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Quote:
Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
I came across this in my studies this morning. I believe it is true and seems to work for my life. I don’t believe even an outside source of divine intervention can bring one peace, if one is not striving for it internally, and showing the steps of faith to be triumphing great principles.
Thoughts?
I agree with Emerson’s statement, but I question whether the “steps of faith” part in what you said afterwards is really necessary. As I’ve been working through my own crisis in our religion, I feel myself returning to basic principles of Christianity and character development goals which can be practiced without even faith in Christ. Now, I still believe in Christ, but the principles he taught on the Sermon on the Mount, the 10 commandments, and principles like patience, love, humility, service, kindness, etcetera can be practiced without any faith in any specific divine being. And they give us ENOUGH to work on in this life, and generate a lot of peace, without throwing in more peripheral principles like some of the ones we see in our Church.
And for me, the principle that brings the most peace is the ability control one’s thoughts and place them in the right direction when turmoil floods the soul. Loving yourself when you make a mistake, holding your tongue when people make you angry, being patient when frustrating things happen, accepting those things you can’t change through thought discipline — all that stuff. That is the epicenter of peace, I believe.
I think a belief in God and Christ helps though, as the prospect of forgiveness makes it easier to love yourself. The idea of a world beyond this one, to which you can take your character provides motivation to perfect it. The idea that God will support you and bless you for being “good” also provides motivation.
However, in the end, “Virtue is its own reward”. And I believe that is where we should focus our efforts it we really want inner peace.
Agreed. Well put SD and Heber (+ 1) SD, I think of steps of faith as doing something, the action, which leads to truly understanding correct principles, which truly brings inner peace.
One can act in faith that loving your neighbor will be good, regardless of belief in Christ or God.
But I don’t think you gain peace by just thinking about principles. You must do them.
Principles can be gospel principles or others. I don’t think Emerson was thinking of gospel principles.
Heber13 wrote:SD,
I think of steps of faith as doing something, the action, which leads to truly understanding correct principles, which truly brings inner peace.
One can act in faith that loving your neighbor will be good, regardless of belief in Christ or God.
But I don’t think you gain peace by just thinking about principles. You must do them.
Principles can be gospel principles or others. I don’t think Emerson was thinking of gospel principles.
What I’m hearing is that you have to have faith in say, the principle of patience, and then stive to act that way. If that’s what you mean, then I’m in full agreement.
At times I’ve acted with the utmost faith that I would, say, baptize 3 people by the 30th of September. I even booked a font once on that goal day even though I had no one to baptize. The first time I did it, we baptized three people on that day. The second time i did it, it didnt’ work. It’s faith like that – white knuckling your psyche to ratchet out some results that I find are extremely angst causing, and I’m not convinced that kind of faith brings peace. One beats oneself up when the intended result doesnt’ happen. But faith in love, honesty, patience as means to peace, as opposed to anger, dishonesty and frustration; I can visualize faith in virtues as bringing peace very easily.
SilentDawning wrote:But faith in love, honesty, patience as means to peace, as opposed to anger, dishonesty and frustration; I can visualize faith in virtues as bringing peace very easily.
Yes, that is what I mean. The actions to live and prove the principles, not the willpower to control the universe to your desire.
I think peace comes when you’re OK with whatever outcome, because you’re focused on your behavior and actions, not on an expected set of results.
Faith in statistics for baptism or reactivations is a recipe for disaster.
Heber13 wrote:SilentDawning wrote:Faith in statistics for baptism or reactivations is a recipe for disaster.
A staple on my mission, unfortunately.
i like what Conversations with God (the movie) had to offer:
“Live life without any expectation of a specific result”…..meaning, don’t get your heart set on achieving things which are not under your control.
I agree with the quote. True peace is found internally – and I believe that type of true peace is visible (or recognizable) and can be shared. I agree that “Virtue is its own reward”. I am trying to be more sensitive to the virtues and magnify them when I can. I do believe they while they are all encompassing, and can be perused by Christians and atheists alike. The Gospel gives us added insights to what all is virtuous. The scriptures hint at that: Quote:
Moses 6:6363 And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.
Doctrine and Covenants 29:34
34 Wherefore, verily I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal; neither any man, nor the children of men; neither Adam, your father, whom I created.
Alma 7:23
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
Mosiah 2:41
41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
Moses 3:9
9 And out of the ground made I, the Lord God, to grow every tree, naturally, that is pleasant to the sight of man; and man could behold it. And it became also a living soul. For it was spiritual in the day that I created it; for it remaineth in the sphere in which I, God, created it, yea, even all things which I prepared for the use of man; and man saw that it was good for food. And I, the Lord God, planted the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and also the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Quote:Alma 7:23
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle;
easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive. Funny, I was thinking of this scripture recently, and wondered about the “easy to be entreated” part. For me, that means “willing to do things when asked”. But in the Church, this is precisely what got me into trouble, getting overworked etcetera. Anyone care to comment on “easy to be entreated” — that’s one that I think needs lots of tempering and caveats to be a valuable character trait.
To me, “easy to be entreated” means that you are willing to listen to the pleadings of others and give them serious consideration. Some truth in it, but it still underestimates the power of outside influences. Yeah, Sam – and it also underestimates the influence of internal things we can’t control until we understand them. Chemical imbalances are a prime example, but I am convinced we know FAR less about what makes us tick than we like to think. Luckily, Mormon theology accounts for that, even if we mortals do a generally lousy job of recognizing it within our theology.
Definitely agree about chemical imbalances, which can be internal in origin, or from an unknown external source, e.g. food, drink (especially stuff in water). It’s also a truism, that someone who’s seen family members raped and murdered, and been shoved in a prison camp is going to have quite a different outlook on life from someone who’s led a quiet suburban life in a rich country, and occasionally goes into the woods to contemplate.
Don’t presume that people with such horrible experiences haven’t lived amongst us in the west/rich world… I’ve met and talked to concentration camp survivors, internees of the Japanese camps… and more recently, I did a German class where we were discussing our homes. Everybody described their houses, until we got to one young lady who said, “I have no home, it was blown up.” or something like that… she was from Kosovo.
Love Emerson, don’t get me wrong, but he did have an easy life compared to what a lot of people in the world have to put up with e.g. starvation, disease, repression, immense poverty.
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