. The pursuit of inner peace is a universal goal, but it seems like most of us lose sight of its numerous benefits.

Focus on our goals

Inner peace calms our mind and allows us to see our path much clearer, helping us focus and keep track of our goals. Having clear goals is like having a compass; you know where you want to go, you aim for it and commit to the road, trusting that all obstacles are worthy challenges rather than intimidating threats.

Avoid bad habits

Bad habits are the result of negative pattern behaviors, which stem from our inability to confront our problems and obstacles with an open heart and mind. Inner peace gifts us with the optimal mechanisms to deal with our stress in healthy ways, allowing us to grow and feel more content as a result.

The road to happiness

Inner peace is the path towards happiness. We tend to use these concepts interchangeably, but they are different. Having inner peace is what allows us to enjoy and appreciate the present, regardless of whether it’s good or bad.

Reduce stress

The definition of stress is pressure from an external stimulus. It should come as no surprise that most chronic diseases [and illnesses] are rooted in unmanaged stress. When we embark on the path of inner peace, these external circumstances or situations don’t affect us, improving our overall physical and mental health.

Keys to finding inner peace

Finding inner peace is deceptively simple. We tend to get stuck in our negative mindsets and habits because of our fear of change, but as we all know, change is the only constant factor in our lives and can be very powerful.

In the balance lies inner peace

Discovering the balance in what you say, think, eat and do is the challenging yet possible mission that will bring us inner peace in our daily lives.

Simplify and defeat

Evaluating which activities we do or don’t engage our time in simplifies our lives greatly. We can’t do everything, we can’t always win and we certainly can’t please everyone, so choosing what matters and is important to us will help us free ourselves of unnecessary stress and unhappiness

Listen to your inner self

Aligning your core values and beliefs with your actions is a great way to establish a compass on how you invest your time and energy with people and activities. It is very simple: if something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Stay away from the things that drain your energy and just go along with what you stand for and believe in.

Take away the criticism of your life

Criticizing others is a waste of time and energy and reveals a lot more about our unhappiness and dissatisfaction with our lives, but the worst type of criticism we can engage in is in our own. We tend to be our own worst enemies; we constantly criticize and punish ourselves for our human nature and that is one of the most self-destructive behaviors. Be kind to yourself, realize that mistakes are just opportunities to learn and grow, and that nobody is perfect. Once we stop being so self-critical and start loving ourselves is when we can do the same for others.

The importance of meditating and reflecting

Meditation is based on the idea that you can cultivate a more positive and calm state of mind through a series of techniques that improve our emotional positivity, clarity and concentration. Meditating allows us to understand our mind habits and patterns better. Reflecting on these helps us in replacing negative patterns by cultivating new, positive ways of being present.

One good turn deserves another

Without a doubt, inner peace simply makes you a better person overall and, when you enjoy peace within yourself, you automatically feel compelled to give back and help others feel good too. Inner peace enables you to share your happiness and positive mindset with the people that surround you, especially your loved ones.

The power of forgiveness

Hate, regret and grudges towards other people and yourself are very useless and negative feelings that contribute to making you feel more stressed and unhappy. Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give, mainly because it will help you get rid of unnecessary stress and anger from your life.

The AIRE Experience: interior and exterior relaxation

AIRE is the ultimate relaxation experience that will gift you with a taste of what inner peace feels like. Inspired by the ancient baths that were popular after Ottoman, Roman and Greek traditions, AIRE offers thermal baths with various water temperatures that will wash away your stress With numerous worldwide locations including New York, Chicago, Paris, Seville, Barcelona, or London, AIRE Ancient Baths specializes in luxurious thermal baths and also provides aromatherapy and other forms of hydrotherapy, such as balneotherapy.

If you enjoyed this article, you should read Benefits of meditation .

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1 Inner and Outer Peace

What We Mean When We Talk About Inner Peace

Peter gould.

In PAX 120B, we don’t hold up “Inner Peace” as some exalted state toward which we launch ourselves through a practice of mindful meditation. You’ll find several essays in this book that definitely lead you in a different direction.

The “Inner Peace” in our course works collaboratively with the Outer Peace process. Our premise is simple. We say:

If you, the student, intend to work in a field of conflict—to transform or resolve it;

If you’d like to put your energy into peacemaking, peacebuilding, peacekeeping;

If you want to be a mediator;

If you want to be a negotiator, an arbitrator, a justice or a judge;

If you want to assist an injured community in the difficult process of truth and reconciliation;

If you want to work with groups or non-profits organizing around issues of economic inequality, climate justice, immigration rights, domestic abuse, mass incarceration;

If you want to confront racism and privilege, or gender violence;

If you want to apply restorative practices to repair harm to victims and re-integrate offenders into their community;

If you want to dedicate your life to environmental stewardship;

If you want to take part in a non-violent activity of protest;

If you want to do public service or run for political office;

If you want clarity about the many layers of your own identity– some of which you may want to question;

Then we think you will want to develop some kind of dedicated mindfulness practice, a habit of time and space for yourself, so that you can bring your absolute best self to any one of these situations, and so that you can model calm, compassion, active listening, non-violent speech, deliberation, accurate vocabulary, and appropriate body language.

By grounding yourself in an Inner Peace practice of your own, you will bring to the table an ever-improving positive ethics of communication. You will inspire confidence in others.

What We Mean When We Talk About Outer Peace

John ungerleider.

In PAX 120B, “Outer Peace” is not the lack of conflict, but a way of dealing with the inevitable conflicts in life—between individuals and groups—without violence. This calls for respect and increasing equity between members of historically unequal identity groups.

The sensitivity, insight, and patience needed to take risks, to get to know someone who is both truly different as well as deeply similar to each of us, require inner as well as outer skills from a peacebuilder.

We need to build capacities for an active life of “Inner Peace:” cultivating an Inner Activism: shifting ways that we may be potentially violent, towards accessing abilities that can build the dimensions of Outer Peace.

We must understand how our cultures of violence seep into us collectively and individually—often unconsciously, against our better judgment or against our will. We can gain this awareness, together in dialogue and by personal reflection.

We can transform ourselves from intolerant, potential perpetrators of violence, into collaborators in liberating communication.

We can liberate ourselves increasingly from the gender-socialized stereotypes that house intolerance and oppression, of each other and of our human potential. We can overcome the alienation that comes from this and can lead to domestic violence and sexual abuse.

We can examine our emotions, so they become conscious to us, better enabling us to prevent unknown, unexpected aggressions from appearing. They may suddenly come up from attitudes, beliefs, and childhood abuses, up to the surface to be expressed in current relationships.

We can find a way to act with the integrity of who we are and who we want to be in building, making, and keeping peace between the colleagues and communities in our daily lives.

These skills for Outer Peace practice, from dialogue to mediation to negotiation to trust-building and team-building to conflict mapping and intervention, can be strengthened by self-reflection and a clear and honest analysis of our own inherited social identities.

The Inner Peace Outer Peace Reader Copyright © by Peter Gould & John Ungerleider is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Measuring Well-Being: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from the Social Sciences and the Humanities

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15 Inner Peace as a Contribution to Human Flourishing: A New Scale Developed from Ancient Wisdom

Published: April 2021
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Although philosophers and theologians have emphasized the centrality of inner peace for the good life, this concept has not generally been included in research on human flourishing. The authors argue that inner peace contributes to a more complete form of flourishing for both religious and secular people. They then propose a new instrument, the Inner Peace Scale, to measure inner peace, and they provide an initial psychometric evaluation of the instrument based on five empirical studies. The authors distinguish their scale from related measures, such as contentment, serenity, or tranquility. Engagement with literature from the social sciences and the humanities, along with the authors’ research findings, suggest that inner peace is comprised of three dimensions: acceptance of loss, transcendence of hedonism and materialism, and inner balance and calmness. Greater attention to the dimension of transcending hedonism and materialism may prove especially helpful in advancing the field, particularly in consumeristic societies.

Although philosophers and theologians have emphasized the centrality of inner peace for the good life, this concept has not generally been included in research on human flourishing. We argue that inner peace contributes to a more complete form of flourishing for both religious and secular people. We then propose a new instrument, the Inner Peace Scale, to measure inner peace and we provide an initial psychometric evaluation of the instrument based on five empirical studies. We distinguish our scale from related measures, such as contentment, serenity, or tranquility. Our engagement with literature from the social sciences and the humanities, along with our research findings, suggests that inner peace is comprised of three dimensions: acceptance of loss; transcendence of hedonism and materialism; and inner balance and calmness. Greater attention to the dimension of transcending hedonism and materialism may prove especially helpful in advancing the field, particularly in consumeristic societies.

The past two decades witnessed a rapid expansion of social scientific interest in understanding components, conditions, and pathways to human flourishing and well-being, with 14,000 publications mentioning one aspect—subjective well-being—in a single year ( Diener et al., 2017 ). Yet despite the proliferation, progress seems to be limited by conceptual disagreement with regard to the meaning of flourishing. Does this refer to a life without disorders or disturbance, a life full of pleasure and happiness, or a life that is meaningful and serving a higher purpose but fraught with suffering? Or perhaps a life that is characterized by a profound peace which is beyond the dichotomies of pleasure or sorrow, passion or boredom, honor or dishonor, and living in opulence or poverty? In searching for the answer, many studies have investigated mental disorders, often viewed as the opposite of mental well-being. Studies on happiness and life satisfaction are also plentiful. Research interest on meaning in life and personal growth also well-established ( Keyes, 2011 ; Ryff, 2014 ). But there has been little research attention paid to inner peace , a fundamentally balanced mental state that has been sought after throughout human history ( Delle Fave et al., 2016 ). As a result, there are few discussions in the social science literature on the conceptualization and measurement of inner peace (Kjell, Daukantaite, Hefferon, & Sikström, 2016). The purpose of this chapter is to propose a new instrument, the Inner Peace Scale, to measure inner peace and provide an initial psychometric evaluation of the instrument.

But what is inner peace? There is a metaphor that has often been used to describe deep inner peace: the inner world of the mind is like a calm, quiet, and clear lake ( Philippe, 2002 , p. 5). It is a quiet that does not imply eventless or emptiness of inner experiences. But it does imply a different mode of inner experience which is always clear, gentle, and grounded no matter the nature of the outer events it is associated with. Just as a quiet lake clearly mirrors clouds, birds, and other happenings passing over it, people with deep inner peace experience their life happenings with great clarity. But just as a perfectly calm lake becomes disturbed during storms, so, too, is the experience of inner peace often transitory. Craving for what one does not have and worrying about losing what one does have can easily disrupt inner balance. However, unlike a natural lake, the calmness of which is not under its own control, people can cultivate and develop their inner peace by learning to experience life circumstances with healthy acceptance and avoid automatic (or “mindless”) grasping. Drawing on cross-cultural insights from philosophy, theology, and the social sciences, we define inner peace as a calm and balanced mental state and disposition, one characterized by an attitude of healthy acceptance and an absence of unhealthy grasping.

The state of inner peace may be present in all life circumstances, including challenging or disturbing situations. Our definition is comprised of three distinct dimensions: acceptance of loss , transcendence of hedonism and materialism , and inner balance and calmness . A skillful ability to accept the inevitable losses that are an inherent part of the human condition, along with an avoidance of undue fixation on transitory pleasures and things, fosters a calm and balanced mind. But the latter should not be seen only as an “outcome” because mental balance may also increase the ability to both accept and transcend. All three dimensions are likely related in a dynamic way. It might be helpful to understand the more general outcome of the three dimensions of inner peace in terms of the metaphor of habitually keeping one’s “heart free of hatred” while accepting life as it is but without becoming complacent about wrongness or injustice (Baldwin, quoted in Hernandez, 2019 ). Indeed, empirical research reveals that a harmonious approach to life does not necessarily involve conflict avoidance or deflation of self, but in fact is associated with increased personal growth and a strong sense of purpose in a manner that integrates independent and interdependent conceptions of self ( Kjell et al., 2016 ; see also Vallerand, 2008 on harmonious as opposed to obsessive passions). Such self-integration is helpful for working to transform conflict with more self-awareness and interpersonal skill.

A peaceful mental condition can be transitory, but it can also be developed into a stable mental disposition. It requires effort and understanding to develop and maintain this mental condition. As such, it can also be considered a mental process. By framing inner peace as a verb and a noun, we mean to suggest that it is possible to engage in accepting, transcending, and balancing practices; it is also possible to attain these states to a greater or lesser degree. However, measuring inner peace as a transitory mental state, a dynamic process, or a stable mental disposition would require different considerations and different instruments. The new measure introduced in this chapter focuses on inner peace as a relatively stable mental trait—a disposition or habit of mind that can be cultivated and is likely to vary over time—as a first step toward developing measures of mental states and processes. The development of a measure of inner peace as a trait might be especially important if, as some wisdom literature seems to indicate, the flourishing life is built on stable mental condition that is cultivated over a lifetime of philosophic, humanistic, or spiritual practice (Aurelius, 180/2006; Fleischman, 2004 ; Philippe, 2002 ). It is also plausible to hypothesize that those who have developed the stable disposition of inner peace will be more likely than others to become effective peace-builders in the world. We also expect that a trait-based measure of inner peace will show stronger relationships to peace-building and flourishing than a more transitory state-based measure.

