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In my early life, I made
two very important discoveries. In the first
place I discovered that making money was easy.
And in the second place I discovered that making
money and spending it foolishly was completely
meaningless. I knew that this was not what I
was here for, but at that time (this was many years
ago), I didn't know exactly what I was here
for. It was out of a very deep seeking for a
meaningful way of life, and after having walked all
one night through the woods, that I came to what I
now know to be a very important psychological
hump. I felt a complete willingness, without
any reservations, to give my life, to dedicate my
life to service. I tell you, it is a point of
no return. After that, you can never go back
to completely self-centered living.
And so I went into the second
phase of my life. I began to live to give
what I could, instead of get what I could,
and I entered a new and wonderful world. My
life began to become meaningful. I attained
the great blessing of good health; I haven't had a
cold or headache since. (Most illness is
psychologically induced.) From that time on, I
have known that my life-work would be work for
peace; that it would cover the entire peace
picture--peace among nations, peace among groups,
peace among individuals, and the very, very
important inner peace.
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However, there's a
great deal of difference between being willing to
give your life, and actually giving your life, and
for me, 15 years of preparation and of inner seeking
lay between.
During this time I became
acquainted with what Psychologists refer to as Ego
and Conscience. I began to realize that
it's as though we have two selves or two natures or
two wills with two different viewpoints.
Because the viewpoints were so different, I felt a
struggle in my life at this period between the two
selves with the two viewpoints. So there were
hills and valleys--lots of hills and valleys.
Then, in the midst of the struggle there came a
wonderful mountain-top experience, and for the first
time I knew what inner peace was like. I felt
a oneness-- oneness with all my fellow human beings,
oneness with all of creation. I have never
felt really separate since. I could return
again and again to this wonderful mountaintop, and
then I could stay there for longer and longer
periods of time, and just slip out
occasionally. Then came a wonderful morning
when I woke up and knew that I would never have to
descend again into the valley. I knew that for
me the struggle was over, that finally I had
succeeded in giving my life, or finding inner
peace. Again this is a point of no
return. You can never go back into the
struggle. The struggle is over now because you
will do the right thing, and you don't need
to be pushed into it.
However, progress is not
over. Great progress has taken place in this
third phase of my life, but it's as though the
central figure of the jigsaw puzzle of your life is
complete and clear and unchanging, and around the
edges other pieces keep fitting in. There is
always a growing edge, but the progress is
harmonious. There is a feeling of always being
surrounded by all of the good things, like love and
peace and joy. It seems like a protective
surrounding, and there is an unshakeableness within
which takes you through any situation you may need
to face.
The world may look at you and
believe that you are facing great problems, but
always there are the inner resources to easily
overcome these problems. Nothing seems
difficult. There is a calmness and a serenity
and unhurriedness--no more striving or straining
about anything. Life is full and life is good,
but life is nevermore overcrowded. That's a
very important thing I've learned: If your
life is in harmony with your part in the Life
Pattern, and if you are obedient to the laws which
govern this universe, then your life is full and
good but not overcrowded. If it is
overcrowded, you are doing more than is right for
you to do, more than is your job to do in the total
scheme of things.
Now there is a living to give
instead of to get. As you concentrate on the
giving, you discover that just as you cannot receive
without giving, so neither can you give without
receiving--even the most wonderful things like
health and happiness and inner peace. There is
a feeling of endless energy--it just never
runs out; it seems to be as endless as air.
You just seem to be plugged into the source of
universal energy.
You are now in control of your
life. You see, the ego is never in
control. The ego is controlled by wishes for
comfort and convenience on the part of the body, by
demands of the mind, and by outbursts of the
emotions. But the higher nature controls the
body and the mind and the emotions. I can say
to my body, "Lie down there on that cement
floor and go to sleep," and it obeys. I
can say to my mind, "Shut out everything else
and concentrate on this job before you," and
it's obedient. I can say to the emotions,
"Be still, even in the face of this terrible
situation," and they are still. It's a
different way of living. The philosopher
Thoreau wrote: If a man does not keep pace
with his companions, perhaps he hears a different
drummer. And now you are following
a different drummer--the higher nature instead of
the lower.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
From 1953 to
1981, a silver-haired woman calling herself only
"Peace Pilgrim" walked more than 25,000
miles on a personal pilgrimage for peace. She
vowed to "remain a wanderer until mankind has
learned the way of peace, walking until given
shelter and fasting until given food." In
the course of her 28 year pilgrimage she touched the
hearts, minds, and lives of thousands of individuals
all across North America. Her message was both
simple and profound. It continues to inspire
people all over the world. Visit
peacepilgrim.org to learn more about her and her
life's journey.
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