What is inner-peace?

[iNow]

Is it free if it's just chemistry? That's my sticking point on the freewill point. I cannot control the chemical interactions, yet they're what control me. 

Off-topic in our inner pp's... peas... piece... peace thread, though.

[zapatos]

6 minutes ago, iNow said:

Is it free if it's just chemistry? That's my sticking point on the freewill point. I cannot control the chemical interactions, yet they're what control me. 

Off-topic in our inner pp's... peas... piece... peace thread, though.

Sticking point for me too, but because I'm not convinced the chemical interactions control me. Does the chemical reaction cause me to choose something, or allow me to choose something? Theoretically if chemical reactions are the causes of my choices, then given enough data you should be able to predict everything I think, say and do. I have no doubt I'm influenced by things out of my control, but I'm not convinced they have total control.

[Outrider]

5 hours ago, zapatos said:

Sticking point for me too, but because I'm not convinced the chemical interactions control me.

It's more of a moot point for me. If I knew that my gut had made me do everything that I regret I would no longer feel the guilt but then who decided that? It just doesn't change anything. So I choose to act and feel as if I have freewill. Just in case.

5 hours ago, iNow said:

Off-topic in our inner pp's... peas... piece... peace thread, though.

Even though it changes nothing I find the subject interesting and deserving of it's own thread apart from our inner pees thread.

8 hours ago, koti said:

This is outrageous.

I have been known to fib to prove a point but thanks koti.

@Eise nailed it!

[iNow]

1 hour ago, Outrider said:

apart from our inner pees thread.

Holy monkey testicles, Batman! I. Cannot. BELIEVE... that I missed the most obvious and humorous one! Well done, sir.

Btw on this and the posts that follow - 

 

7 hours ago, zapatos said:

I'm not convinced the chemical interactions control me.

A completely understandable position. I’d be curious to understand, though... if it’s not the chemistry, what you think does? That said, this isn’t the right thread. Maybe the one I linked to above instead. 

Edited November 10, 2017 by iNow

[zapatos]

1 hour ago, iNow said:

Btw on this and the posts that follow - 

 

A completely understandable position. I’d be curious to understand, though... if it’s not the chemistry, what you think does? That said, this isn’t the right thread. Maybe the one I linked to above instead. 

I responded in the thread you suggested.

[dimreepr]

21 hours ago, zapatos said:

Again, neither I nor anyone said it was.

You said our control was an illusion and I showed where I had partial control, and you repeated that it was an illusion.

You seem to move the goalposts back and forth from "it is an illusion" to "it is limited".

I position myself differently depending on what we are talking about. I have more control over my drinking than I have over Western Culture.

 

I guess I'm just not very good at explaining myself, I'll have another crack. The best analogy I can use is, you can control where you plant a random seed but you can't control what plant it becomes. 

 

The more control we think we have the more pernicious the illusion, take Nelson Mandela as an example, South Africa thought they could control him and his movement by locking him up and controlling his every move, they controlled what he did but not what he thought.

 

20 hours ago, Eise said:

Time is very real for us. As long as you have memories of the past and hopes, expectations, and curiosity about the future time is real for you as it is for me.

 

Time is only real now, yesterday and tomorrow literally don't exist, that's the illusion. That doesn't mean you have no memories or expectations, just that a preference for either, robs you of the potential wonder of now. 

Edited November 10, 2017 by dimreepr

[iNow]

3 hours ago, dimreepr said:

the potential wonder of now. 

An infinite now, as represented by the i in my username

[dimreepr]

23 minutes ago, iNow said:

An infinite now, as represented by the i in my username

didn't I already question that i?

[iNow]

I have no idea, but figured it couldn’t hurt to remind others

[Dubbelosix]

On 26/10/2017 at 2:27 PM, dimreepr said:

A couple of recent threads, I've commented in, suggests the answer to this question is not obvious, so

Let's discuss... 

Total inner peace relies on (self-reliance) and (spiritual guidence) ... [only through] a coherent set of beliefs that cause or create a situation in inner peace is justified through the moral act.

 without moral act in an individual, there is no concern about others, let alone yours.

[dimreepr]

17 hours ago, Dubbelosix said:

Total inner peace relies on (self-reliance) and (spiritual guidence)

1

Thanks, I'd forgotten the importance of the self in finding inner peace, no-one can do it for you; that doesn't mean you can't be guided (spirituality is unnecessary) but the final step is yours alone. 