The three dimensions (acceptance, transcendence, calmness) in our conceptualization may not represent an exhaustive list of all of the possible elements that characterize inner peace. For example, an ability to perceive present reality in terms of the long range, the eternal, or the “big picture” might also be a dimension of inner peace. But we suggest that our three dimensions do address fundamental aspects of the human condition that tend to characterize inner peace and that they are grounded in rich philosophic and theological traditions, both East and West. They are applicable to theistic and non-theistic religious orientations as well as secular ones. As a result, this new measure may be useful across a broad range of cultural contexts. It could also inspire future measurement development and refinement.

Inner Peace as a Cultural Universal

Inner peace has been known by many names across virtually all cultures, both as a desirable end state of being and as a virtuous disposition worthy of life-long cultivation through specific practices. It has been called the virtue of good temper by Aristotle (a disposition aimed at the balance point between excessive anger and indifference) and the highly sought state of mind known to ancient Greeks as apatheia (literally, “without passion” or “without suffering,” but not indifferent). This Greek term is given somewhat different meanings by Orthodox Christians and Stoic philosophers, but the underlying experience seems to have analogs in other traditions, including one of the four “sublime” meditative states ( upekkhā ) mentioned in the Pali Canon of Buddhism (or upekṣā in Sanskrit, both generally rendered as equanimity in English). Similarly, Judaism posits menuchat hanefesh (peace of mind, resting of the soul) as an important foundation for moral and spiritual development. Hindus associate inner peace with transcending the illusory world of appearances in order to access Brahman : absolute reality beyond the distractions of ego. In Christianity, peace, as one of the nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), has been conceived as a necessary virtue developed through contemplation in order to reach union with divine love, as in the Ladder of Divine Ascent described by St. John Climacus in the seventh century. Cultivating a peaceful disposition, or alternatively receiving a gift of divine grace, might lead to an overall state of being that St. Paul described as the “peace of God” which “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7). A sense of inner peace is captured by his celebrated words, “Love is patient, love is kind . . . it is not self-seeking . . . it keeps no record of wrongs” (1 Corinthians 13:4–5), and also by his exalted way of engaging with life: “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want” (Philippians 4:12).

Inner peace has been understood as making important contributions to human flourishing in both religious and secular settings. In The Mountain of Silence , a study of Greek Orthodox Christianity as practiced by the contemporary monks who reside the isolated monasteries of Mount Athos, Kyriacos Markides (2002, p. 81) explains the theological significance of contemplative practices that cultivate inner peace.

According to Athonite spiritual tradition, when a human being eradicates personal desires completely and reaches the state of apathia [liberation from egotistical passions], they become a “vessel of the Holy Spirit.” Then whatever that person wishes is given because it is what God actually wishes. The consciousness of the saint is fully attuned with the spirit of God.

Despite their vastly different theologies, there is a strong resonance between this conception of the life of the Christian saint and the pious obedience to “the providential order of the Stoic cosmos” ( Kapstein, 2013 , p. 110) counseled in ancient Greece, as well as the “secular spirituality” ( Lee, 2015 , p. 275) evident in the contemporary mindfulness meditation movement and in 12-Step therapeutic groups. These paths all involve overcoming instinctual, hedonistic desires and developing a capacity to accept with equanimity the one’s role as a servant of the transcendent, however that is defined. For example, a chapter on “Equanimity” in a nineteenth-century guidebook subtitled Means of Moral Discipline to the Christian warns against the dangers of “agitation” caused by “every trivial circumstance of life” to the “humbled heart,” whose response to God should always be: “Thy will be done” ( Seeley & Burnside, 1838 , p. 53).

The 12 steps, originally pioneered by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and now applied to many forms of addiction, cultivate a deep humility and a sense of spiritual reliance on a higher power rather than an overarching attitude of defiance ( Lee et al., 2017 ). Such reliance reflects the notion of becoming a “vessel of the Holy Spirit” that animated the founders of AA. But they sought to make this process of connecting to a higher power and thus becoming more peaceful and giving available to the religious and non-religious alike. According to AA, defiance is “the outstanding characteristic of many an alcoholic” (Alcoholics Anonymous [AA], 1953, p. 31), because alcoholics tend to exhibit a “baseline subjective sense of restlessness, irritability, and discontent” ( Sussman, 2010 , p. 28)—the opposite of inner peace. The AA “Big Book” frames this lack of peace in terms of egocentrism: “Above everything, we alcoholics must be rid of this selfishness. We must, or it kills us” (AA, 2001, p. 62). Such a state is not limited to those addicted to substances, as the downward trajectory in well-being in the United States in recent years may be partly a function of “a mass-addiction society” that includes many behavioral addictions ( Sachs, 2019 , p. 124; Sussman, Lisha, & Griffiths, 2011 ). For 12-step groups, the path to recovery and well-being involves reliance on a higher power of one’s own understanding, whether that might be a theistic conception of God or the non-theistic good orderly discipline (G.O.D.) of the 12 steps. AA would generally concur with Bateson (1971 , p. 3) that a “spiritual experience” involves “the myth of self-power” being “broken by the demonstration of a greater power” and, therefore, that a sense of flourishing or deprivation may follow depending on the degree to which the disposition of inner peace is present during such experiences or is fostered by them. The decisive shift is from a self-centered, aggressive opposition to the world toward a “complementarity” ( Bateson, 1971 , p. 16) or “ontological interconnectedness” ( Delle Fave et al., 2016 , p. 1; Kjell et al., 2016 ) that manifests in benevolent service to others ( Lee et al., 2017 ; Lee, Poloma, & Post, 2013 ).

This spirit of complementarity with the world—whether arrived at through religious or secular means—might be a bedrock foundation for flourishing that could help overcome the myriad conceptualizations and sometimes contradictory findings that seem to indicate a high level of disorganization in the field. After all, grounding complete well-being —also labeled flourishing, which includes physical health and social relationships ( VanderWeele, 2017 )—in hedonistic factors such as the balance of positive and negative affect has proved challenging ( King, 2001 ). Some cultural traditions normalize negative affect while others do not ( Myers & Diener, 1995 ), and well-established social scientific traditions eschew hedonistic markers of well-being ( Schneider, 2011 ). There is much more to flourishing than positive affect, and some are pushing back against what they describe as the “tyranny of the positive attitude” ( McDonald & O’Callaghan, 2008 , p. 128), despite the demonstrated value of such attitudes. And although often overlapping, the meaningful life is not always a happy one ( Baumeister, Vohs, Aaker, & Garbinsky, 2013 ; King, 2001 ; Lee et al., 2013 ).

By including transcendence of hedonism and materialism, a common religious and philosophic theme, our conception of inner peace provides a different approach to well-being which may serve as an antidote to dominant pleasure-seeking cultural trends. Some of the markers of flourishing could serve as psychological defense mechanisms and “adaptive preferences” (Elster, 1983/2016), thus enabling acceptance of degrading conditions of various kinds. This includes the positive affect that some experience when viewing violent media, as well as the acceptance of inequities that increase mortality in some groups while providing others with a comfortable life of privilege. Such harmful effects are fundamentally inconsistent with inner peace because this is based on the thoughtful understanding of difficult life situations rather than automatic reactions of fear or avoidance. Existentialist philosophy and depth psychology have both explored the self-alienation that results from the conditioned acceptance of adaptive preferences and their attendant psychological defense mechanisms. Although it may be “a source of never-ending astonishment” to witness “how comparatively well a person can function with the core of himself not participating” ( Horney, 1950 , p. 161), this would hardly be a model of the flourishing life. In sum, our review of the world’s great wisdom traditions and social science research suggests that attainment of inner peace may be a cultural universal that could provide a deeper principle to guide the development of the science of flourishing. However, inner peace is not generally included in social scientific studies on the topic, perhaps because a suitable measure has not yet been developed.

Inner Peace and Well-Being in Social Science Research

Although inner peace has historically been considered an important indicator of well-being in both Western and Eastern cultures, it is rarely mentioned in modern social sciences. For example, psychological and mental health research have long focused on negative emotions and mental disorders ( Fredrickson, 1998 ). This is to some degree due to the substantial array of problems imposed by such emotions and disorders on individuals and for society. However, the marginalization of positive mental experiences in theoretical development and empirical studies has been challenged by researchers arguing that the eradication of symptoms does not automatically lead to mental health and well-being ( Keyes, 2005 ; Payton, 2009 ). Being well is more than just being free from problems. And people grow from dealing with their problems and achieve higher levels of well-being ( Frankl, 1963 ; Ryff, 2014 ). Indeed, the cultivation of positive mental functioning can be used as treatments of or prevention for mental health disorders and emotion problems. This has been evident in the success of the 12-step therapeutic approaches for different types of addictive behaviors and mindfulness-based interventions for a variety of mental disorders.

As researchers turn their attention toward the positive side of human experiences, a major focus has been on pursuing happiness and other high-arousal positive emotions such as joy and amusement. Hedonic happiness, defined as maximizing the pleasure in life, has become “the mascot for most of what is good and meaningful in life” ( Cordaro, Glass, & Anderson, 2016 , p. 221). The neglect of theoretical concepts describing human experience deeper than “feeling good” has been criticized as a “narrow band” investigation of well-being and flourishing ( Schneider, 2011 , p. 32). Moreover, researchers argue that the striving for happiness can be harmful because if well-being is reducible to feeling good, “drug abusers would be the happiest people on the planet” ( Hayes, 2008 , p. ix). Challenging the focus on pleasure-seeking hedonism, a purpose/growth-seeking eudaimonism has inspired further theory building and measurement developing of well-being. Drawn from Greek philosophy and multiple Western psychological traditions, Ryff’s well-known psychological well-being model considers six dimensions of well-being: purpose in life, personal growth, environmental mastery, positive relationship, autonomy, and self-acceptance. However, inner peace was not a part of this influential conceptualization and operationalization of psychological well-being. Other frameworks of flourishing also omit a robust measure of this aspect ( Delle Fave et al., 2016 ; Hone, Jarden, Schofield, & Duncan, 2014 ).

Very recently, research on low-arousal positive mental states which are similar to inner peace, such as contentment, tranquility, harmony, and serenity, started to emerge but in a very limited number and often with inconsistent conceptualization ( Berenbaum et al., 2018 ; Cordaro et al., 2016 ; Kjell et al., 2016 ). There are also emerging discussions recently in the psychological literature on interesting new concepts such as “innate mental health” ( Kelly, Pransky, & Lambert, 2015 , p. 269), where the mind is at its natural healthy state without the contamination of egoistic feelings or thoughts, a state that can be considered to some degree similar to inner peace. However, inner peace, which is central to human experience of well-being, has not drawn much direct research attention. Delle Fave (2016 , p. 8) and colleagues note that most research on the psychology of happiness imposes a Western-biased, high-arousal, affect-based definition conceived a priori by scholars, whereas “harmony”—comprised of inner peace, balance, contentment, and psychophysical well-being—is preferred by laypersons from all countries (except Croatia). “Well-being,” a broader category that includes happiness, has similarly been framed in self-centered ways in scientific research that orients survey respondents toward self-gratification and atomistic, individual notions of growth and self-actualization ( Kjell et al., 2016 ). If given the option, the majority of the world’s population seems to reject this selfish and individualistic construal of happiness, life satisfaction, and well-being. Laypersons—even those living in Western, individualistic, and nontraditional societies—instead prefer an inner harmony with self and outer harmony with others that speaks to the fundamental interconnectedness of all of life ( Delle Fave et al., 2016 ). Although consistent with our synthesis of the literature, the conceptualization of harmony as inclusive of psychophysical well-being ( Delle Fave et al., 2016 ) is perhaps too broad, while the five-item measure of harmony developed by Kjell et al. (2016) is perhaps too narrow to encompass all of the domains of inner peace. Nevertheless, the work of these scholars has helped reveal significant limitations in the extant literature and provides a helpful foundation for the development of our multidimensional measure.

