A positive state of peace eliminates insecurity, hatred, prejudice, anger, and every other negative strain in life. There is a wrong understanding in the world that peace is merely the absence of war. When people say peace, it often means that there should be no nuclear war or chemical war. In that case, you are thinking of peace only in terms of the absence of destruction.

Peace is much more than that. It is a positive state of mind wherein you have contentment. Without peace, you cannot be happy. It is that inner state of harmony which comes from realising your own strength. If you feel weak or insecure, you cannot be at peace. A positive state of peace eliminates insecurity, hatred, prejudice, anger, and every other negative strain in life. This is why inner peace is not something only for oneself. It is our responsibility towards society, because when we are peaceful, we bring peace to those around us.

Peace is that inner state of harmony which comes from realising your own strength. Click To Tweet

A disturbed individual creates disturbance not just within, but also in others. A conflict begins in a disturbed mind. But a peaceful individual creates harmony in society. A disturbed mind visibly takes a toll on everything. Mental health has become the biggest challenge facing human society today, causing deep ruptures in families. A stressed person does not even communicate with their own family. That stress moves from person to person, from home into the workplace, and into how we communicate with each other in society.

Peace cultivates patience, and patience is necessary in any communication. Only a calm and steady mind can develop communication skills. If we are stressed, in a hurry, or not composed, then we can never be skilful. We become more impulsive, and an impulsive mindset ends up causing some sort of disaster sooner or later. So the journey towards peace has to begin with the individual.To understand peace comprehensively, we have to take a journey within. A few moments of silence and introspection can free us from the clutter of our own mind, thoughts, and emotional patterns.

Inner peace comes when you relax and let go of stress and expand your awareness, deepening your understanding of life. Once you have that inner peace, then you can think clearly, take on challenges with poise, and handle them effectively and efficiently.

Peace is needed at three levels: first is inner peace, which is of the mind. It brings dynamism to our actions and makes us more powerful. The second level is peace in our immediate environment, our family, friends, and workplace. The third level is peace between nations and continents.

We all have the responsibility of bringing peace to every nook and corner of the world. Unless every member of our global family is peaceful, our peace is incomplete. We need to bring that inner calmness, a violence-free society, a disease-free body, a confusion-free mind, an inhibition-free intellect, a trauma-free memory, and a sorrow-free soul. It is the birthright of every individual. We need to realize our rights and also our responsibilities. Then we can have both inner peace and outer peace.

September 21 is International Day of Peace