Harmony and Peace not Dissension

By: M.R. Lalu
War being the subject of discussion these days, the title of this piece of writing brings a topic for contemplation.  We cannot be sleepwalking while life offers complexities in variety. To march with the multitude of mushrooming problems is what practically life is. In this multiplicity of tremors in life, we need to hunt for harmony and peace. In fact, what we need to learn is to be in harmony with ourselves before we try to come out firefighting a chaotic world outside. The world around is a multidimensional existence with more complexities than cohesion pouring in every direction. Life should become a conscious process of achieving inner harmony. As the Russian tanks and fighter jets spit fire of death on the terrains of Ukraine, the world is witnessing the absence of an inner harmony in the minds of the leaders who made this disaster happen. Weapons are not fighting the war but the minds behind. The aggression that we face and undergo is the result of this absence of an inner harmony and peace. Disagreement or dissension can dissect our intellect so severely that we forget the way we should handle the essential ability of intelligence in a suitable way. Dissension mostly leads to acrimony. Being acrimonious to those who we disagree with would bring disruption. Being disruptive, individual minds can spoil the congenial atmosphere around turning every single experience an unpleasant one. Dissension leads people to become intellectually blind, without being able to see the goodness around and the kindness that emanates from all the beings. The ultimate effect of such a state of mind is it leads to a volcanic eruption of emotions.
Inner harmony can be achieved by consistent practice. A person needs to watch the impulses that he is frequently carried away by. Consciously paying attention to the pattern of thinking would help a great deal of inner commotion to settle. Before we jump into an aggressive unpleasant action, we need to check the source of impulse and the reasons that such an action is prompted by. Most of the families are places where miniature riots happen on a day-to-day basis. A small group of people staying under one roof find it difficult to live a peaceful life. The absence of the ability to harmoniously coordinate with other minds is a huge challenge. The person near appears to be a stranger when we are overwhelmed by the feeling of disagreement. We find no reason to agree with the person who, a few days ago, was the one we accepted and respected and loved wholeheartedly. Mind’s courtyard is open with no fencing blocking the flow of thoughts. Constant attention to such flow of thoughts would control the flow itself. This naturally matures a person to accept, appreciate and even dissect the conflicting thoughts into meaningful understanding and achieve inner equanimity. It is easy to disagree with anybody. Disagreement happens when we insist on our ideas to get a place that we think they deserve. The ownership with which we enforce our thoughts on someone leads to disagreement. The other person to whom we apply our force holds equal rights for resistance. Therefore, learn to accept others’ views before forcefully placing our own. Harmony and peace can achieve a lot, not dissension.
(Freelance Journalist/ Social Worker)