Inner Balance, Acceptance, and Transcendence

Although known by different names, an engaged balance or equanimity as perhaps the core characteristic of inner peace is shared by different cultural traditions and approaches. “Engaged balance” means that inner peace is an active mental state as a person actively participates in life situations in the manner described by St. Paul and others reviewed earlier. It is not avoidance or indifference ( Philippe, 2002 ). Individuals make efforts to find and maintain inner balance or equanimity rather than passively follow the default mental model, which tends to produce automatic reactions to stimuli in the environment (e.g., perceive a threat, feel the fear, and react with avoidance) ( Farb et al., 2007 ; Fredrickson, 1998 ; Horney, 1950 ; Singer, 2007; Williams & Penman, 2011 ). In a reactive mode of living, we are “tossed to and fro” by life, with limited freedom, awareness of mental processes, and ability to make conscious choices (Oldfather, quoted in Kapstein, 2013 , p. 106). Engagement means that we do not have to react with anger and revenge after an insult, or, when enticed by a commercial, we can choose not to crave and go shopping. Instead, we can consciously maintain inner balance which facilitates reflection on the most constructive response. A person with deep inner peace lives life fully without shunning unpleasant experiences, the opposite of experiential avoidance or spiritual bypass ( Fox, Cashwell, & Picciotto, 2017 ) or purposely pursuing pleasant experiences as do modern Western materialists ( Belk, 1988 ; Richins & Dawson, 1992 ). As such, inner peace belongs to a free person who bears the gifts and losses of fortune with equanimity (Spinoza, 1677/1996). In the Catholic tradition, for example, inner peace “has nothing to do with any type of impassivity, extinction of sensitivity, cold indifference or being wrapped up in oneself” ( Philippe, 2002 , p. 7). Instead,

[i]t is the necessary corollary of love, of true sensitivity to the sufferings of others and of an authentic compassion. Because only this peace of heart truly liberates us from ourselves. . . [and] only one who possesses this interior peace can efficaciously help his neighbor. ( Philippe, 2002 , p. 7)

It takes a lot of effort and practice to understand and overcome the automatic mental model. According to both Eastern and Western traditions, freedom from the rule of the habitual mental and behavior patterns is developed from an understanding of the transitory nature of all phenomena, all life circumstances—pleasant or unpleasant—and the necessity of changes. This understanding of the ephemeral, transitory nature of the world of appearance enables one to transcend one’s self-identification with specific people, things, and life situations, and the associated inner experiences, including sensations, emotions, and thoughts constructed by one’s ego ( Kabat-Zinn, 2010 ; Safran & Segal, 1990 ; Segal, Williams, & Teasdale, 2013 ). “Sadness over some good which has perished is lessened as soon as the man who has lost it realizes that this good could not, in any way, have been kept” (Spinoza, as cited by Nadler, 2016 ). Because of the impermanent nature of all things, life is like a constant flow, and a wise person who lives in equanimity enjoys life without falling into either avoidance or clinging ( Hart, 1987 ). This is reflected in the idea of Confucianism that when there are no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy, the mind is centered in equilibrium ( Feng, 1948 ).

Engaged inner balance as the essential component of inner peace can be considered as the unique feature to distinguish inner peace from similar low-arousal positive mental states and other indicators of well-being that have been documented in the literature. Inner peace is different from tranquility because it is not an absence of movement or activity ( Ellsworth & Smith, 1988 ). One can deal with challenging life situations with inner peace. It is also different from contentment, which has been described as a mental state associated with a “perceived wholeness” ( Cordaro et al., 2016 ) because one can experience a sense of incompleteness and still maintain a peaceful mind. However, tranquility and contentment could foster inner peace. Finally, inner peace is also different from the emptiness of emotion because one fully experiences emotions while also being free from the stirring/disturbance that accompanies such emotions. A person with inner peace experiences his or her emotions in a balanced way.

According to multiple wisdom traditions, this inner balance or equanimity exists in the absence of stirring or disturbance from two opposite directions: (1) feelings and actions against undesirable or unpleasant experiences and (2) feelings and actions toward the acquisition of desirable or pleasant experiences. The absence of aversion, in a practical sense, means encountering undesirable or unpleasant experiences with complete acceptance ( Boyd-Wilson & Walkey, 2015 ). With unconditional acceptance, one can engage with difficult life situations without reacting with negative emotions and actions ( Kabat-Zinn, 2010 ; Segal et al., 2013 ). It is helpful to note that prayer, religious ritual, mindfulness meditation (including secular versions), and many other practices can help to cultivate such acceptance, but our interest is in developing a measure of the trait of inner peace, rather than exploring the pathways that might cultivate it. Of course, due to the impermanent nature of life, losses in different aspects of life are constantly encountered by individuals, such as losing a valued thing, a relationship, a status, a nice feeling, a good job, etc. It is therefore not surprising that many religious and secular teachings are focused on acceptance of loss. A person with inner peace would accept these losses and treat them similarly to other changes in life. Because the sense of inner balance or equanimity can be maintained in all situations, inner peace is not just the absence of disturbance but also can be considered as beyond disturbance from any life circumstances ( De Rivera & Paez, 2007 ).

The equilibrium of the inner world can be broken from another direction—desires and actions directed to the acquisition of pleasant experiences. This viewpoint is shared by Greek philosophers who see egoistic passion as a threat to inner peace ( Markides, 2001 ), by teachers of world major religions who see material possession and sensory pleasure as hindrance to spiritual growth, and by members of Eastern cultures who tend to value balance and harmony more than excitements and pleasures (Lee, Poloma, et al., 2013; Tsai, Knutson, & Fung, 2006 ). Dangers associated with clinging to or craving for pleasant experiences are especially emphasized by Buddhism. As stated in the Platform Sutra of the Six Patriarch , all sufferings are developed from egoistic pleasure-seeking. Embodied in the Buddha’s four noble paths, true well-being can only emerge when one completely quiets all one’s desires and stays in the natural peaceful mind ( Kornfield, 2011 ). Similar ideas were stated repeatedly among Stoics and Western philosophers. For example, Spinoza considers too much love for things that are doomed to perish as a kind of sickness of mind. To him, positive affects, such as passionate love and joy, restrict our autonomy and threaten our well-being just as do negative ones (Spinoza, 1677/1996).

This idea has also been emphasized by modern positive psychologists, who have found in empirical research that pleasant feelings are short-lived, and, in most cases, people don’t get happier in the long run ( Diener, Lucas, & Scollon, 2006 ; Myers, 1992 ). The reason is simple: “every desirable experience—passionate love, a spiritual high, the pleasure of a new possession, the exhilaration of success—is transitory” ( Myers, 1992 , p. 53). However, for members of consumeristic cultures ( Belk, 1988 ), it may be hard to conceive that a mind seeking after pleasure is at risk of losing its balance. In the culture of materialism, where a large proportion of a society desires to consume goods for pleasure and happiness ( Belk, 1988 ; Sointu, 2005 ), there is a danger that questions such as the sustainability of hedonic happiness, whether or not pleasure-seeking would harm long-term well-being, or how the taken-for-granted lifestyle such pleasure-seeking requires might impact the broader ecology, are not consciously evaluated. To live in inner peace does not mean one must eliminate sensory pleasure and happiness. Peaceful people enjoy pleasure and happiness with an engaged balance and without craving for unhealthy levels. When maximizing pleasure in life is exalted as the culturally desired goal, and people seek their happiness “fix” ( Hayes, 2008 , p. ix) with more achievements, social relationships, wealth, power, spiritual rapture, etc., inner peace recedes to the background and is seldom used as an indicator for inner health. In the face of the hedonistic and materialistic culture spreading across the globe, finding inner peace may require awakening from and transcending such pleasure-seeking and consumer-driven cultural norms.

Based on the preceding discussion, we conceptualize inner peace as an engaged inner balance, acceptance of loss, and transcendence of hedonism and materialism. In the next section, we present five studies on the construction and evaluation of a new and brief instrument for inner peace based on our conceptualization. All original data collection was approved by the University of Akron’s Institutional Review Board.

Study 1: Scale Construction and Factor Structure of the Inner Peace Scale (IPS)

Participants and procedures.

Although a nationally representative sample would be ideal for studying inner peace, we used a sample of college students as a reasonable place to start the scale construction. Data were obtained from a sample of students enrolled in introduction to sociology courses and research methods courses in the spring semester of 2018 at a large, Midwestern US university (Sample A). All students in these courses received a link to take the survey online through the Qualtrics platform. All participating students received extra course credit in return for their participation.

Sample descriptive statistics are reported in Table 15.1 . Sample A ( n = 557) was composed of 332 females (59.6%) and 225 males (40.4%), with a mean age of 20.23 (standard deviation [ SD ] = 4.98). About two-thirds of the sample were white (65.0%), 23% were black, about 6% were Asian, and another 6% were of other races. Forty-one percent of respondents were self-identified as Christian, 19% self-identified as Catholic, 17% as other religions such as Muslim or Buddhist, and about 23% considered themselves nonreligious.

As mentioned in the previous section, we defined inner peace as a fundamentally balanced mental condition that is beyond the influence of one’s particular life experiences and their affective valence (pleasant, unpleasant, neutral). We further divided the concept of inner peace into three dimensions: (1) free from being depressed or troubled by undesirable life conditions, (2) free from craving for or clinging to desirable life conditions, and (3) maintaining a mind with calmness and inner balance. As suggested in the literature, understanding the transitory nature of life situations is critical for inner balance, transcendence, and acceptance. Accordingly, when we chose the wording of the questions, we emphasized the understanding of the impermanent nature of life. Guided by this conceptualization, we developed a pool of 22 items covering all three dimensions (Table 15.2 ). The 22 items were included in the online survey administered to the 557 college students (Sample A). Response choices followed a 5-point Likert-style scale with 1 = Almost never and 5 = Almost always. We reverse-coded items that measured inner peace from a negative direction. Stata 15.1 was used for the analysis. There were only a few cases with missing values. Listwise deletion was used for missing values.

Exploratory Factor Analysis

As the initial effort for scale development for inner peace, we intentionally included a larger number of items than desired. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was utilized to clarify factor structure and identify a set of best indicators for the concept. In doing so, Sample A was randomly split into two halves, with one half serving as the calibration sample and the other half as the validation sample. Using the calibration sample ( n = 278), we started with an EFA on the 22 items using the principal factor method to extract factors. The first three factors extracted accounted for 90% of total common variances. Although the third eigenvalue (0.89) was relatively smaller, it accounted for 11% of the total common variances and the Scree plot showed a clear three-factor pattern. After we reran the analysis by restricting the number of factors to 3, there were quite a few items which had low loadings on all three factors. With a careful study of the correlation matrix, we found that there were six items that had near zero or weak correlations ( r < 0.30) with all other variables. Not surprisingly, the six items had high uniqueness in the EFA, which means a large proportion of their variance was not shared by other items or accounted for by the three factors. We deleted these 6 items. There were still three items in the EFA with uniqueness greater than 0.75. We excluded these three items also.

In the next round of EFA with the remaining 13 items, our goal was to further clarify the factor structure and interpret the factors. For this purpose, promax rotation was utilized for its ability to account for correlations among latent factors ( Fabrigar, Wegener, MacCallum, & Strahan, 1999 ). This analysis revealed a three-factor model with seven items loaded on factor 1, three on factor 2, and three on factor 3. The three items loaded on factor 3 were clearly measuring craving for or clinging to hedonistic experiences or material gratification. We labeled this factor as “Transcending hedonism and materialism.” The three items loaded on factor 2 were quite obviously centered on a balanced and peaceful mind. We labeled this factor “Inner balance and calmness.” However, the items loaded on factor 1 were not easy to interpret. Three of the seven items were focused on mental experiences associated with loss. The other four items were about different negative emotions such as the feeling of irritation and frustration, but lacked a clear, conceptual focus. Guided by our conceptualization of inner peace, and also to keep a balanced factor structure, the three items focusing on the acceptance of loss were retained and the other four items were excluded. We labeled factor 1 “Acceptance of loss.” We reran the EFA. The factor structure was quite clear. All loadings were substantial. After these three rounds of EFA, we reached a three-factor nine-item structure with three items loaded on each factor. The item-factor structure was reported in Table 15.2 . Next, we subjected this measurement model for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the validation half of Sample A ( n = 279).

Confirmatory Factor Analysis

To confirm the three-factor solution, CFA with Maximum Likelihood estimation was utilized. The model had a good fit: χ 2 [24] = 41.39, p < 0.001; χ 2 /df = 1.72; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.05, and 90% confidence interval (CI) for RMSEA was (0.02, 0.08); comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.97; Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.95; standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.04; CD = 0.98. Only a few normalized residuals had an absolute value around 2. Standardized loadings were within the range of 0.49 and 0.86, which are reported in Table 15.1 . The item-total correlations (ITC) were between 0.41 and 0.64. Comparing standardized loadings across factors, loadings on “Inner balance and calmness” and “Acceptance of loss” were quite strong, while loadings on “Transcending hedonism and materialism” were not as strong as those for the other two factors. When comparisons were made within the factors, the item “craving for things or pleasant feelings” was the strongest indicator for “Transcending hedonism and materialism.” Similarly, feeling “a profound sense of peace” was the driving item for “Inner balance and calmness.” All three items on “Acceptance of loss” had similar loadings. Turning to associations among factors, “Acceptance of loss” was substantially correlated with the other two factors (0.53 with “Inner balance and calmness” and 0.46 with “Transcending hedonism and materialism” in the CFA model). However, “Transcending hedonism and materialism” had a weak correlation (0.16) with “Inner balance and calmness,” which was only marginally significant ( p = 0.06).

