Serenity

Who are your heroes?  You likely have a list of 5-10 people who come readily enough to mind.  For me, the immediate ones are traditional military heroes. [Sammy Davis is one of my favorites.  Something about getting knocked on your ass 5 times, and getting back up 5 times makes me laugh with admiration.  Then he floats himself, wounded, across a river, even though he can’t swim.  God blesses those who don’t know what they “can’t” do.]

Back on topic, for how many of them is their principal positive attribute tranquility?  Peace of mind?  Calm?

I had said some time ago that I didn’t “get” the seated Buddha, since my life is not spent sitting.  But I think I do now: this figure symbolizes FINALLY getting some rest from the worries and troubles, doubts, hopes, fears, sadnesses, and everything else that come with human life.

Yes, of course this is obvious, and yes of course I am stupid for not getting this.  But I was sitting today, doing my Kum Nye, and just watching all the endless parade of emotions and images, and realizing that behind it all there is rest.

And I would argue that tranquility is perhaps the most important virtue, because without it all other virtues are expressed compulsively, which is to say inauthentically, mechanically.

True love proceeds from tranquility.  It takes an untroubled spirit to offer true empathy without grasping, to give without expectation or need of reciprocation. 

We all want to have a happy, untroubled heart, and you must have one to offer it.  There is no other way.

We would do well to value more this virtue, which is our workaday world has I think come to seem useless, even though with it you can both work harder and longer.