You Will Encounter This on Your Path to Wisdom & Inner Peace

My most valuable possessions were stolen. Attempted theft of my unmanned aerial vehicle, theft of my expensive headphones, theft of the bike my great-grandmother gifted me as a young child, and worst of all theft of the motorbike I made a significant investment on — modifications included. All while my relationship was falling apart, & I was experiencing sexual harassment at my place of study.

What did this teach me? Aside from the very real realization life is far from easy, and stress is a constant in life, philosophical insights were gained from this simultaneous significant hardship.

Externals are ephemeral

You’ve attached your happiness, and almost self-worth to a hunk of metal, screws, & wires. When this item shall eventually breakdown, experience an accident beyond repair, or get stolen. Nonetheless, it will be stripped from your very grasp sooner or later, yet you’ve attached all fulfillment and contentment to this material.

Inner quality & values, the intrinsic value of your work — not its accolades, provide a true & long-lasting sense of fulfillment. Free from the ever-changing tides of external possessions or circumstances. Rich is a man who knows he has enough, consumerism is a poison. Things beyond our control are subject to change at any given moment.

True happiness never depends on possessions or even social status. The most devastating of experiences sternly forces us to reflect upon what truly matters, as one of my favorite philosophers Diogenes teaches us.

Inner peace

There’s a reason minimalism has become an increasingly popular practice. The less unnecessary clutter you concern yourself with obtaining, the less likely you are to engage in an endless cycle of attempting to fill the void with possessions that ultimately only bring but a temporary sense of pleasure that quickly fades. Inner peace becomes attainable when we free ourselves from the strings of fate.

This feat however doesn’t occur overnight, it takes many bad days of practice, and intense hardship, which is what my hardships have only brought me ever so closer to. Which you too will encounter on your path to wisdom & inner peace.

Thanks for reading

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This post was previously published on medium.com.

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