Multigroup CFA (MGCFA) was conducted to determine if the measurement model represented the data well in different groups ( Bollen, 1989 ; Kline, 2016 ). Due to the small size of some groups, we used all 557 participants in Sample A. Assuming the same model form for different groups, an unconstrained model with all parameters freely estimated for different groups was first estimated ( Acock, 2013 ; Bollen, 1989 ). We then constrained all loadings to be the same across groups. An insignificant likelihood ratio test would suggest measurement invariance across groups. Following this strategy, measurement invariance across gender groups was first evaluated. The unconstrained model had adequate fit (χ 2 [78] = 154, p < 0.001; χ 2 /df = 1.9; RMSEA = 0.06; CFI = 0.93; TLI = 0.93; SRMR = 0.06). The constrained model with all loadings set to be equal across gender groups fitted data as well as the unconstrained model. The result indicated that the three-factor nine-item model fitted both males and females equally well. We extended the analysis to comparing factor means and factor variances. The results indicated that females had lower means on all three factors, but there was not enough evidence to suggest different factor variances across gender groups. Measurement invariance across racial groups was also evaluated. Due to the relatively low number of racial minorities in the sample, the comparisons were made between whites and non-whites. We found that the measurement model fitted both whites and non-whites equally well with only a few exceptions. While there was no sufficient evidence for unequal loadings, white participants did have a lower mean on “Inner balance and calmness,” and the variances for “Acceptance of loss” and “Transcending hedonism and materialism” were slightly greater among non-whites. The model also fitted Christian and non-Christian groups equally well, a further indication of measurement invariance.

To display group variations in a more straightforward way, three factor scores were created, and group comparisons on the three factor scores are reported in Table 15.3 . Consistent with MGCFA, females scored lower on “Acceptance of loss,” “Transcending hedonism and materialism,” and “Inner balance and calmness.” Whites scored lower on “Inner balance and calmness,” but Christians scored higher on this dimension. This was slightly different from the MGCFA results. The three factor scores were all strongly correlated with the summary score of the whole scale.

p < 0.001;

p < 0.01;

p < 0.05.

Nonreligious was coded as 1 for those who self-identified as atheist, were not sure if there is a God, or believed in nothing in particular. “Pray often” was measured by the question “How often do you pray or meditate” with five ordinal response choices: never (1), very little (2), some (3), frequently (4) and almost daily or more (5). Spirituality was measured by the question “How important is spirituality in your life” with five ordinal response choices ranging from 1 = Not at all important to 5 = Extremely important.

Using a sample of college students, this study proposed and initially evaluated the structure of a three-factor nine-item scale for measuring the concept of inner peace. The three-factor nine-item structure found from EFA using the calibration sample was confirmed in the CFA using the validation sample. Subsequent MGCFA affirmed measurement invariance across the gender groups, racial groups, and religious groups. Although the model fitted the data well, further evaluation of validity and reliability of the scale was needed.

Study 2: Reliability Assessment of the Inner Peace Scale

In this study we assessed test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the IPS.

In the fall semester of 2018, a total of 48 college students at a large, Midwestern US university participated in a randomized controlled trial on a mindfulness meditation intervention to improve concentration and well-being as a waiting-list control group for which they received cash rewards. The original study used the IPS in their two online surveys, which were 6 weeks apart. The 48 students in the control group were not contacted at all in the 6 weeks between the two online surveys. Of the 48 students, 46 completed both surveys. Data on the 46 students (Sample B) were used for test-retest reliability assessment. To assess the internal consistency, we relied on data collected from the 557 students of Sample A.

As reported in Table 15.1 , Sample B ( n = 46) was composed of 27 females (58.7%) and 19 males (41.3%), with a mean age of 21.8 ( SD = 5.9). More than three=fourths of the sample were white (80.4%) and 91.3% were non-Hispanic. Eleven respondents self-identified as Christian (23.9%), eight participants self-identified as Catholic (17.3%), another eight participants as other religions, and 41.3% reported no specific religion or considered themselves as nonreligious.

In the two surveys involving the 46 students, only eight of the nine IPS items were included due to human error. The omitted item was “I maintain a balanced mind when bad things happen to me.” As indicated in Table 15.1 , it was the weakest indicator for the factor “Inner balance and calmness.” As a result, we can only evaluate the test-retest reliability of the eight items. However, the internal consistency analysis was based on all the nine items identified in Study 1.

Test-retest reliability . To quantify the test-retest reliability, we used the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) for absolute agreement derived from a two-way random-effects model ( McGraw & Wong, 1996 ). The ICC for average measurements calculated for the summary IPS was 0.85 ( p < 0.0001), indicating good test-retest reliability.

Internal consistency . Using data from the 557 students (Sample A), we calculated the Cronbach’s α for the nine items, which was 0.73, indicating acceptable internal reliability. To take into consideration measurement error in assessing internal consistency, the scale reliability (SR) coefficient ( Acock, 2013 ) was calculated for each latent factor. They are reported in Table 15.1 . The internal consistency for “Inner balance and calmness” and “Acceptance of loss” were good (SR = 0.78 and SR = 0.73, respectively). The SR coefficient for “Transcending hedonism and materialism” (SR = 0.63) was a little lower than 0.7.

The evaluation of the reliability of the IPS indicated that the scale had good test-retest reliability. The internal consistency was good for “Inner balance and calmness” and “Acceptance of loss” but was a bit weak for “Transcending hedonism and materialism.” The results were consistent with the findings reported in Study 1. The loadings for indicators for “Transcending hedonism and materialism” were relatively lower than those for the other two factors. For example, the loading for the item “when I am in a very positive situation, I wish that it would last forever” was 0.49. This might due to the wording of the item. The question did not describe a specific situation, which might lead to more measurement errors. Frequency distribution indicated that a great majority of the sample reported that they either strongly agree or agree with the statement. The small standard deviation of the item also signaled homogeneity in responses to this item. The mean and the standard deviation on the other two items (“I am happiest when I get what I want” and “I find myself craving for things or pleasant feelings”) were also lower than those of indicators for the other two factors. Taking all these together, the sample was relatively homogeneous on the factor of transcending hedonism and materialism in the direction of lower inner peace.

The dominant consumer culture in the US society might have contributed to the difficulties of measuring inner peace, which requires transcending superficial happy feelings and instant material gratification. Individuals in this culture are encouraged to pursue hedonistic happiness, and their personal achievements/successes are evaluated by wealth and material possession ( Richins & Dawson, 1992 ). People in this culture would think it is legitimate to feel happiest when they get what they want, and they may not consider how desiring for things or pleasant feelings may inhibit their inner peace. As a result, respondents might interpret the two items without the term “craving” slightly differently from the item with the term “craving” which bears a negative connotation. A lower internal consistency might therefore result.

The lower internal consistency for this factor could also due to sample-specific characteristics. College students are young and may not be able to differentiate experiences associated with true happiness and those with instant gratification, which could be problematic for mental health in the long run. If this is the case, higher levels of measurement error could be a result. Future work should focus on improving the wording of the indicators for “Transcending hedonism and materialism” or using samples of community adults to evaluate the IPS.

Study 3: Validity Assessment of the Inner Peace Scale

In assessing the measurement validity of the IPS, we started with face and content validity ( Carmines & Zeller, 1979 ). According to our conceptualization of inner peace, the scale covered all three theoretical dimensions of the concept, which suggested a certain level of content validity. After weeding out the extra items for the “Acceptance of loss,” the final three-factor nine-item scale had obvious face validity. As indicated by the loadings reported in Table 15.1 , all items were substantially loaded on the factor it measured. There were no significant cross-loadings suggested by the normalized residual matrix or the Lagrange multiplier tests. The correlations among the three factors (as reported in Study 1, the highest correlation is 0.53) were not high enough for us to suspect that they completely overlapped with each other. After this first step in validity evaluation, the focus of this study was on the construct validity of the IPS ( Carmines & Zeller, 1979 ).

To establish construct validity, there should be evidence showing that the scale is sufficiently correlated with diverse, theoretically related variables ( Carmines & Zeller, 1979 ). We expected several theoretically relevant constructs to be substantially correlated with the sense of inner peace. First, a peaceful mind is a healthy mind. A person who lives in inner peace should suffer less from anxiety, depressive moods, rumination, and difficulties in emotion regulation. We expect strong negative correlations between IPS and symptoms of these mental health disorders. We believe that inner peace is an indicator for mental well-being. It should be positively associated with other indicators of well-being. For example, a person living in inner peace would have high levels of self-compassion and general psychological well-being. Research on mindfulness has found that the present-moment focus of mindfulness practices enhances the feeling of balance and equilibrium ( Desbordes et al., 2015 ; Pagis, 2015 ). We also anticipated a positive correlation of IPS with mindfulness.

Sample A was used for construct validity assessment.

The following measures were used.

Center for Epidemiological Study–Depression (CESD; Radloff, 1977 ): Participants of Sample A completed the 20-item CESD scale, which assesses depressive symptoms (e.g., “I felt depressed”). Responses were scored on a 4-point Likert-type scale ranging from 0 (Not at all in the past 7 days) to 3 (Nearly every day in the past 7 days), with higher scores indicating more depressive symptoms.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD; Spitzer, Kroenke, Williams, & Lowe, 2006 ): The 7-item GAD scale was used to assess generalized anxiety disorder (e.g., “feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge”). Responses were scored on a 4-point Likert-type scale ranging from 0 (No days in the past 7 days) to 3 (5–7 days in the past 7 days), with higher scores indicating higher levels of GAD.

Rumination Scale (RS; Trapnell & Campbell, 1999 ): The Rumination subscale of the Rumination and Reflection Questionnaire was included in this study. The Rumination Scale assesses the tendency of ruminative negative thinking (e.g., “My attention is often focused on aspects of myself I wish I’d stop thinking about”). Participants of Sample A completed the 8-item scale. Responses were scored on a 7-point Likert-type scale ranging from −3 (Strongly disagree) to 3 (Strongly agree), with higher scores indicating more ruminative thinking.

Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB; Ryff, 1989 ): This 18-item scale has six subscales, including autonomy (e.g., “I have confidence in my own opinion, even if they are different from the way most people think”), self-acceptance (e.g., “I like most parts of my personality”), personal growth (e.g., “For me, life has been a continuous process of learning, changing, and growth”), environmental mastery (“The demands of everyday life get me down,” reverse-coded), positive relations with others (“I have not experienced many warm and trusting relationships with others,” reverse-coded), and purpose in life (“Some people wander aimlessly through life, I am not one of them”). Responses were scored on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from −3 (Strongly disagree) to 3 (Strongly agree) with higher scores indicating higher psychological well-being.

Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS; Brown & Ryan, 2003 ): Participants of Sample A completed the 15-item MAAS, which assesses mindfulness (e.g., “I rush through activities without being really attentive to them,” reverse-coded). Responses were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (Almost never) to 5 (Almost always), with higher scores indicating higher mindfulness.

Self-Compassion Scale (SCS; Raes, Pommier, Neff, & Van Gucht, 2011 ): This 12-item scale assesses six dimensions of self-compassion: self-kindness, common humanity, mindfulness, over-identification, isolation, and self-judgment (e.g., “I try to see my failings as part of the human condition”). Responses were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (Almost never) to 5 (Almost always), with higher scores indicating higher self-compassion.

Difficulties in Eotion Regulation Scale (DERS; Gratz & Roemer, 2004 ): Several DERS subscales were used here: difficulties in fulfilling one’s goals, impulsiveness, limited access to emotion regulation, lack of emotional awareness, and lack of emotional clarity (“I experience my emotions as overwhelming and out of control”). To shorten the length of the survey, we selected 9 items from the original 36 items. Responses were scored on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from 1 (Almost never) to 5 (Almost always). The responses were coded with higher scores indicating more difficulties in emotion regulation.

The validity and reliability of these scales were well-established in the literature. The Cronbach’s α coefficients for these scales calculated with Sample A were within the range of 0.76 and 0.91.

Results and Discussion

The zero-order correlations of the summary score of the nine-item IPS with related scales are reported in Table 15.4 . On one hand, IPS scores were strongly and negatively correlated with symptoms of mental disorders such as depressive symptoms ( r = −0.51), anxiety ( r = −0.56), rumination ( r = −0.58), and difficulties in emotion regulation ( r = −0.55). On the other hand, IPS scores were positively associated with psychological well-being ( r = 0.35), self-compassion ( r = 0.056), and mindfulness ( r = 0.32).

p < 0.001.

Following the analytic-synthetic approach suggested by Mulaik and Millsap (2000) , we utilized both EFA and CFA to further investigate the correlation of each dimension of IPS with dimensions of each of the above-mentioned mental health and well-being constructs, with factor-specific correlations reported in Table 15.5 . In the analytic step, we started with EFA for each scale separately, which suggested the number of factors and factor-item structures emerged from our data. Although these mental health and well-being scales are well-established, we started with EFA because there is often no clear boundary between the confirmative and exploratory aspects of CFA when a new setting or a new sample is under consideration (Anderson & Gerbing, 1988). Results from EFA can inform us in model modification in CFA. In CFA, the theoretical latent structure of each of the instruments was first examined by evaluating how well the documented theoretical model fitted the data. Modifications were then made to improve fit based on information from EFA and the results from analyzing the standardized residual matrix and the Lagrange multiplier tests generated in CFA. Items with high uniqueness in EFA or with a standardized loading of less than 0.45 were deleted.

