Day 256 (Two-Hundred & Fifty-Six) of 365 days

Peace and tranquillity is the essence of not only a rested mind and body but also a rested soul. Peace and Tranquillity can come in many forms for different people. Some see it in having a rich cup of steaming hot coffee in a tranquil room whilst engrossing in a romantic novel that is as thick as the encyclopaedia. Others find it in staying active such as going for a strenuous jog across a luscious park that is filled with the merry laughter of families spending quality time together which brings them peace.

I however find peace and tranquillity in another manner. To other people, the journey they are taken through by a thrilling novel gives a sense of peace and tranquillity as this enriching journey allows them to escape the stressful reality called life. To others the feeling of adrenaline pumping viciously through their body as their legs take the impact of each stride allows them to enter a stress-free state which many people long for.

Men and women are destroying their bodies with this pace and what is even more tragic, their minds and souls as well for constant over stimulation produces poisons in the body and created fatigue and emotional illness. There are times when the only way to check this headlong pace is to stop – abruptly. Everyone should insist upon not less than a quarter-of-an- hour of absolute quiet every 24 hours. Do not talk to anyone. Do not read. Think as little as possible. This may be difficult at first because thoughts are stirring up in your mind, but practice will make it easier.
Conceive of your mind as the surface of a body of water and see how nearly unruffled you can make it. Then try to listen for the deeper sounds of harmony and beauty and of God that are to be found in the essence of silence.

We are all chained to fortune: the chain of one is made of gold, and wide, while that of another is short and rusty. But what difference does it make? The same prison surrounds all of us, and even those who have bound others are bound themselves; unless perchance you think that a chain on the left side is lighter. Honours bind one man, wealth another; nobility oppresses some, humility others; some are held in subjection by an external power, while others obey the tyrant within; banishments keep some in one place, the priesthood others. All life is slavery. Therefore each one must accustom himself to his condition and complain about it as little as possible, and lay hold of whatever good is to be found near him.