Finding ellusive tranquility

I've been learning a lot recently about the illusive state of tranquility that I've always yearned to maintain inside me and around me. I used to think that it was necessary to have everything "just so" in order for me to sit back and finally feel tranquil. And that's the reason why I rarely felt that state of tranquility. Because rarely, if ever, is everything "just so".



If I step back and look at things in a larger context, all the smaller things that formerly didn't fit into the "just so" category often diminish in importance. Looking at the "big picture" always does that for me. And interestingly, my tranquility levels increase.



I've also learned that in the midst of turmoil, I can find tranquility if I look inward instead of outward.

There will always be opposition on the outside. That's just the way life is set up to be. But there doesn't have to always be opposition inside of me. I am in control of whether it is there or not. My internal state (or level of spiritual awareness) doesn't have to be a reflection of what is happening around me. I have a choice whether it is or not.

I've learned that if I'm more passive in the maintenance of my spiritual self, my internal core becomes a tumultuous mirror of the world of opposition around me. But when I'm more active in the maintenance of my spirituality, that is when I find the calmness and peace. It is always interesting to me that tranquility requires activity and that passivity diminishes tranquility.

Now if I can just continue to remember that, I'll find tranquility more often.