3 Easy Ways to Find Peace

Gas prices might be high, but the cost of our peace is more expensive than ever. It’s a price most of us aren’t willing to pay, because it’s a lot easier to pursue “success.” What is success, exactly? It depends on who defines it, but we usually think about success in terms of our career, finances, and possessions. We say, “she’s very successful,” but what we mean is that she has a lot of money.

Now, I would love to have a lot of money. That sounds great. I could buy really exotic fruits and slice them into unconventional shapes. Or I could just afford groceries in general. Which brings me back to the original point: the price of peace is high.

Gas prices might be high, but the cost of our peace is more expensive than ever. It’s a price most of us aren’t willing to pay, because it’s a lot easier to pursue “success.” What is success, exactly? It depends on who defines it, but we usually think about success in terms of our career, finances, and possessions. We say, “she’s very successful,” but what we mean is that she has a lot of money.

Now, I would love to have a lot of money. That sounds great. I could buy really exotic fruits and slice them into unconventional shapes. Or I could just afford groceries in general. Which brings me back to the original point: the price of peace is high.

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I don’t think it has to be, though. Or maybe it does. It seems anything worth gaining is going to cost you something, and peace is the ultimate reward. So, if the ultimate reward is what we’re after, a hefty price is what we’ll pay. Fair enough.

It’s easy for us to casually desire peace. We all think, “peace sounds nice. I would like peace.” Most of us, however, aren’t prepared to be at peace. Why? Because we haven’t considered the cost. In order to gain peace, we must let go of something else. Not something material, but something central. We must let go of ourselves.

In order to be at peace, we have to be. In a world obsessed with becoming, just being is no easy task. Shoot, most of us feel like we can’t even afford to just be. I gotta work, man! How am I supposed to just be when the water bill is crawling down my neck? I feel you, brother. I feel you. But take it from me, it doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Trust me, I’ve done it that way, and I’m paying the price.

See, I really wanted to achieve peace. I mean, I wanted it BAD. So bad that I almost lost my life in the Amazon rainforest raising monkeys, spent my entire savings, burned through every dollar in my checking account, and spent my days staring at the wall rather than pursuing my dreams. Do I regret it? Absolutely not. But would I recommend it? Absolutely not.

We can start small, and it’s not necessary to be as dramatic as my bumbling self. Want to see something funny? Here. I wrote this poem on a day where I was feeling especially frustrated with the way things are. Don’t worry, I’m not actually ejecting from society entirely, but this is how I really felt when I wrote it.

Apparently

I’m supposed

to file my taxes

go to work

register myself

with a card

buy insurance

for the car

provide one certificate

of birth

to show I’m actually here

merely a man

reduced to paperwork

sure

I’ll tell them

but I’ve had enough

and this was all

a terrible idea

so in the land of the free

I’m exercising my right

to not

participate

in society

any longer

and I’m sorry

to those I love

if this causes

a series of weird inconveniences

like being sent away

or having to pay

my bullshit bail

but our experiment has failed

and it would be foolish

for me to lie

down

and about

what I am

which can’t be defined

scribbled

hammered and nailed

just look at you

screaming and staring

into a cracked mirror.

I told you it was dramatic. And trust me, I really wanted to flee to a treehouse in Costa Rica and watch waterfalls. I was close, I really was. But that’s not very honorable. What is peace worth if we keep it to ourselves? Not a lot. So, here I am. It’s been a confusing journey for those around me, and I often feel like I’m starting life over again, but I found peace and I’m excited to get back to this wacky world we live in.

So, here’s a few ways to find a bit of peace without relinquishing everything, like I did.

1. Go for a walk without your phone.

Find somewhere you can walk safely and leave your phone at home or in your car or on your tricycle or whatever. Just don’t take it. Seriously, leave it. You’re going to be okay. There won’t be some earth-shattering emergency that requires your immediate attention. There never is, and you probably couldn’t help anyway. You’re not a superhero, and the sky is not falling. Take a gander at the clouds and listen to the birds. Allow yourself to breathe. Feel the breeze upon your skin. Ahh, nice isn’t it?

You’ll start to notice things when you leave your phone at home, like how everyone is always on their phone. The more you walk alone without it, the funnier things become. You’ll find great humor in life. You’ll really see the absurdity in the people who pass you, so distraught over the drama they’ve concocted. You’ll realize that everything is actually fine, and even if it wasn’t, there isn’t shit you could do about it.

Soon you’ll understand that life isn’t what we’re told it is. It’s just what it is, and it’s actually pretty great. You might pick up a leaf and really look at it. Maybe you’ll find a friend in a little squirrel. Perhaps a bird will look at you a bit silly and make you laugh. That rock is actually kind of neat. Ooh, a cat!

2. Stare at the wall.

Right before you turn on the TV, drop the remote, turn your body, and just stare at the wall. It doesn’t have to be for long, but just do it. Take a moment to relax. We are completely overstimulated these days, and it’s not necessary to go straight from a stressful day at work to watching yet another drama about murder.

Just because we’re lying down doesn’t mean we’re relaxing. Our bodies don’t actually know the difference between a perceived experience and a real one, so when we watch someone get slaughtered on the television, our system reacts as if it’s actually happening, and we continue the cycle of stress we’ve been caught in for so long. Relax for a minute. Nobody ever gets murdered on the wall. I’ve stared at it a thousand times and it’s never that exciting. And that’s nice. Everything doesn’t have to always be exciting, that’s exhausting.

3. Eat your damn food.

Just eat it. Don’t do anything else. Don’t turn on the television, don’t scroll on Instagram, don’t indulge in overthinking about your dumb life, just eat the damn food. Preferably with some company. There’s nothing better than good food with good company, but often times we’re alone, and eating food alone is actually pretty great, too.

You’ll find that you’re actually tasting the food. Instead of just scarfing it down to get on to the next thing, you’ll really taste and cherish the food. Gratitude will consume you, and you might not be so distraught about keeping yourself alive. “Oh no, I have to go to the grocery store!” will become a distant thought, because you’ll realize it’s entirely asinine. The miracle superstore where you can buy anything to eat at an affordable cost? That’s become a chore for you? Something you maintain disdain for? Get it together, the store is a living miracle and if you don’t see it that way, you’ve gone blind.

People used to have to hunt all day just for a chance at maybe having food. You had it delivered straight to your door because you were overstressed about selling enough luxury carpets at your corporate job and dinner was just too much for you to even think about. Dinner is life. The job is a sideshow. Yet another drama between meals. That’s all life is. A drama between meals. Don’t forget about the meal. Eat your damn food.

- Jason Scott Brendel

Jason Scott Brendel is an author, comedian, and deranged lunatic living in Austin, Texas. You can support his creative career by purchasing his laugh-out-loud collection of poetry on Amazon (https://shorturl.at/9MaXR) or by following him on Instagram @JasonBrendel