“Each one has to find peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” When I read this quotation by Mahatma Gandhi, I thought about how inner peace, like faith, is a gift from the Creator. Although it is a gift, we need to honor it by preparing for and nurturing this gift. We do that by trying to hear and follow the guidance of our inner voice.
Feeling peaceful isn’t the same as feeling happy. People can have a sense of inner peace during difficult and sad times as well as during the more serene times. I believe that is what Gandhi meant when he said real peace is not affected by outside circumstances. True peace is part of our inner reality no matter what is happening in outer reality. Growing in consciousness adds to peacefulness. Jungian psychotherapists write about how clients they’ve assisted and they themselves have found that endeavoring to become a more conscious person has resulted in more serenity within.
When I read Gandhi’s quote, I also thought about this verse from the New Testament where Jesus says: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled; do not be afraid” (John 14:27). Gandhi’s statement that real peace is not affected “by outside circumstances” is similar to Jesus saying the peace of which he speaks is not “as the world gives.” They both refer to peace having an inner source. Sometimes we try to convince ourselves that if only a person we know would change or we had a different job or something from the past hadn’t happened, and so on, we would then have what we need to feel more peaceful. When we have such thoughts, we need to remind ourselves that true peace does not result from such outer happenings.
My prayer is that all of us will receive, cherish, and nurture the gift of peace.