Results from a set of standardized CFA conducted with sample A.

Theoretical factor structures of most scales were confirmed in these factor analyses. There were a few situations in which our factor analysis based on Sample A suggested modification. For example, the dimension of purpose of life of the PWB scale was not found in the student sample. Instead we found a factor that could be better labeled as a “sense of stagnation.” The self-compassion scale displayed a two-factor structure in our analysis, with one factor manifested in all the positively termed items covering the self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness dimensions and the other manifested in all the reverse-coded items covering over-identification, isolation, and self-judgment dimensions.

After finalizing the CFA for each mental health and well-being scale, we took the synthetic step, in which the nine IPS items were added to each of the CFA models for correlations (standardized covariances) among latent factors. All models that generated these correlations had adequate fit. All CFI were greater than 0.94, and TLI was greater than 0.92. All RMSEA were smaller than 0.06 and the upper limit of their 90% CI were lower than 0.07. Although all χ 2 were significant, all χ 2 /df were smaller than 3. Correlations estimated from these CFA were consistent with the theoretical expectations and most of them were statistically significant. Specifically, the “Acceptance of loss” had a correlation coefficient greater than 0.5 with the following constructs: positive relations (in PWB), self-acceptance (in PWB), awareness of the present (in Mindfulness), and self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness (in Self-Compassion). “Acceptance of loss” also had a strong negative correlation with depressive mood (in CES-D), negative relations (in CES-D), anxiety (GADS), rumination (RS), and limited access to emotion regulation (in DERS). Similarly, the correlations of “Inner balance and calmness” with the following constructs were quite strong: self-acceptance (in PWB), rumination (in RS), depressive moods (in CES-D), and anxiety (in GADS). The correlations of “Transcending hedonism and materialism” with these constructs were relatively small, but most of them were in the expected direction and statistically significant. Nevertheless, the two correlation analyses provided sufficient evidence for the construct validity of the IPS.

Study 4: Known Groups Analysis

A known groups analysis compares a measurement between a group of individuals known to have a certain characteristics or traits that are related to the measurement and a group without such traits. If the measurement can successfully discriminate between the two groups, the construct validity of the measurement is supported ( Portney & Watkins, 2008 ). In this study, we extended the known groups analysis to the comparisons between groups with and without certain behaviors or experiences. As suggested by many sages in both Western and Eastern cultures, contemplative practices lead to inner peace. Prayer has been considered in different religions to be the most important practice for experiencing divine love and achieving inner peace (Lee, Poloma, et al., 2013). In many eastern traditions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, meditation is central in the practice for liberating oneself from suffering and inner struggles ( Cordaro et al., 2016 ; Hart, 1987 ). We expected that those who meditate or pray often would enjoy higher levels of inner peace. We also expect that groups that have gone through formal meditation training would report higher levels of inner peace compared to similar groups who have not received such training.

Participants in Sample A were asked whether or not they meditate or pray and how often if they did. Of the 551 students who provided information on this question, 169 prayed/meditated frequently or almost daily or more; 245 students either never prayed/meditated or did very little. We compared these two groups on their IPS scores to evaluate the known-group validity of the scale.

In the fall semester of 2018, at a large, Midwestern US university, 98 college students (Sample C) participated in the same randomized trial as did the participants in Sample B. They were in the experimental group who received a 6-week mindfulness meditation training. All participants received cash rewards. The original study included the IPS in two online surveys: one took place before the intervention and one right after the 6-week intervention for both the experimental group (Sample C) and the control group (Sample B). Of the 98 students, 81 completed the training and participated in both surveys. As reported in Table 15.1 , Sample C was composed of 57 females (70.4%) and 24 males (29.6%), with a mean age of 21 ( SD = 4.8). More than two-thirds of the sample were white (69.2%), about 16.5% were black, and 97.5% were non-Hispanic. Thirty-seven percent of the respondents were self-identified as Christian, 17.3% self-identified as Catholic, 12.3% as other religions, and 39.5% considered themselves as without a specific religion or as nonreligious.

Measures. For sample A, all nine items of the IPS were included in the analysis. For Samples B and C, only eight of the nine IPS items were included in their two surveys. The omitted item was “I maintain a balanced mind when bad things happen to me.”

In Sample A, comparing IPS scores between those who prayed or meditated regularly (mean = 24.72, SD = 5.63, n = 159) and those who never or seldom prayed/meditated (mean = 23.4, SD = 5.77, n = 206), the regular prayers/meditators reported a slightly higher mean score on IPS ( p = 0.02; two-tailed t-test; Cohen’s d = 0.23).

For participants who have gone through the 6-week meditation training (Sample C), the average IPS score elevated substantially (mean before = 20.05, SD before = 4.75; mean after = 23.93, SD after = 4.72; diff = 3.88, standard error [ SE ] = 0.46, p < 0.000; two-tailed t test). The effect size given by Cohen’s d was 0.63, indicating the elevation in IPS was almost two-thirds of a standard deviation. Itemized analyses indicated that the greatest elevations were found among items for “Inner balance and calmness,” with increases of about 1 standard deviation on both items. Elevations for the items for “Acceptance of loss” were also notable. However, the changes on items for “Transcending hedonism and materialism” were small and not statistically significant. For the control group (Sample B), comparing the IPS scores before and after the same 6-week interval, the average IPS score remained the same (mean before = 20.43, SD before = 5.77; mean after = 20.39, SD after = 5.31; diff = −0.04, SE = 0.60, p = 0.90 two-tailed t test). Item-specific analysis indicated that none of the items displayed noticeable changes after 6 weeks. The difference in difference (DID) of the summary IPS scores between the two groups was quite large (DID = 3.92, p < 0.000; Cohen’s d = 0.96), with the change score for the group that had the 6-week meditation training being almost 1 standard deviation higher than that for the control group. The preceding results from known groups analyses rendered further support for the construct validity of the IPS.

Study 5: Cross-Culture Comparison

Although inner peace is considered a positive mental state in many cultures, not all cultures have inner peace as one of their “ideal affects,” defined as how people want to feel or what the most desired feelings are (Lee, Lin, Huang, & Frederickson, 2013; Lu & Gilmour, 2004 ; Tsai et al., 2006 ). Researchers have argued that Western cultures generally prefer hedonic happiness, while Eastern cultures are more likely to pay attention to peace, contentment, and harmony ( Lu, 2001 ). In a study involving Chinese and American undergraduate students, researchers found that Chinese students reported higher levels of peace of mind than did American students (Lee, Lin, et al., 2013). In contrast, members of American and European cultures emphasize more high-arousal emotions such as excited, elated, etc. ( Tsai et al., 2006 ). In this study, we expect that individuals raised in the Chinese culture would score higher on the IPS due to the cultural preference for peace, contentment, and harmony ( Cordaro et al., 2016 ; Lee, Lin, et al., 2013). Because the US culture prefers high-arousal emotions, we expect members of US culture to have lower levels of acceptance of loss and transcendence of hedonism and materialism.

In March 2019, 106 Chinese undergraduate and graduate students from a major university located in Central China (Sample D) participated in a short online survey containing the Chinese version of the nine-item IPS on the Survey Monkey platform. We were allowed access to de-identified data for this sample. The mean age was 22.84 years ( SD = 2.35) and 75.47% of the sample was female. Due to the fact that religious beliefs and practices sometimes are politically sensitive in China, no information on faith background was collected. Sample A was also used in this study so that cross-culture comparison could be conducted. There were 31 students in Sample A who identified themselves as Asian without further differentiations in cultural origins. We deleted the 31 students from the analysis. Summary scores on IPS were created for both samples and compared against each other. Multigroup CFA was used to evaluate the measurement invariance of the IPS across two samples with different cultural backgrounds.

Difference in the average levels of the overall IPS for the Chinese and US samples was first evaluated. Because the Chinese sample had more females and was 2 years older on average, we controlled for gender and age in the comparison. After controlling for age and gender, the Chinese sample had an average IPS summary score about 1.68 points higher than that of the US sample ( p < 0.01 Cohen’s d = 0.32).

We followed the same strategy for MGCFA described in Study 1. The unconstrained model allowing all parameters for the two groups to vary fitted the data well (χ 2 [48] = 97.98, p < 0.001; χ 2 /df = 2.04; CFI = 0.96; TLI = 0.94; RSMEA = 0.06 with 90% CI [0.04, 0.07]; SRMR = 0.06). Further MGCFA indicated that there was not enough evidence to reject measurement invariance across the two samples. But the model allowing for different factor means across samples fitted the data significantly better than the one that didn’t allow it. Closer examination indicated that the US sample had a lower mean on all three factors, but only the differences in the means for “Acceptance of loss” (effect size = −0.30; Acock, 2013 ) and “Transcending hedonism and materialism” (effect size = −0.45; Acock, 2013 ) were statistically significant. The effect size of the difference in “Transcending hedonism and materialism” signaled a substantial gap as the mean score on this factor for the US sample was almost half of a standard deviation lower than that of the Chinese sample. Further examinations on group difference in factor variances indicated that the variance of the factor “Transcending hedonism and materialism” for the US sample was more than double the size of that for the Chinese sample. The variance of the factor “Inner balance and calmness” for the US sample was also significantly higher. These results were consistent with our expectations and reflected cultural differences between the two groups; specifically, that US culture is more hedonistic and materialistic in general but also more diverse with respect to cultural values. Cross-culture comparison provided further support for construct validity of the IPS.

General Discussion and Conclusion

Although inner peace is frequently mentioned in philosophical and theological literature and in everyday life (a Google search produced more than 205 million results for “inner peace”), research on this multidimensional construct in the social sciences is lacking. Occasionally a single-item measure is used ( Liu et al., 2015 ), or inner peace is integrated into a more general framework that incorporates material needs and group cohesion ( Zucker et al., 2014 ). As a result, there are not many discussions on how we should conceptualize and measure this fundamental dimension of well-being of human life. Drawing on cross-cultural insights from philosophy, theology, and the social sciences, we developed a nine-item, three-dimensional instrument to measure inner peace, which we called the IPS. The dimensions included acceptance of loss, transcendence of hedonism and materialism, and inner balance and calmness. Our five empirical studies provided an initial psychometric evaluation of the new scale. The results from the five studies indicated good validity and reliability of IPS. The short length of the scale allows easy incorporation into standardized surveys.

To situate the IPS in the literature concerning positive human experiences and well-being, in Table 15.6 , we juxtapose measures for closely related concepts documented in the literature so that the distinctive features of the IPS proposed in this study can be better seen.

The existing research literature regarding concepts related to peaceful mental states frequently conceive of them either as a subdomain of spirituality or an advanced spiritual experience. The measures listed in Table 15.6 generally reflect this conceptualization. An example for the former is the Serenity Scale developed as part of the measurement for spirituality ( Kreitzer et al., 2009 ; Roberts & Aspy, 1993); the latter is exemplified by the “being at peace” portion of the Enlightenment Scale ( Boyd-Wilson & Walkey, 2015 ). When it is not considered as part of the domain of spirituality, inner peace is often considered as an outcome of religious involvement ( Ellison, Burdette, & Hill, 2009 ). This conceptualization and operationalization limit the application of these instruments when spirituality is not the major research consideration or with nonreligious groups. Boyd-Wilson and Walkey’s measure mixed many other related concepts such as wholeness, being in the present moment, self-esteem, etc., due to the fact that the scale was developed to measure enlightenment. Wholeness, self-esteem, and well-being may be features of enlightenment. But there is room for debate whether or not many of the items are measuring peace per se.

Researchers in the field of positive psychology have recently started to study peaceful mental states such as tranquility and contentment as positive low-arousal affects ( Berenbaum et al., 2018 ). Their definition for tranquility has a focus on acceptance, which is similar to one of the three dimensions in the IPS. Lee, Lin, et al.’s (2013) study treated peace of mind as a general mental state of peacefulness and harmony. Measures used in these studies tap mental states such as contentment, being at ease, and the feeling of harmony, which are related but still distinct from inner peace.

Comparing IPS and the five scales in Table 15.6 reveals some similarities. The feeling of peace found in all scales in Table 15.6 was included in IPS and labeled as “Inner balance and calmness.” Similar to Boyd-Wilson and Walkey’s and Kreitzer et al.’s scale, IPS also had a dimension of acceptance. Further examining the items on acceptance in Table 15.6 , it was clear that the focus in these studies was on acceptance of undesirable and uncontrollable life events or situations. (e.g., “I accept things as they are rather than wish helplessly that they were better”; “I accept situations that I cannot change”). This was consistent with the “Acceptance of loss” factor in IPS. The major difference between IPS and the scales in Table 15.6 is found in the dimension of “Transcending hedonism and materialism,” as well as excluding aspects that are not specifically related to inner peace (e.g., self-esteem).

