He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe. – Marcus Aurelius
This is one way one can attempt to find harmony within. Have you tried to be at harmony with yourself lately?
What does that mean?
I find this quote interesting due to how it turns the outside (the universe) to the inside (within one’s self). To me, the quote makes the universe a mirror of ourselves. When we are at harmony with ourselves, the universe is in harmony with us as well.
The opposite has also been seen. Those who are ill at ease with themselves are the ones who end up taking their anger, hurt, and uneasy feelings out on others. As good rarely comes of that, I would have to recommend that we find ways to come to grips with ourselves, and try to live in harmony with ourselves.
The vast majority of us are largely in harmony with ourselves, but often have a few rough edges. Learning how to come to grips with those last few loose ends may help us become more in harmony with ourselves than we have ever been in our lives. I think it’s worth a try, do you?
Why is knowing yourself important?
Allow me to answer a question with a few questions. If you do not know yourself, how will you ever become comfortable with who you are? How will you come into harmony with something of which you have little or no knowledge? Does that make knowing yourself important? I believe so!
Do you know why you are afraid of some things, but not others? Is there a reason behind your loathing of certain sights, smells, sounds, or people? Until you know yourself, how will you manage to come to grips with the things which bother you?
As we become more familiar with ourselves, we can begin to understand what drives some of our less desirable desires. We can then try to find ways to modify or even stop them. But nothing much can happen until first we understand ourselves, until we know ourselves.
Where can I apply this in my life?
To start with, we will have to examine our lives. What is going on in our heads, our bodies, in our spiritual selves (however you might chose to define that)? This is the basic overview of ourselves and where we are at this point in time. Take a few moments to consider this.
Now take a moment to consider the things which make you feel peaceful and at ease with yourself and with the universe. Are there certain events, places, or atmospheres which help you be more at peace? Take a moment and feel the harmony within yourself.
Some things which disturb that harmony come from outside ourselves, and therefore outside of our control. However, while we cannot control these outside influences, we can control how we react to them. It’s true, you can control how you react. It might not be easy, but it can be done.
As an example, how many of you find it hard to be in harmony with the universe, or even have a pleasant moment at a restaurant with a screaming child? How many of you are now noticeably more tense than you were a few moments ago? I know I am.
However, I have no control over the child. Nor have I any control over their parents. However, as a parent, and having been in their position before (when my children were young and noisy), I can choose sympathy over anger, and smile towards them. With that, I become at peace with the noise.
Every situation presents us with challenges. If we do our best to find a way to be in harmony with ourselves, we can more easily get past the challenges. If you dislike anger, smile. If loud noises bother you, try not to focus on the loud noise of this moment, but on the silence of the past or the silence to come.
I focused primarily on the outside dis-harmonies, but some will come from within. As we are all very different, that will have to be done on a personal basis. But any time you feel a little uneasy about doing something or your feelings, that might be a clue that you need to do some examining of yourself, right?
Like most things in life, we can focus on what makes us angry, irritated, or unhappy. Or we can look past these obstacles to the things we will be once we have moved past them. We might be stronger, more knowledgeable, or have learned a new skill. Even if all we get is some peace and quiet, we can still focus on that, right?
Applying that to being in harmony with ourselves, we have the option to focus on that which brings harmony, or that which disturbs harmony. Pretty much every situation can be viewed from many directions.
Find the silver lining in the dark cloud. It may corny, but down the other path lies dis-harmony, unease, and even a little madness.
From: Twitter, @philo_quotes
confirmed at : http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marcusaure384175.html
Photo by RelaxingMusic
