I have a wall-hanging in my office that read “Serenity Breeds Contentment” in Chinese, and some other things of which I’m not sure of the meaning. I found it at a stall just after I had started my blog and thought it was fortuitous. It’s pretty as well. I often thought that it was the other way around: that if one was content with their lot then peace and serenity would follow. Almost a happy resignation to the powers that be, and that one should be grateful for what they have.
–noun
1.
the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.
2.
Archaic . the act of making contentedly satisfied.
I am advocating gratitude for all the positive aspects in one’s life. However, I have to deal with the preconceptions that follow me and a result of my socialization, experience and general feelings. Contentment is a state that concerns me. I have been socialized to believe that contentment breeds stagnation and dulls your ambition. Ambition was touted as the force that will lead to one’s ultimate success and sense of fulfillment. Serenity was regarded as ancillary to your ultimate goal. A bonus. I still can’t shake the negative feelings I have around contentment, even though it may be a positive state of being. Maybe. I am not convinced. Ambition was the stronger message and one I can't seem to shake or reconcile with the benefits that contentment brings. Maybe its just not me. I embrace serenity. Is serenity an enlightened state of peace? I don’t know. Is it the absence of worry, the absence of stress? Is serenity is the gentle force that defeats these things. Maybe. I do know that to worry about serenity will ultimately repel it. There are all these contradictions that surround us. It is time to unravel these knots of confusion. This is my journey. To understand life, and ultimately myself.
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