Our conceptualization of inner peace focused on a balanced mind that is characterized by the absence of both self-imposed negative mental states triggered by undesirable life situations and heightened positive mental states due to hedonism and material gratification. The latter was discussed in some of the above-mentioned studies but they did not directly measure it ( Boyd-Wilson & Walkey, 2015 ). A life pursuing hedonism by grasping external things such as possessions, positions, reputations, knowledge, etc. might make people happy in the short run, but they may not bring peace because of the transitory nature of life circumstances (Singer, 2007). Hedonistic lifestyles expressed through consumerism, which is spreading globally, are also not environmentally sustainable, suggesting a possible connection between inner peace and ecological well-being ( Mayell, 2004 ). Hedonism, when it is associated with clinging to positive feelings, has been considered an aspect of complex defense mechanisms originating from lack of security, balance, and peace ( Horney, 1950 ). The pursuit of positive thinking or feeling may involve inherent problems ( Harris, 2008 ). According to this perspective, peace as a mental state necessitates the transcending of hedonism and materialism. A measurement for inner peace should intentionally measure this dimension. None of the scales in Table 15.6 tapped this dimension, which is therefore a unique contribution of the IPS. A global survey revealed that most people understand happiness in terms of inner harmony and peaceful relationships with others ( Delle Fave et al., 2016 ), both of which are diminished by the selfish and unsustainable patterns of material acquisition fostered by a conceptualization of well-being that does not include peace as a core component.

The transcending of hedonism and materialism aspect of our conceptualization may be especially important for the development of maturity (moving beyond a state of being “dominated by impulses,” especially hedonistic ones), which has been shown to change the “meaning and experience of happiness” ( King, 2001 , pp. 51, 56). Whereas an immature happiness rooted in positive affect might be the result of avoiding deep reflection on loss and regret, a strong foundation of inner peace may facilitate the successful accommodation of such losses into the development of a more mature personality ( King, 2001 ) and a more contemplative way of living that fosters greater well-being for self and other ( Baugher, 2019 ). This mature and thorough engagement with life on life’s terms—including its negative aspects—is the way of complementarity ( Bateson, 1971 ) and should be associated with a giving (meaningful) rather than taking (happy) orientation toward life ( Baumeister et al., 2013 ), and with finding the true peace in the true good rather than the apparent peace in the apparent good ( Aquinas, 1920 ).

The proposed IPS and its evaluation are not without limitations. First, samples used in the five studies were mainly college students. As suggested by the developmental view of human life, people grow from their life experiences. Therefore, older adults could have learned more about how to find and maintain inner balance from their richer life experiences and thus enjoy more inner peace than young adults. Although this is only a speculation, researchers have suggested that older people have more composure and more skills in dealing with life ( Mirowsky & Ross, 1992 ). Future research should use samples, such as community adults, with a wider age distribution than college students. Second, we used convenience sampling, which limited the generalizability of the study’s findings. For example, the cross-culture comparison would have been more informative if samples for both cultures were nationally representative.

We have already begun the process of developing better wording for our existing items or creating new items that better capture our three dimensions of inner peace. The multidisciplinary team at Harvard’s Human Flourishing Program providing the following helpful suggestions, which demonstrate to us the value of engaging scholars from outside of our own discipline (sociology) to include such humanities as philosophy and theology. Some of our items focus on “mind” rather than “soul,” or simply a sense of “I.” Specific language will resonate with different groups: the notion of a “balanced mind” may not have a clear meaning with some populations. Others might prefer an item such as “I feel a profound sense of peace in my soul” or simply “I feel a profound sense of peace.” Our items for transcending hedonism and materialism certainly need work, at least for Western audiences. A better wording suggested by colleagues is: “When things go wrong, I try to bury my sorrow in pleasure.” The connection between this item and the domain seems quite direct, although social desirability may encourage a negative response. Another suggestion is about the term “positive situation” used in our items, which captures situations broader than hedonism and materialism because a positive situation could refer to any positive psychological states, such as a sense of being with God or even a state of inner peace. It would be better to make the item more specific. Such suggestions will have to undergo empirical validation, but, in the meantime, we affirm the value of multidisciplinary dialog.

The main purpose of this chapter was to introduce the IPS as a new measure for inner peace which contains “transcending hedonism and materialism”—an important dimension of the concept which is neglected in previous scales. Of course, this is just a start in our effort to conceptualize and measure inner peace for empirical research. The human experience of peace is rich and diverse. People have different levels of inner peace, experience it at different depths, move in or out of the state of inner peace, and transition from periodic states of inner peace to more constantly live in peace. Future studies should differentiate theoretically and empirically different levels and depths of inner peace, as well as different stages of dynamic processes of inner peace. Such research should also focus on mechanisms that contribute to or are detrimental to inner peace. For example, previous studies have found that a sensation-seeking tendency is linked to the desire for high-arousal emotions and experiences like happiness, excitement, and physical pleasure ( Oishi, Schimmack, & Diener, 2001 ; Smith, Davison, Smith, Goldstein, & Perlstein, 1989 ; Zuckerman, 2015 ). How does this tendency relate to inner peace in general and its three dimensions in particular, especially the dimension of transcending of hedonism and materialism? Can the sensation-seeking tendency explain cross-cultural difference in the IPS? If inner peace, as we have defined it, is an engaged mental balance that can be learned and achieved, what are the strategies that one can take to cultivate this mental state?

In answering such questions, future research might find it helpful to connect inner and outer peace. In some Eastern traditions, for example, the notion of karma suggests that even if a person’s mental state is currently peaceful, the harmful effects of their past deeds (and the deeds of others) may continue to cause disturbances that may unsettle their mental state long into the future. And although contemporary discussions sometimes portray inner peace as a form of escapism—retreating from the difficulties in the world into an experience of artificial bliss within a mental fortress—this is unlikely to contribute to healthy and sustainable forms of well-being for individuals or communities. As the ancient Greeks put it, a peaceful “ordering of the soul” required that “such goods as friendship, pleasure, virtue, honor and wealth fit together as a whole” within an ideal “political order” ( Kraut, 2018 , n.p.). Similarly, in the fifth century ad Augustine’s City of God developed the ideal of the Tranquillitas Ordinis (the tranquility of order) to connect the inner experience of peace with an external harmony found in the right ordering of all things. One does not need to be a follower of Augustine to appreciate the ill effects on inner peace that flow from high levels of conflict, injustice, and discord in the wider world. From this perspective, outer peace is a collective experience that arises from the right ordering of all things in the world, which would entail justice and healthy relationships. For Augustine, this would include right relationships of self to other people and to God, whereas the nonreligious might refer instead to right relationships to people and the natural environment.

Exploitative relationships are obviously contrary to both inner and outer peace. This is why we previously mentioned the peace-builder who seeks to create external conditions that foster peace. While working for peace, a peace-builder might hold peaceful beliefs and engage in practices that foster the state of inner peace. But this individual’s state of inner peace will ultimately be incomplete unless there is a correspondingly high degree of right ordering in the world. For Augustine, complete inner peace in this world is not attainable. But it is always possible to cultivate the state of inner peace to some degree, just as it is possible to cultivate a trait of peacefulness.

Furthermore, we might imagine that a person who is flourishing , in the sense of having high levels of such well-being domains as happiness and life satisfaction, emotional and physical health, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and satisfying social relationships ( VanderWeele, 2017 ), would flourish even more if they also skillfully cultivated a state of inner peace and engaged in peace-building activities that more rightly ordered the world. If I am doing meaningful work in the world, but I am often agitated, or if I am happy but oblivious to injustice experienced by others, I am not fully flourishing. Inner peace and outer peace are both (at least partly) constitutive of full flourishing because my sense of wholeness requires a right ordering of both the self and the world. If I am out of balance in a psychological sense, I might produce great art for legions of adoring fans or engage in heroic actions as a first-responder in a manner that garners much public commendation, but my complete well-being will be limited. Likewise, if the world is out of balance—riven with injustice, polluted so that life-sustaining ecosystems are in decline—my own ability to thrive is necessarily compromised.

We recognize that “right ordering” is a highly contested term, and the point of our chapter is not primarily to explain the relationships between inner and outer peace. Nor have we attempted to advance a particularistic viewpoint of the meaning of peace. But we believe that it is necessary to begin to develop a framework that connects inner peace with engagement with the outer world (see also Delle Fave et al., 2016 ). In the final analysis, tradition-specific measures of inner peace may be needed in order to do justice to the distinct moral ecologies ( Hunter & Olson, 2018 ) that give particularistic meaning to the term. We hope that our new measure of inner peace contributes to this broader project of linking inner and outer peace and situating the research within different moral ecologies. Although complete peace may remain elusive in a conflicted world, inner and outer peace surely make important contributions to the fullest possible experience of flourishing.

About the Authors

Juan Xi is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Akron and is author and co-author of more than 30 research articles and book chapters. Her recent research examines the impact of mindfulness meditation through a mindful approach to integrate qualitative and quantitative methods.

Matthew T. Lee is Director of Empirical Research at the Human Flourishing Program in the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University and coauthor of The Heart of Religion (Oxford University Press, 2013). He is also a Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Health, Flourishing, and Positive Psychology at Stony Brook University’s Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and, and he previously served as Chair of the American Sociological Association’s Section on Altruism, Morality, and Social Solidarity. His research explores pathways to human flourishing, benevolent service to others, and the integration of social science and the humanities.

Author Note

We thank Tyler VanderWeele, Laura Kubzansky, and Fr. Robert Gahl for their helpful suggestions on an earlier version of this chapter. The work was supported in part by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation. The views expressed in this chapter represent the perspective of the authors and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of any organization. We have no known conflict of interest to disclose. Correspondence concerning this chapter should be directed to Juan Xi, Department of Sociology, University of Akron, Akron, OH, 44325-1905 ([email protected]).

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Peace: Definition and Philosophic Meaning Essay

Peace is the absence of agitation or any form of disturbances leading to a state of serenity within an environment or in a person. The calmness and serenity that lead to an individual sense of peace are known as inner peace. To a nation, it is the normal state of harmony without incidence of hostility, violent crimes, or conflicts.

Inner peace is achieved when there is no conflict within the three most important aspects of a person, that is the body, mind, and soul. The feeling of inner peace does not depend on any external forces, the place we are in, the time, the current situation, the environment surrounding us, or the attitude of the people we are associating with at a particular moment. One can experience inner peace amid a hostile environment brought about by the negative attitude of people, war, and/or sickness. A person who has inner peace experiences justice, inner life balance, restfulness, resolution, freedom, harmony, and contentment. This inner peace should be strong enough to overcome anything that opposes it.

Peace is the cornerstone element that makes all other elements exist. Without peace in an area, a Nation, or the world, no development can take place. Political, economical, and cultural developments only take place when there is peace. On the other hand, development brings about peace. A good example is a scenario in poor countries in the world. Without economical, cultural, and political development, these nations are characterized by war and unending conflict. Modernization, economic funding, and political support from developed nations bring about peace in these nations. When there is proper health care, good governance, improved infrastructure, and the rule of law, the peace of a nation is realized. In turn, this national peace promotes inner personal peace.

The concept of peace

Peace is not an end to itself, but a way to peace. This concept has been used by many political activists in their quest to demand justice from the governing authority. There can never be peace in a person or Nation, without justice. Just as Martin Luther observed when he led the civil rights movement back in the 1960s, “true peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice” To promote world peace, various organizations across the globe have been established. The United Nations Peace Keeping Mission is mandated in peace promotion in nations where there is internal conflict. The Nobel Peace Prize was established to award individuals who promote and help achieve peace through ethical leadership.

Peace is the absence of conflict or violence, within a person or environment. Peace contributes to the development and is also achieved by development. Peace is not an end to itself but a way to achieving it. When justice is done, peace is achieved, in essence, peace exists everywhere, it is only because of limitations put by human beings that peace is not felt and realized. Inner and outer peace can be realized and expanded in everything that we do, as we learn to change our way of thinking.

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Ways to Find Inner Peace in Life and Yourself: Opinion Essay

Category Life
Subcategory Emotions & Feelings
Topic Peace

Introduction

What is inner peace? How can I find my inner peace and ultimate happiness within? These are questions that many people ask themselves over and over. Truthfully, inner peace is one of the most valuable things that people are in search of today. It simply is the sense of harmony and emotional fulfillment in life despite all the challenges we face. The good news in that, you can achieve inner peace. “But how?” You ask. Well, inner peace is all about practicing acceptance of yourself as well as the world around you. You have to engage in meditation and mindfulness. These things contribute to a strong sense of calm, relaxation and joy.

Finding your inner self is more than just doing, it is a matter of being! You lean forward rather than choosing to struggle against it. Attaining inner peace is making sure that you are wholly present and focused entirely on the task at hand. Through inner peace, you can achieve mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing. It gives you a sense of self-confidence hence, helping you see life from a different perspective. The truth is, we all want these things, but how many of us are willing to shift our perception of ourselves and move out of our comfort zones to create a surrounding that fosters inner peace? It is only when we make these shifts that we can attain and sustain peace of mind.

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Why do we need to find strength: the importance of finding your inner peace

You may be asking, but what does inner peace have to do with strength? The truth, attaining inner peace is all about strength. Without strength, you will not be able to accept the things that you cannot change. In other words, you will lack in self-confidence, and hence, you will not be able to change the things that you can and accept the things that you cannot change.

