HAVING INNER PEACE IS NOT ALWAYS A GOOD THING

When Mahmoud Ahmadinejad spoke at the United Nations last month, a columnist wrote a piece about his “serene” disposition, the calm look on his face, and his smile as he addressed world representatives. Sorry, I forgot who the columnist was or where I read the piece, but I remember him or her saying Ahmadinejad’s “composure” stemmed from having “inner peace,” the knowledge his position is in line with Islam and the dictates of Allah.

Ahmadinejad’s error is thinking knowledge backs up his stance. All that he has in his possession is false belief. If proposing the destruction of the State of Israel is in line with Islam and the dictates of Allah, then Islam and the Koran are wrong. Moral laws are not that complicated when it comes to genocide. If God exists, and if God is a good God, I believe Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and those who think like him are going to be unpleasantly surprised when they reach the other side. My bet is the doors of Hell will open up for them. No, the sentence is not for eternity. That is absurd. However, their stay in Hell should last long enough to teach these ignoramuses a good and enduring lesson.

Achieving inner peace through religious indoctrination is very dangerous. Faith or belief is the basis of religion. Knowledge has nothing or little to do with it. Therefore, people should be careful. A fictitious state of mind lasts only as long as reality lets people get away with it. There comes a time when what is real teaches us the error of our ways.

Having inner peace is also undesirable when achieved at the expense of ignoring evil and suffering in the world. Some people just care about their own little selves. They do not want to be bothered with reality. They want to live in a peaceful dreamlike world. They say, “Be positive. Act positive. Only mingle with positive people. Reject negative thoughts or news that could bring sadness or upheaval to the soul.” The only problem with that philosophy is that our world goes to Hell in the meantime—if people fail to act against the existing evils. Do not get me wrong. I favor optimism over pessimism. Positive thinking helps direct people’s lives and achieve goals, but it is counterproductive if one shuts out valuable information of a negative nature.

Take the cells of our bodies as good examples of altruism. They die doing a job, keeping our organs and our persons functioning properly. I am not asking you to die for the world. I know we are not cells. We are complex organisms with an instinct for self-preservation. Nevertheless, we are like cells in the sense that our collective is a body greater than we are. The name of that body is humanity. Thus, if you would like our race to survive and evolve, get involved. Fight evil and corruption. Eliminate those kinds of people or put them in jail, whichever they deserve. Do what you can to alleviate unwarranted human suffering. Then, after actively pursuing those goals, you can go ahead and enjoy a good dose of inner peace. There is nothing wrong with having inner peace, as long as we earn it.

Recommended Reading: Ercian Testament - Part III, chapter 25 “Heaven for Humans, Hell for the Namuh.”