a fable about peace…

There is a fable about a king who wanted to experience peace. As he wanted to know what peace looked like, he commissioned two artists to create the perfect picture of peace.

The first artist created a beautiful mountain landscape in which gorgeous trees towered over a lake. The lake’s waters were so calm, tranquil and serene that they served as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the mountains.

Everyone looking at it said it was “the perfect picture of peace”.

The second artist created a painting of a raging waterfall that cascaded down a rocky precipice. The water pounded so hard on the rocks that a mist rose from it and trickled upward. The tone of the painting was angry and violent.

Looking more closely, people could focus on the tree with a gnarled branch at the side of the waterfall. On that branch was a tiny bird in a nest that was singing a beautiful song, even though it was within inches of the torrential waterfall.

The people were in awe and said, “Yes! That is the perfect picture of peace.”

So…

Which painting truly was the perfect picture of peace?

I believe that they both were. But more importantly, I believe that true peace is being able to go through the storms without becoming part of them, just as the singing bird was.

Is peace merely the absence of fighting, or is it tranquility despite any conflict? Is happiness the absence of suffering, or is it contentment despite the imperfections?

We choose whether to worry or not. If we take a step back, we can see that all of our suffering is self-inflicted because we assign meaning to everything.

With all the turmoil in the world these days, we can choose what peace really looks like to us and then we can emulate it in our lives.

Ready to sing your song?!

I’m ready to lighten up! Are you? I’d love to hear any funnies that you’d like to share. Just leave a comment below the post! I’m at that age where my mind still thinks I’m 29, my humor suggests that I’m 12, while my body mostly keeps asking if I’m sure I’m not dead yet. […]

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