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“The Peace Within” 2012, Infinity Publishing, Info@buybooksonthe web.com Most of us live our lives so much on the surface that we forget there is anything deeper. Especially for activists, we move from action to action, from goal to goal, from engagement to engagement. Of course, the continuous routine of planning, implementation and evaluation is necessary; without it our activism becomes frivolous. From time to time we do feel an outburst of emotion. We suddenly realize we are angry, or we are sad, or perhaps we are joyful… We don’t like the way we feel and we try to make the anger go away. Eventually, it does. At another time we may experience sadness. Again, we don’t like it, Again we try to make it go away. Again, eventually it does. What we usually don’t reflect on is that there is a deeper level of our being which is not affected by these passing emotions. If we make contact with this deeper level, we can experience serenity and joy even when on the surface we are feeling agitated, fearful, or sad. ……. What are the benefits of being in touch with our deepest selves? For one thing, the joy and serenity at our deepest level does not fade away. Life then becomes richer and more meaningful. Besides, as we pay attention to what we are doing, as we live in the present moment, everything becomes filled with beauty, and we experience the awe which is a fundamental religious experience. Furthermore, our activism becomes more effective as we see reality with more clarity, without being side-tracked by our interior demons. Still further, our spiritual growth is not confined to our individual selves. Serenity and joy are contagious. As we begin to experience how powerful it is to be present to the people we encounter day after day, as we begin to see them brighten in our presence, we will grow in compassion. The spiritual life is not about our own spiritual development. It is about love and compassion. Serenity and joy will lead us gradually to love. All else is secondary …… Dom Roberti, Ph.D. Was an active member of CPF
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