 

17 hours ago, Dubbelosix said:

[only through] a coherent set of beliefs

 

Belief can play a part but it's not the only route, there are many roads that lead to it, not all are on the map. 

17 hours ago, Dubbelosix said:

 without moral act in an individual, there is no concern about others, let alone yours.

Please explain because morals seem superfluous in its discovery.

Edited November 11, 2017 by dimreepr

[Dubbelosix]

With a good moral compass you will reap what you sow. Enlightenment is a number of topics in my opinion. It is to create a healthy state not just in our minds but also our surroundings. 

[dimreepr]

12 hours ago, Dubbelosix said:

With a good moral compass you will reap what you sow. 

1

That has been dealt with in the thread (please read), karma.

12 hours ago, Dubbelosix said:

Enlightenment is a number of topics in my opinion. It is to create a healthy state not just in our minds but also our surroundings.

The topic is inner-peace, not enlightenment.

[Dubbelosix]

34 minutes ago, dimreepr said:

That has been dealt with in the thread (please read), karma.

The topic is inner-peace, not enlightenment.

 

Sorry, bit of confusion there. 

[dimreepr]

Just now, Dubbelosix said:

 

Sorry, bit of confusion there. 

No worries, your input is welcome.

[Eric H]

On ‎10‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 7:43 PM, Dubbelosix said:

Total inner peace relies on (self-reliance) and (spiritual guidence) ...

I have been a Street Pastor for about ten years, we go out on our streets from around 11pm until about 4 am on a Friday night. We often come into contact with drunken anger and fights. I can remember the first time, there was about a dozen people fifty yards down the road; and they just started punching each other. We prayed as we approached them, I saw one man punched to the ground, another was being kicked on the floor, and a man swung round and punched a women in the face.

We walked in the middle of all this anger, people were in front of me and behind, there was so much I should have worried about. Yet I experienced a profound sense of peace that was truly beyond my understanding whilst in the middle of all the anger. I can only say that after a while things calmed down. We stopped with them for about twenty minutes and when it was time to go, we had lots of handshakes and hugs. I was in my sixties at the time, and I was with two ladies in their seventies.

Edited March 3, 2018 by Eric H

[interested]

Inner Peace IMO is only attainable when you are in a stress free state, which can only be arrived at when you have no wants or desires.

Inner peace can not be achieved when you employ the builders from hell or anyone who does not follow your plan, ie to gain inner peace you must avoid at all costs fuckwits and people that cause you stress. These states of stress can be avoided of course by employing reliable people or doing everything your self. However this does not lead to a state of relaxation. Alcohol has been mentioned as a way to inner peace d ness, this in large quantities can induce depression, head aches and unwanted pregnancies following the drinking session. I have found of late taking 1 Diazepam  one hour before meeting stressful people (builders from hell)  inner peace can be maintained without risking a stroke or heart attack. Drinking does not help blood pressure or inner peace. 

I will have inner peace again in the future when the builder from hell gets out my house, and I complete the rest of the work myself, or with the help of friends, and a moderate amount of alcohol.

[dimreepr]

16 hours ago, interested said:

Inner Peace IMO is only attainable when you are in a stress free state, which can only be arrived at when you have no wants or desires.

Inner peace can not be achieved when you employ the builders from hell or anyone who does not follow your plan, ie to gain inner peace you must avoid at all costs fuckwits and people that cause you stress. These states of stress can be avoided of course by employing reliable people or doing everything your self. However this does not lead to a state of relaxation. Alcohol has been mentioned as a way to inner peace d ness, this in large quantities can induce depression, head aches and unwanted pregnancies following the drinking session. I have found of late taking 1 Diazepam  one hour before meeting stressful people (builders from hell)  inner peace can be maintained without risking a stroke or heart attack. Drinking does not help blood pressure or inner peace. 

I will have inner peace again in the future when the builder from hell gets out my house, and I complete the rest of the work myself, or with the help of friends, and a moderate amount of alcohol.

As I, and others in this thread, have explained, it's not a state of eternal bliss, it's a state of mind that enables one to deal with stressful people and situations with a minimum of fuss.

16 hours ago, interested said:

Inner Peace IMO is only attainable when you are in a stress free state, which can only be arrived at when you have no wants or desires.

1

"He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature." - Socrates quotes 

There's nothing wrong with wanting/desiring something, we all have dreams; the problems arise when you pin your happiness on them or make them your goal/meaning in life.

[interested]

On 3/4/2018 at 11:50 AM, dimreepr said:

As I, and others in this thread, have explained, it's not a state of eternal bliss, it's a state of mind that enables one to deal with stressful people and situations with a minimum of fuss.

I would tend to agree with this but the builder I have is enough to drive anyone insane, for reasons beyond the scope of this thread. 

On 3/4/2018 at 11:50 AM, dimreepr said:

"He is richest who is content with the least, for content is the wealth of nature." - Socrates quotes 

I agree with this also

On 3/3/2018 at 7:36 PM, interested said:

Inner Peace IMO is only attainable when you are in a stress free state, which can only be arrived at when you have no wants or desires.

The above is in line with Socrates but I understand it is also from Buddhism, not that I do religion. I had no wants or desires but my wife wanted me to buy a cottage needing serious renovation, thats when a builder got involved and before I new it, like I said the rest is beyond the scope of this thread or forum. 

[dimreepr]

On 03/03/2018 at 8:36 PM, interested said:

Inner Peace IMO is only attainable when you are in a stress free state, which can only be arrived at when you have no wants or desires.

1

 

16 hours ago, interested said:

The above is in line with Socrates but I understand it is also from Buddhism, not that I do religion.

Not really, no. As I explained after that quote (in my previous post) but let me clarify.

"He is richest who is content with the least..."

The bolded part is my point because we can't, survive on nothing and we all have desires; for instance, I would love an Aston Martin but I'm content to walk.

16 hours ago, interested said:

 I had no wants or desires but my wife wanted me to buy a cottage needing serious renovation, 

 

But you wanted to please your wife...

16 hours ago, interested said:

thats when a builder got involved and before I new it, like I said the rest is beyond the scope of this thread or forum. 

You had choices:

Cut your loss' and sack the builder.

Cut your loss' and sell the cottage.

Accept the situation and hope it works out.

Leave your wife.

A contented mind looks for a solution to a problem, if it has one then attempt to solve it, and if it doesn't accept the problem; either way, don't worry because worry is the enemy of content.

Edited March 6, 2018 by dimreepr

[interested]

5 hours ago, dimreepr said:

 

Not really, no. As I explained after that quote (in my previous post) but let me clarify.

"He is richest who is content with the least..."

The bolded part is my point because we can't, survive on nothing and we all have desires; for instance, I would love an Aston Martin but I'm content to walk.

But you wanted to please your wife...

You had choices:

Cut your loss' and sack the builder.

Cut your loss' and sell the cottage.

Accept the situation and hope it works out.

Leave your wife.

A contented mind looks for a solution to a problem, if it has one then attempt to solve it, and if it doesn't accept the problem; either way, don't worry because worry is the enemy of content.

I have considered all the options, I will let my wife know your views, but I think I will hang onto her. 

[dimreepr]

Just now, interested said:

I have considered all the options, I will let my wife know your views, but I think I will hang onto her. 

Good luck...

 

[koti]

3 hours ago, interested said:

...I think I will hang onto her. 

 

3 hours ago, dimreepr said:

Good luck...

 

I don’t know about you dimreepr and interested but for me, humour is a vital part of inner peace.

Having said that, it is worth mentioning that being too content with yourself might be a catalyst for becoming single. 

[naitche]

I would also say acceptance is the answer.

Of what?   Of your existence? 

Like, instead of asking

Why am I here? What is my purpose?

Well, Here I am.

How will I respond?

What response makes the most of what I have to work with?

Accepting what you are/have/been given-

your condition, what ever it is.

And your own ability to respond to to that. Or not.

To alter your condition, or not.

And the consequences of not exercising our ability to respond.

[interested]

10 hours ago, koti said:

 

I don’t know about you dimreepr and interested but for me, humour is a vital part of inner peace.

Having said that, it is worth mentioning that being too content with yourself might be a catalyst for becoming single. 

Yep humour is always good, it is always better to laugh than cry. A good wake with plenty of alcohol has a mix of both laughter and tears and helps the living along and enhance inner peace.

Being too content and trusting what people say is what leads to being taken advantage and hence the loss of inner peace I am currently experiencing.  

Ps Always judge builders, politicians, lawyers, architects, all manifestations of life, etc by actions not slippery words, and never pay anything in advance unless you are a sucker. 

Ps never take your wife to speak to the lawyers they (the lawyers) charge by the minute and cost almost as much as being married