Strength is the only powerful weapon to warding off bad things from our lives. True, the journey may sometimes be rough, bumpy and may even wear you off. However, having a strong sense of inner peace allows you to triumph. It is the voice that tells you that there is hope for tomorrow and that pushing forth no matter what is all worth it!

Here are some of the tips that will help you have peace of mind;

Know yourself

The first step to attaining inner peace is to make a list of all the good things that you intend to nurture in your life. The best thing to do this is to look at the areas of your life that you feel you have not been doing well. Have you been dishonest, selfish, intolerant and rude? Start here. Purpose to turn things around by being honest, kind, tolerant and polite. Change the way you respond to difficult situations. List all the principles that you would wish to uphold and go for it!

Let go of perfectionism

The truth with life is that there is no perfection! Allow yourself to celebrate all the small steps that you make despite the all the struggles. Don’t beat yourself up for not living right. Everything is a journey. Be imperfect, but yet make progress. That is worth something.

Make immediate changes

While you try to make changes in your life, it is crucial for you to understand that you cannot move from A to Z instantly. Meaning that, as you try to make these changes, you may make some mistakes along the way. When you do, make amends for it immediately. Don’t procrastinate. Correct your mistakes as you go through the journey of finding your inner peace.

As you purpose to make changes and celebrate every milestone you make towards attaining inner peace, not everyone around you will celebrate with you. Do not worry yourself trying to please them for doing the right thing. They will have their conscience to live with, and you will have yours. Despite the ridicule from friends and family, do not give up. Take a deep breath and keep moving, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Allow your head and heart to support you

If you allow negativity, this will hold you captive from having a peace of mind. It is vital that you choose forgiveness so that you have the freedom to illuminate your compassion and goodness. It is in so doing that you will feel lighter from the inside and how about adding on to your self-esteem- awesome.

Think long-term

Life is full of frustrations, and many things may drive us crazy, and it becomes very easy to want to get angry and lose your rag. However, when you get here, hold back and think about how you will feel after taking that action. As yourself whether it is worth it? If not, then do not do it.

Steps to being at peace with yourself

Step 1: Do not fight reality

There are so many things that we would like to change but we cannot. Not because we don’t want to but because it is the reality. Instead of battling with such a thing beyond our control, it is important for us to accept they will always be what they are so that we can move on. Take an example of someone who would wish to be short for some reason, but they are six feet tall, is there anything they can do in reality? Probably not. Rather than complaining about what you cannot change, accept what you are and concentrate on appreciating and bringing out the best of you as you are.

Step 2: Get outside

Did you know that nature is by far peaceful? Getting out and enjoying nature can transfer its tranquility into us. Find an outdoor space that is calm and beautiful where you can spend some time meditating and focusing on your inner self away from all the noises. If there is a park nearby or campgrounds, take some time to spend time there to find your little piece of serenity.

Step 3: Smile, smile and smile some more

As short and straightforward as this word may sound, it is powerful in helping one find their inner self and sense of peace. Choosing to smile even at strangers makes our surrounding feel better. So, next time you are at the mole or grocery store, try to smile at people, chances are they will smile back at you- and nothing beats that. It is such simple steps that add on to our inner peace.

Step 4: Live in the moment

It is natural to want to worry about the future and what it holds for us. However, some of us get carried away about the future that we fail to live right now! Worrying too much about the future steals our present peace. As you plan for the future, take time to enjoy the present. Employ a here-and-now mindset, and you will be amazed at how many fountains of inner peace and happiness you will get.

Step 5: Focus on others

One of the most powerful ways of gaining a strong sense of inner peace is living our lives for others. Am not talking about compromising your happiness just so that you can get someone happy. I am talking about purposing to make it your joy to see other happy. The best ways in which you can do this is engaging in charity activities or volunteer work on a regular basis. Knowing that you are working for the right cause comes with a great feeling of happiness. When you go home in the evening, there is so much inner peace you get from knowing that the world is a better place because of your service.

Step 6: Meditate

This is one of the simplest and most impactful steps in finding our inner peace. It is through meditation and practice of mindfulness that we get the chance to look at what lies deep inside of us. It is a chance to focus on what makes us happy. With all the noises and busyness of life, it is easy to lose track of what makes us happy and fulfilled. Having quiets times to meditate on what lies within, helps us to access our thoughts, hence leading us to a greater sense of inner peace-just priceless!

4 Golden rules to quiet the mind

Rule 1: say what you mean and mean what you say, say what you mean.

It is one thing to say what you mean, and it is quite another to mean what you say. Most people often make lots of excuses just to avoid an uncomfortable situation. For instance, if a friend invites you for a date, you start making excuses that ‘I can’t make it’ or ‘I will be at work,’ just so that you don’t tell them that you do not want to go out with them or just to simply avoid someone or something.

The truth of the matter is that it is not that you cannot do something, rather, you have made a choice not to do it. That act of creating an excuse often stirs up your inner space and takes so much energy for you to maintain it. This lie often lingers on and stills out peace little by little. Therefore, instead of saying something that truly isn’t what they are, make a conscious decision to always be truthful in what you say. The truth may hurt, but if it is done with compassion and authenticity, it gives you peace of mind. Make the right choice!

Mean what you say

It is quite common for people to say things out of obligation or habit when they do not mean it. For instance, when making a phone call, in the end, many of us are in the habit of saying things like, ‘talk to you soon,’ ‘I love you’ among others when we do not mean those things. The truth is, these casual comments can be harmful to our inner self because we know deep down that we did not mean it. They are what many people term as ‘little white lies.’ Over time, they become guilt that unconsciously distracts us from finding happiness within. The best thing is for you to make a conscious decision to mean everything that you say and avoid making empty promises that you know deep down that you have no intention of fulfilling.

Rule 2: Don’t say to anyone if you cannot say it to all

Whether we admit it or not, we all love some sort form of gossip. In most cases, we are so fast to find fault in others and talk about them with an inner circle. We all have heard of someone else’s misfortune, what was your first reaction? Truthfully, 99% of the time, we call our close friends or spouse to talk to them about it. When we consciously engage in such unhealthy and unhelpful conversations, is there something that we are feeding our souls on? All we did is spread drama and stirred negative energy and conflict that polluted our inner person and space. Instead of doing this, commit yourself, that you will not tell a soul unless you can tell the entire world. In other words, stop spreading lousy energy, it poisons your inner man.

Rule 3: Don’t say inside the thing you cannot say it outside

Are there things that you tell yourself in the privacy of your mind that you can never tell the entire world? The truth is that we all have inner chattering. But what makes the difference is whether we believe them. Some of the things that we think deep within our minds can have a negative effect on our self-esteem and end up making us anxious. It is these false beliefs that strip us of our inner peace. Instead of dwelling on such negative self-talk, purpose to focus your inner energy on things that build you up. Meditate on the thoughts that bring cleansing and keeps your inner space clean.

Rule 4: Do not say unless it is true and helpful

Have you ever said something that you wished you could take back or makes you so ashamed of yourself? I bet we all have at some point in life. Sometimes, we get caught up in the wake of a moment that we let our thoughts spill out in the form of useless speech. If you board a bus, train or are seated somewhere many people are engaging in talks; you will realize that the number of times they say something true of even helpful is close to zero.

The truth is, such conversations are not only distracting to the people within the surrounding but also strips the person talking of so much energy. Can you recall the last time you engaged in a random conversation and how drained you felt after? Well, it is because of the useless things we say and allow others to feed our souls with. Always make sure that before you utter a word, you can account for it. Clean your thoughts so that you can sieve your words.

Having a true control of your mind is being able to concentrate on one thought while shutting out all else. In other words, you cleanse your mind and silence it. It is this silencing that gives power, inner peace and happiness within. If there is one person that can determine whether you have a peace of mind or not, it is you! Therefore, if there is something out there that is constantly stealing your peace or if there is something that you think can bring you inner peace, it is you that can decide to either go for it or not. Take charge of your inner man and your inner space, and you will be beaming with so much happiness illuminating from inside out!

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Achieving Harmony and Increasing Empathy

Peace on earth, goodwill to all.

Posted December 25, 2016

The Importance of Empathy
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“Always aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed. Always aim at purifying your thoughts and everything will be well.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

Harmony means being in a position of compatibility, usefulness, and benefit to other things. Harmony is balanced understanding that cannot be forced and it transmits greater harmony to others. Troubled minds, tensions and frustrations are inharmonious but they may yield to an effort to restore harmony. For example, a lullaby may calm a frightened child at bedtime.

Harmony works in concert with other inner activities that join with it such as detached judgment, objectivity, clarity and removal of layers of prior conditioning. Harmony slowly enters our perceptions and awareness and one can feel the tension of disharmony as it departs and appreciate the resonance of harmony. Harmony is necessary for our inner development.

We focus our inner harmony by our intention. We say to ourselves what our intention is and then concentrate on how to achieve a harmonious intent. If the intention and the circumstance are appropriate the necessary energy to gain harmony will become available. But the intention must be specific and not a vague “I want to be happy.”

Harmonious influence is privately felt, it is not an attention getting event. The intention is what makes it work. If one knows what one’s intention is and can face and handle this, then one is all right and our intention gives birth to the act. If the intention is not clear, one should be careful because our imagination tends to have a lot of assumptions bound up in it. This can lead to self-important, ego-centered gratuitous disharmony.

One way to establish harmony is to create a positive situation in which the presence of balanced understanding is used as a specific tool. This requires introducing energy into the situation. The critical factor is to gently elevate the situation a little at a time and not try to achieve too much at once. You must allow the situation to dictate how harmonious energy will be used. Not everything needs to be harmonized and we should not try to impose harmony on every situation. Building up harmony is similar to learning how to relax and you cannot force it. We cannot harmonize with everything because we may lack the knowledge and the necessary capacity. The intention to use and implement harmony is a very careful and deliberate decision.

“I did not know how to reach him, how to catch up with him... The land of tears is so mysterious.” ― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Increasing Empathy

Empathy is attuning ourselves emotionally to another person and to appreciate the other persons feelings and see the world from their point of view. Like the American Indian perspective of walking the extra mile in the other person’s moccasins, empathy is an essential part of our successful aging. We each experience lack of empathy almost every day as we interact with impersonal businesses such as large banks, credit card companies or cable TV and internet service providers that sometimes place their concerns ahead of our needs. Even hospitals are not totally immune to a lack of empathy and our healthcare system is just beginning to appreciate the critical importance of empathy in the quality of care. For most people the first questions asked when they enter a hospital involve their payment and insurance status and not the nature of their distress.

This empathic journey into another's heart is essentially a nonverbal process. It recognizes another person’s emotional state as reflected through their facial expressions and body movements. Psychologist Paul Ekman showed in a number of studies over the last 40 years that facial expressions are universal and are not culturally determined. For example, he showed photographs of facial expressions for various emotions such as anger or surprise and discovered that people from a great variety of cultures in Brazil, Japan and the highlands of New Guinea, where tribal members had no contact with television, all interpreted the emotions based on facial expression in the same way. Paul Ekman has several books on interpreting facial expressions and one on how to detect deception and lying that may help in understanding the importance of these factors in increasing our understanding of others. The better we understand our own emotions the easier it will be for us to increase our empathy for others. Our self observation can focus on those things that cause a change in our emotions and this also can help us understand the feelings of others. If you are at a restaurant or café where you hear a conversation near you, imagine the lives of the participants. How old are they? What do you think they look like? What is the style and color of their clothing? Then at a discreet moment turn around and compare your empathic imaginings with the actual people. While this exercise is more descriptive than emotional, it can help to develop your empathy. Another technique to increase empathy is to read both fiction and nonfiction, which can help us become more aware of others and their emotional states. Dale Carnegie’s classic How to Win Friends and Influence People is filled with useful suggestions. Also interact with many different types of people. Doing this will broaden our perspectives and allow us to see things from many different points of view.

To me the opposite of empathy is indifference and being so selfish and self-centered that the needs of another are not considered. This is the loss of compassion and we need to increase our ability to care for others. Perhaps practicing small acts of kindness without any desire for repayment or recognition to our families, to the people we work with and to total strangers will help us broaden our lives by achieving meaningful empathy.

Mark E. Williams, MD , is the author of four books and more than 100 peer-reviewed and other articles on geriatric medicine.

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Essay on Peace

500 words essay peace.

Peace is the path we take for bringing growth and prosperity to society. If we do not have peace and harmony, achieving political strength, economic stability and cultural growth will be impossible. Moreover, before we transmit the notion of peace to others, it is vital for us to possess peace within. It is not a certain individual’s responsibility to maintain peace but everyone’s duty. Thus, an essay on peace will throw some light on the same topic.

Importance of Peace

History has been proof of the thousands of war which have taken place in all periods at different levels between nations. Thus, we learned that peace played an important role in ending these wars or even preventing some of them.

