By Paige Reist | Posted: September 20, 2018

September 21st is the U.N. International Day of Peace. Though our nations and communities may be embroiled in conflict, something that unites every individual human is our desire for peace. Everyone wants the same things--to be safe, to have autonomy over ourselves, and to live our lives with freedom from fear, pain, and loneliness.

But what is the true nature of peace, and how do we find it for both ourselves and for the world? We’ve gathered wisdom from our favorite revolutionaries, soul-seekers, great thinkers, and spiritual leaders to inspire you on your own journey to peace and happiness.

1. Peace lives within you

Contrary to what we might believe, peace doesn’t come when you have the right friends, a full bank account, the perfect body, and an organized schedule. You are what you are, and what you are is a unique, valuable human being with infinite potential that doesn’t run out. Serenity is at the core of your being, and the very first thing you can do to begin to access it is realize that it’s already there.

“You find peace not by rearranging the circumstances of your life, but by realizing who you are at the deepest level.”

― Eckhart Tolle

“If you cannot find peace within yourself, you will never find it anywhere else.”

― Marvin Gaye

“Imagine that the universe is a great spinning engine. You want to stay near the core of the thing - right in the hub of the wheel - not out at the edges where all the wild whirling takes place, where you can get frayed and crazy. The hub of calmness - that's your heart. That's where God lives within you. So stop looking for answers in the world. Just keep coming back to that center and you'll always find peace.”

― Elizabeth Gilbert

2. Peacefulness isn’t selfish

Searching for peace is your birthright. It should be a priority, because it’s a gift that you give not only to yourself but to your family, friends, community, nation, and ultimately the world, too. By being a beacon of peace, you spread light around, and make the world a better place just by being you.

“If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.”

― Thich Nhat Hanh

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”
― Martin Luther King Jr

3. Peacefulness doesn’t mean complacency

Chasing peace doesn’t mean that you have to let injustices go. It actually means the opposite―standing up for what you believe in, always fighting for what’s right in any way that you can, and being a force of good through your actions.

“Let each one of us become a peace messenger and a peace soldier. Peace soldiers are dynamic with a will to stop any wrong. They expose the wrong deeds and wrong-doers in society, and stand up in protest. Peace does not mean inaction. Peace is proactive action.”

― Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

“World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not just mere absence of violence. Peace is, I think, the manifestation of human compassion.”

― Dalai Lama

“True peace required the presence of justice, not just the absence of conflict.”

― N.K. Jemisin

4. Peace takes work

Finding peace sometimes means confronting things about yourself that you’d rather not. Your history, your trauma, your flaws, and your dreams will all need to be confronted, which can be an uncomfortable thing to do. You’ll need to learn things about yourself that you never knew, forgive those who’ve wronged you, and scariest of all, leap out of your comfort zone, but the rewards are some of the greatest you’ll ever reap.

“Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace.”

― Amelia Earhart

“Peace is not something you wish for, it is something you make, something you are, something you do, and something you give away.”
― Robert Fulghum

On this International Day of Peace, remember that peace starts with you. It resides within your soul, waiting for you to find it and draw it out, and to share it with those around you. Peace is a powerful source of strength that finds its expression in love, and can triumph over any adversity.

"There is a strength in peace, there is a strength in calmness. There is a strength in Love, what you cannot win with guns, you can win with Love.”

— Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Om Shanti! Shanti! Shanti!

Paige Leigh Reist is a writer, editor, and blogger.

 

Peace is your very nature. Peace is your innate nature; it cannot go away from you. That’s why it means so much to be at peace with oneself. We feel that we want to be at peace with ourselves. You are peace. - Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar