World peace follows inner peace

Dr. Jerry Jean

Everyone wants world peace. When I tell my daughter about the international wars today, she asks me, “Amma, will a war happen here?” I ask her, “Are we peaceful on the inside? Are we free from fear, jealousy, insecurity, anger, and other negative emotions?”

If we want peace on the outside, we should work on our inner peace first. We have to work to get rid of the shad ripus (six enemies of the mind according to the Indian philosophy) –kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), mada (ego), moha (attachment), and matsarya (jealousy).

A similar idea is echoed in the seven deadly sins from Christianity: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth.

So, I tell my daughter to work on her inner peace first. If you feel angry, jealous, impatient, work so hard on your own goals that you have no time for these emotions. If you are afraid of public speaking, work so hard at it that you’re no longer afraid of it.

We must develop courage, fortitude, and emotional self sufficiency within us, before we expect wonders on the outside.

As a practitioner of yoga and meditation, I truly believe that world peace will follow inner peace. The universe reflects back to us what we are on the inside. If we work on our shad ripus, gradually we will be able to face whatever befalls us. This inner peace will also spill into our interactions with others, who may be inspired to work on themselves too. And bit by bit, soul by soul, we will spread peace.

Dr. Jerry Jean is a PhD in English and a UGC NET exam coach. She loves drawing, acting, and singing among many other things. She believes that “Life is a gift from God to become the best version of ourselves and to be a blessing for others.” She can be reached at jjean960@gmail.com.