Finding Peace by Letting Go

Photo Credit: Jonathan Meyer on Pexels

In my previous article on Finding Peace in the Chaos, I shared that we have a choice in how we respond to the world. We can choose to get caught up in the drama or we can observe and choose to stay centered in love and peace. But how do you do that? It sounds so easy but every time I open social media it seems there are more and more stories capable of grabbing our attention and asking us to participate. For me, I try to stay away from doom scrolling but this past week I found myself getting caught up. To be honest I was looking for signs of change Signs that more and more people were making decisions that would help change the narrative of the world. Even with that more positive spin,  I still got caught up in the drama as it pulled on my emotions. I'm not saying we should ignore everything and live oblivious to the suffering of others, but we also don’t have to hold onto what we can’t control. 

I spend time in my meditation practice praying for a vision of a better world and sending love into the universe. But I don't think it's possible to stay in that state on a consistent basis. I've learned that what helps me to stay grounded and stable is to observe what is happening and then let it go. I focus on accepting that the state of the world is not anything I can control and that the only constant is change. So rather than despair and remain in a state of fear, I bring myself back to the current moment. It doesn't always work because sometimes I'm just not stable or grounded enough. In those times I catch myself and just take a few deep breaths. I slow everything down by focusing on counting my breath in and out. 

This brings me to the present moment where I ask myself what I'm feeling. If I feel overwhelmed I know I've lost connection with myself and I've gotten caught up in the drama. I focus on where I am in physical space and acknowledge that I'm safe. I recognize that my only power at the moment is my power of choice. So I choose to recognize I can be in a state of fear for all those suffering, or I can be in a state of love for all those suffering. I cannot change their reality but I can contribute to the overall level of love energy that exists in the world. 

I believe that if I have faith in my power to impact the energy of the world, that it truly makes a difference. This is how I achieve a state of peace for myself. I'm learning to let go of anything I cannot control, not as a way to ignore the state of the world, but as a way to be in the world. For example, when I look out the window I see nature. I look at the trees and think, they don't despair about the wind that might come along and break a branch. They don't weep for the fall when their leaves dry up and fall off. They continue to grow and provide oxygen to the earth because that is their purpose. So I'm simply here trying to be like the trees, knowing I have a purpose. My purpose is to shine like a lighthouse and be a beacon in the dark. No matter what, my work is to be stable and strong, in peace for whoever needs it, in the moment. So I let go of the winds that thrash against my experience, or the waves that crash against me. They do not last, they will pass, and once again I can focus on shining bright. This is the work. It isn't glamorous, it isn't easy, but it's why I came here to this school called Earth.

There is so much beauty in the chaos but you have to want to see it. The beauty is in how humanity rallies together, and in the generosity of those who raise their voices to say "enough", or those who find the courage to lead and speak out against powerful people that profit on the backs of others. Light is shining, even when things seem bleak, and when I shine my light it makes the light in the world glow brighter. That's how I choose to see the world, that’s how I choose to find peace.