In fact, if you take a look at all religious scriptures and ceremonies, you will realize that all of them teach peace. They mostly advocate eliminating war and maintaining harmony. In other words, all of them hold out a sacred commitment to peace.

It is after the thousands of destructive wars that humans realized the importance of peace. Earth needs peace in order to survive. This applies to every angle including wars, pollution , natural disasters and more.

When peace and harmony are maintained, things will continue to run smoothly without any delay. Moreover, it can be a saviour for many who do not wish to engage in any disrupting activities or more.

In other words, while war destroys and disrupts, peace builds and strengthens as well as restores. Moreover, peace is personal which helps us achieve security and tranquillity and avoid anxiety and chaos to make our lives better.

How to Maintain Peace

There are many ways in which we can maintain peace at different levels. To begin with humankind, it is essential to maintain equality, security and justice to maintain the political order of any nation.

Further, we must promote the advancement of technology and science which will ultimately benefit all of humankind and maintain the welfare of people. In addition, introducing a global economic system will help eliminate divergence, mistrust and regional imbalance.

It is also essential to encourage ethics that promote ecological prosperity and incorporate solutions to resolve the environmental crisis. This will in turn share success and fulfil the responsibility of individuals to end historical prejudices.

Similarly, we must also adopt a mental and spiritual ideology that embodies a helpful attitude to spread harmony. We must also recognize diversity and integration for expressing emotion to enhance our friendship with everyone from different cultures.

Finally, it must be everyone’s noble mission to promote peace by expressing its contribution to the long-lasting well-being factor of everyone’s lives. Thus, we must all try our level best to maintain peace and harmony.

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Conclusion of the Essay on Peace

To sum it up, peace is essential to control the evils which damage our society. It is obvious that we will keep facing crises on many levels but we can manage them better with the help of peace. Moreover, peace is vital for humankind to survive and strive for a better future.

FAQ of Essay on Peace

Question 1: What is the importance of peace?

Answer 1: Peace is the way that helps us prevent inequity and violence. It is no less than a golden ticket to enter a new and bright future for mankind. Moreover, everyone plays an essential role in this so that everybody can get a more equal and peaceful world.

Question 2: What exactly is peace?

Answer 2: Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in which there is no hostility and violence. In social terms, we use it commonly to refer to a lack of conflict, such as war. Thus, it is freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups.

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Essay on Importance of Peace

Students are often asked to write an essay on Importance of Peace in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Importance of Peace

The essence of peace.

Peace is a state of harmony, free from conflict and violence. It is crucial for the overall well-being of individuals, societies, and nations.

Peace and Individual Growth

Peace promotes individual growth. It allows people to focus on their goals, fostering creativity and innovation.

Peace in Society

In a peaceful society, people can live without fear. It encourages cooperation, leading to societal progress.

Peace and Nations

For nations, peace ensures stability and prosperity. It allows resources to be used for development rather than warfare.

In conclusion, peace is vital for personal, societal, and national growth.

250 Words Essay on Importance of Peace

Peace, often misconstrued as merely the absence of conflict, extends far beyond this simplistic definition. It is a complex, multifaceted concept, encompassing aspects such as social justice, economic equity, and political freedom. The importance of peace, therefore, is inextricably linked to the overall well-being of individuals and societies.

Peace as a Catalyst for Progress

Peace serves as a catalyst for societal progress. In peaceful conditions, individuals are better equipped to focus on activities that foster personal growth and societal advancement. Peace facilitates the creation of a conducive environment for innovation, creativity, and intellectual pursuits. It is the bedrock of thriving civilizations and the prerequisite for the evolution of society.

Peace and Social Cohesion

The role of peace in promoting social cohesion cannot be overstated. Peaceful societies are characterized by respect for diversity, mutual understanding, and tolerance. These elements are vital for fostering social cohesion, facilitating cooperation, and promoting harmonious coexistence among diverse groups.

Peace and Sustainable Development

Peace is integral to achieving sustainable development. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals underscore the importance of peace, justice, and strong institutions. Without peace, efforts towards sustainable development are likely to be undermined by conflict, instability, and social unrest.

In conclusion, peace is not merely desirable, but essential. It is the foundation upon which societies thrive, fostering progress, promoting social cohesion, and facilitating sustainable development. As we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, the importance of peace becomes even more pronounced. It is our collective responsibility to promote and sustain peace for the betterment of humanity.

500 Words Essay on Importance of Peace

Introduction.

Peace, a state of tranquility and quiet, is a fundamental necessity for the existence and progress of any society. It is the cornerstone for the growth of civilizations, the fostering of innovation, and the nurturing of human values. Its importance cannot be overstated, as it is the catalyst for the actualization of the potential that lies within individuals and societies.

The Role of Peace in Individual Development

Peace plays a crucial role in individual development. It provides the conducive environment necessary for individuals to grow, learn, and reach their full potential. In a peaceful environment, individuals can focus on their personal development, exploring their interests, and cultivating their skills without the constant threat of violence or chaos. Peace, therefore, ensures the mental and emotional well-being of individuals, which is crucial for their overall growth.

Peace and Economic Prosperity

Economic prosperity and peace are intrinsically linked. Peaceful societies provide the stability necessary for economic activities to thrive. Businesses can plan for the long-term, invest in new ventures, and expand their operations without the fear of sudden disruption. Furthermore, peace promotes trade and international cooperation, which are vital for economic growth. Without peace, economic development is stunted, leading to poverty and a lower quality of life.

Peace as a Catalyst for Social Progress

Peace is indispensable for social progress. It fosters an environment where dialogue, negotiation, and consensus-building can take place. In a peaceful society, individuals can engage in constructive debates, voice their opinions, and contribute to the shaping of their communities. This participatory process is essential for the evolution of societal norms, values, and systems. Peace, therefore, is the bedrock upon which social progress is built.

Peace and Environmental Sustainability

The importance of peace extends to environmental sustainability. In times of conflict, environmental conservation often takes a back seat, leading to environmental degradation. Peace allows societies to focus on sustainable practices, preserving natural resources, and combating climate change. Thus, peace is essential for the survival of our planet.

In conclusion, peace is not just the absence of conflict, but a condition that nurtures the holistic development of individuals and societies. It is the backbone of economic prosperity, social progress, and environmental sustainability. The pursuit of peace, therefore, should be a priority for all, as it is the foundation upon which a prosperous and sustainable future can be built. The importance of peace, as highlighted, underscores the need for individuals, communities, and nations to work tirelessly towards its establishment and preservation.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Mastering the Mind: Bhagavad Gita's Lesson on Discipline and Happiness from Chapter 2, Verse 66

Posted: April 27, 2024 | Last updated: April 27, 2024

In Bhagavad Gita's timeless wisdom, Chapter 2, Verse 66 resonates with profound insights into the human psyche and the pursuit of inner peace. This verse highlights the importance of discipline in controlling the mind and senses, emphasizing that without such discipline, one cannot achieve a resolute intellect or steady contemplation on the divine. It delves into the notion that true happiness stems from a harmonious connection with the divine, achievable only through disciplined control of the mind. Thus, it unveils the fundamental link between inner tranquility and spiritual discipline, guiding seekers on a transformative journey towards lasting contentment and fulfillment.

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Inner Peace: Definition, Examples, & How To Find It
Habits For Inner Peace. You may be able to find inner peace by making changes in your life according to the findings of the above study. For example, you may feel more at peace if you nurture your relationships, cultivate empathy, forgiveness, spirituality, and optimism in your life, or if you take a walk in the woods.
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Below we list 3 powerful mantras, which can be practiced every day that will enhance one's inner peace and happiness. Mantra 1: Om Sarvesham Svastir Bhavatu (i.e., universal peace prayer) Meaning: May there be happiness in all, May there be peace in all, May there be completeness in all, May there be a success in all.
5 Reasons Why Inner Peace Is Important
Inner peace allows us to be patient and tolerant of the views of others without the need for anger reactions or responses. Inner peace teaches us that through patience we can better understand the situation and therefore better understand solutions to the problems. It provides us the ability to sleep better.
Why Is Inner Peace Important to Happiness
Inner peace is an important aspect of the path to happiness. That's why it's important to get to the root of your problems, frustrations, and suffering. We all have problems and things that cause stress. Our inner happiness goes down the drain when we give in to these problems. One reason we let the little things in life bother us is that ...
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Inner peace and happiness are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Inner peace is the state of being calm, centered, and balanced, even in the midst of chaos and uncertainty. It is the ability to remain grounded and present, regardless of external circumstances. Happiness, on the other hand, is a positive emotional state ...
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Inner peace eliminates negative, futile and restless thinking. Peace and tranquility improve your relationships with other people. It makes life look brighter and brings forward a positive attitude toward life. It increases creativity the ability to solve problems. A peaceful mind improves the ability to meditate.
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The Importance Of Inner Peace. 1147 Words5 Pages. "Peace begins with smile". Same as with the beauty of this quotation from the famous missionary, Mother Teresa, reveals that a smile can change someone's negative feelings towards you. Hence, smiling is infectious as once you cast a smile at someone, the other person is forced to smile as well.
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Peace is everyone's concern, whether living in the East, the West, the North, or the South. Whether rich or poor, everybody needs to be genuinely concerned with peace. We are all human beings and so we all have the same concern in general: to be happy, to have a happy life. And we all deserve a happy life. We are speaking here on that level.
PDF Buddhism and Peace Theory: Exploring a Buddhist Inner Peace
The main aim of Buddhism is to examine how human mind becomes a root cause of suffering and how it can be addressed. This paper explores how this analysis of the human mind develops inner peace. The analysis proposes inner peace as a non-dualistic peace based on the practice of multiple functions of mind- contemplative mind, a deep cognitive ...
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Focus on our goals. Inner peace calms our mind and allows us to see our path much clearer, helping us focus and keep track of our goals. Having clear goals is like having a compass; you know where you want to go, you aim for it and commit to the road, trusting that all obstacles are worthy challenges rather than intimidating threats.
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In PAX 120B, we don't hold up "Inner Peace" as some exalted state toward which we launch ourselves through a practice of mindful meditation. You'll find several essays in this book that definitely lead you in a different direction. The "Inner Peace" in our course works collaboratively with the Outer Peace process. Our premise is simple.
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The authors argue that inner peace contributes to a more complete form of flourishing for both religious and secular people. They then propose a new instrument, the Inner Peace Scale, to measure inner peace, and they provide an initial psychometric evaluation of the instrument based on five empirical studies.
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Inner peace is achieved when there is no conflict within the three most important aspects of a person, that is the body, mind, and soul. The feeling of inner peace does not depend on any external forces, the place we are in, the time, the current situation, the environment surrounding us, or the attitude of the people we are associating with at a particular moment.
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Step 6: Meditate. This is one of the simplest and most impactful steps in finding our inner peace. It is through meditation and practice of mindfulness that we get the chance to look at what lies deep inside of us. It is a chance to focus on what makes us happy.
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Harmony slowly enters our perceptions and awareness and one can feel the tension of disharmony as it departs and appreciate the resonance of harmony. Harmony is necessary for our inner development ...
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This is peace in its personal or "inner" sense, "peace of mind," as well as "calmness of mind and heart: serenity of spirit" (inner peace). Third, peace is defined as "a tranquil state of freedom from outside distur-bances and harassment." Peace also implies "harmony in human or personal relations: mutual concord and esteem."
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Essay On Inner Peace. 1074 Words5 Pages. Register to read the introduction…. It changes perspectives of looking at life experiences. The core peace inside is the unchanging reality. The peace I am referring to is not the listless placidity of indifference or sedated repose that comes from tranquilizer or alcohol or other drugs.
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Empowering Inner Peace & Freedom. This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students' samples. "Joy comes when people are spontaneous, when their real self comes out, when they connect with their true nature, this is exactly when energy comes alive ...
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Inner peace is an individual's sanctuary, a state of mind where one is free from turmoil and conflict. It is the ability to remain calm amidst chaos, to hold onto serenity when surrounded by unrest. ... Essay on Importance of Peace; Essay on Open Book Examination; Essay on Online Exam; Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by ...
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Answer 2: Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in which there is no hostility and violence. In social terms, we use it commonly to refer to a lack of conflict, such as war. Thus, it is freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. Share with friends.
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One element of Augustinian thought relevant to a philosophy of peace is his adaptation of the neo-Platonic notion of privation, that evil can be seen as the absence of good. It is an idea which resonates with notions of positive and negative peace. Negative peace can be seen as the absence of positive peace.
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The Importance Of Inner Peace. Peace is a noun and could be defined as freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. Although it is much more than just that; peace is what we all yearn for however most of us can never find. It is what we fight for. It is what we live for. Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent ...
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Introduction. Peace, a state of tranquility and quiet, is a fundamental necessity for the existence and progress of any society. It is the cornerstone for the growth of civilizations, the fostering of innovation, and the nurturing of human values. Its importance cannot be overstated, as it is the catalyst for the actualization of the potential ...
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In Bhagavad Gita's timeless wisdom, Chapter 2, Verse 66 resonates with profound insights into the human psyche and the pursuit of inner peace. This verse highlights the importance of discipline in ...